Although Theresa Flynt isn’t directly involved in Hustler’s Internet operations, she’s still widely respected within the online community. Ask any of the major businesswomen in the online industry to name someone they admire, and the name Theresa Flynt inevitably will come up.
Flynt was responsible for turning the Hustler Hollywood stores into the hip retailing powerhouses they are today. She’s now the vice president of the company’s licensing and new business development division, where she continues to advance the Hustler brand.
Perhaps most interesting is that, unlike her famous father Larry, Theresa Flynt is a soft-spoken, modest, and fairly shy interviewee. (She says her father had to make her do her first interview.) Of course, that’s not to suggest there aren’t any similarities. Both Flynts possess determination and creativity and have proven themselves to be visionaries.
If you could point to a couple factors in the success of Hustler Hollywood, what would they be?
First, we have the brand name Hustler; second, I have been able to give that a female touch. We did something that no other adult store had done up to that point: target women as shoppers. Most adult stores are stereotypical—kind of dark, dingy, and not really inviting toward women. My being a woman and our having that brand name is what made them a success. But more importantly, the stores have been managed tightly to make sure the brand, products, and overall image is projected in a manner that brings in a whole new customer segment in addition to the typical adult-store shopper. It is rare to find an adult store that is such a professional operation.
What does it take to make an adult brand female-friendly?
Anybody who has been in our stores knows we have a bright, clean, hip, friendly environment. It feels like you’re in The Gap, but for adults. We play good music, have a knowledgeable staff, and sell female-friendly products—whether its candles or lingerie. We put more focus on sensual products, hip and trendy products, and not just on porn. Everything is sensual, from linen sprays to DVDs to vibrators to ruffled panties to the latest style in apparel. It’s selling quality products in a clean environment and going after both [consumers], primarily couples. Women don’t buy the same things as a guy.
What are your goals in the licensing division?
Hustler is one of the most recognized brands in the world, and the world is a much friendlier place for this brand than when my father went into business in 1974. We already have multiple licensing arrangements. For example, we have a line of adult novelties with Topco, a lingerie line through International Intimates, and a jewelry license with Silvermoon. However, I want to expand much further outside the typical paradigm of adult products. Hustler has become accepted as a mainstream brand, so that opens many more opportunities.
What was it like growing up a Flynt?
Depends on what decade [laughs]. My father is a businessman first. He eats, sleeps, and breathes work, but overall he’s a great father and has always been there for me. I work hard to make him proud and look forward to helping him expand into the new century from what he humbly started.
When you were younger, did you realize he was this larger-than-life figure?
I always knew he was a self-made businessman, but I don’t think I realized his impact on free speech until The People vs. Larry Flynt, because he is just my father in day-to-day life. When Milos Foreman put his whole life on film, focusing on the impact he made on journalism, there it was in front of my face. I realized what he had accomplished and how important my father was to society. At the end of the day, he’s still just my dad. I was too young to really get it. He was always on the news and, for me, all that was normal. People who don’t have family members in the news don’t think it’s normal because they’re not exposed to it. I never really thought about it until we sat down at the screening of the movie. I was 17 when he won the [Hustler Magazine v. Jerry Falwell] case, and that’s when I started really getting that he was someone important to the system. Then he started making it into college textbooks, and a lot of universities started teaching the Falwell case. It was about the time I was getting out of high school that I started to realize what a difference he made in our world.
Is working for LFP something you always wanted to do, or did it just happen?
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I was growing up. I knew I liked business, ideas, and marketing. I have a lot of respect for people who have good marketing skills. It’s a very competitive world out there, and good marketing is what it takes to succeed. I graduated from college with a degree in marketing, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to work or what my professional direction would be until [my father] wanted to open the stores. After the success of the Hustler stores, I was motivated to work for our brand. I now see that our products sell because people have trust in the brand. That’s why I think the future of branding is so important. When people buy a Hustler product, they know they’re going to get good quality.
What is it like working for your father?
Working for my father is very hard, because a parent expects more from their own family than they do from other people. The expectations are high. He expects more from me than he does from anyone else.
Does your father’s outspokenness about the government ever concern you?
No. Should it? A lot of people keep their mouths closed because they’re afraid of prosecution. My dad doesn’t know how to do that. He’s quite vocal, he has his opinions, and he’s fought for our right to free speech and the right to have an opinion.
What’s the most important thing you learned from your father?
If you want something, you have to be willing to take a risk to get it. Everything out there is for the taking; it’s just taking that chance to get it. He’s taught me all my life not to give up. My father had made millions and lost millions before he ever really found success. He was never afraid to take a chance and to fight for what’s right.
Being a woman in the adult industry, do you ever feel an advantage or disadvantage?
I think having a woman’s touch and insight is what made our stores successful. We know women spend more money than men, and the fact that no one had ever gone after that market is unbelievable. Being a woman was definitely an advantage. But there are some inherent disadvantages; the disadvantage of being a woman is that sometimes there are men who still don’t take women seriously. It’s still a male-dominated world.
If you could give one piece of advice to other women in this industry, what would it be?
To be successful, you have to love what you do. Whether it’s this industry or any other industry, you have to wake up every day and love your job and believe in what you’re doing. It will come through in your work.
Other than your father, who do you look up to in the adult or business world?
I have a lot of respect for Harry Mohney, the owner of the Déjà Vu clubs. Not only is he a family friend and business associate, but the way he runs his business and everything about him is very respectable.
Do you personally enjoy watching adult entertainment?
I work so much I don’t have time to watch [laughs]. We don’t really get to enjoy the products we produce.
What’s your philosophy on managing and growing the Hustler brand?
You have to know it is a brand and that it’s going to be here longer than any of us. The philosophy is to keep the brand alive indefinitely.
What’s the ultimate goal?
I want this company to be alive for hundreds of years. I want everything my dad has given—he lost his legs to it, he lost his wife Althea to it, as well as time—I would like to see everything he’s done in his life outlive all of us and for Hustler to continue to be a premium adult brand.
Where do you see the adult industry going in the next 10 years?
The future is technology—broadcast, cable, and Internet. Sex is not trendy. Some trends come and go, whether they’re cigar smoking, Snapple, or plaid pants—but sex is non-trendy.
How do you stay on top?
We like to think outside the box for new opportunities. If we continue to make branded, quality items and provide the consumer with what they’re looking for, we will continue to thrive.
If you were ever on the cover of Forbes, what would the headline read?
“Learn How She Created the Billion-Dollar Brand.”
