Skeeter Kerkove has been called many things in his life, but “marketing guru” is a way of referring to Mayhem’s contract director that might surprise some people.
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| Kerkove's #1 Box Cover |
Yet with the assistance of Sin City/Mayhem’s in-house art department headed by Mark Snyder, Kerkove’s movies for Mayhem have created a distinct visual branding that goes beyond the Mayhem logo.
“Mark will have different themes and I’ll have different themes and we run them across each other. We try to match the cover with the theme of the movie,” Kerkove said.
The result of their collaboration is a consistent visual image for Kerkove’s titles. “It’s so people who buy these movies it stands out so much from the other DVDs on the shelf because it’s white and there’s that ugly tattooed guy on the cover and people recognize that,” Kerkove said.
There is a stark white background on all of Kerkove’s titles for Mayhem, with title specific graphics layered over when appropriate. Other consistencies include the use of Kerkove himself on the cover and the Mayhem logo on an article of Kerkove’s clothing. The logo usually appears on his headgear (hats or helmets) but has also appeared on his shirts and as a necklace.
And of course, each of Kerkove’s box cover’s includes at least one softcore glam shot of a beautiful woman. “A softcore box cover can be sold anywhere in the world,” Kerkove notes.
And Kerkove’s fan base includes people who love fetish ware, a taste that Kerkove himself is fond of. In light of fan feedback, Kerkove wants to have the box cover models at least sixty-percent clothed from now on – wearing fetish clothing.
Seven of the Mayhem titles from the self-proclaimed “King of Sodom, ” feature Kerkove and two women on the cover, two feature Kerkove and one woman, while the two latest covers feature Kerkove’s head on the cover with three women and an inanimate object (a tank and an ATM machine).
“We like to keep it a little different, yet still very recognizable,” Kerkove said.
Kerkove’s favorite box cover was for Clusterfuck, which was also his first box cover for Mayhem. Kerkove is found standing in the middle of two women, his wife Bridgette Kerkove and Ashley Blue. Both women are wearing full fetish wear, PVC skintight thigh-high boots, chrome dog collars and chains.
Kerkove says that his choice of women was no accident. “I have one of the top glamour girls (Bridgette Kerkove) and one of the top newcomers (Ashley Blue). I had to the total opposites on the box cover,” he said. .
That box cover set the tone for his videos released by Mayhem, regardless of the series or content.
For Kerkove’s interracial series, a mansion background with blue highlights is placed over the white background, more color than previously used. The rest is very familiar, yet still different. Kerkove appears wearing an Afro and pimp clothes, with two women on his arm. The Mayhem logo appears as Kerkove’s gold necklace, blended into the theme.
“I’m such a fan of interracial movies, I wanted to wear an Afro because I want to be an undercover brother,” Kerkove explained.
