Xbiz publisher Alec Helmy has established the Best Practices in Adult Video organization or BPAV, in an effort to protect the industry’s image and reputation and improve business practices.
“The principles of BPAV are topics that we regularly think about as members of the adult entertainment industry operating in an increasingly uncertain environment. BPAV’s missionis simple: To encourage proactive responsibility and to spread a positive message,” Helmy said.
“With the support of the adult entertainment industry, I sincerely hope that BPAV will achieve its mission.”
Lending his support to the effort was Paul Fishbein, president of AVN Publications Inc., who hailed the new organization as an important step toward assuring the industry’s future.
“Considering the amount of scrutiny the adult industry receives from the government and the media, it behooves video producers and content providers to run their businesses ethically. At AVN, we always felt that protecting the working conditions of the performers was of paramount importance, but difficult to monitor,” he said.
“So the formation of BPAV is a good thing that I hope will encourage people to ensure better conditions for performers and a safe work environment. Because many of the performers are young, the industry needs to set an example and send the message that working in the adult business can be a positive experience.”
The group aims to seek industry support for a number of its initiatives which include a number of so-called “best practices” aimed at improving the relationship between producers and performers.
Among these is the Disclosure of Acts stipulation, which asks producers to inform performers in advance of the types of acts they will be asked to do.
Others are:
• Encourage producers to keep performers away from possible physical harm or from situations where they feel they have been mistreated.
• Encourage the respect for performers on and off the set.
• Support efforts to make performers more responsible to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases.
• Require producers to be diligent in ensuring all performers are of legal age.
The organization also provides its voluntary seal, which is available to members of the adult industry who wish to support the principles advocated by BPAV. It can be downloaded at the www.bpav.org site. The seal may be placed on company Web sites, box covers, print materials and on the disclaimer segment on videos.
