Page 34 - AVN June 2012

ADULT WHO’S WHO
On the Road | By Iris Blocks
Next Big Things
Two road trips and new DVD distribution keep Next Door Studios stars busy
Next Door Studios has been in business since 2002, but that doesn’t mean it’s anywhere close to slowing down. In 2012,
the company has been downright hyperactive, starting new projects and signing new stars. In addition to throwing a big
fundraiser at the Phoenix Forum and ramping up content production with Jocks Studio, Next Door also signed a new
DVD distribution deal and sponsored two big events in the first half of 2012.
Next Door Studios has been promoted worldwide across digital distribution platforms, including web and mobile.
This dominance in the digital space has been paramount in building brand recognition as a provider of premium gay
content. This year the company forged a partnership with Pulse Distribution to strengthen Next Door’s footprint in the
DVD market. The partnership has allowed Next Door to roll out a stream of new titles, as well as a new focus on the
Next Door Studios brand.
Through Pulse, Next Door is releasing five to six full-length titles a month. With more than 500 models from around
the world to draw from, there’s no shortage of male talent to feature in series such as Next Door Buddies and Next Door
Twink. But many of the releases are fueled by star power, showcasing popular Next Door exclusives such as Cody
Cummings, Marcus Mojo, Austin Wilde (pictured above), Rod Daily, Trystan Bull and Samuel O’Toole.
And speaking of star power, that’s exactly what propelled the recent Porn Star Next Door Tour, during which the
studio’s top performers took to the road to meet fans of gay adult entertainment across North America. The tour made
stops in various cities, including Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago and San Francisco. A total of 13 adult stars, including Next
Door’s three Fleshjack Boys—Wilde, O’Toole and Cummings—participated in the trip. The official sponsors were
Fleshjack and Hardline.
The second event, the Next Door Recruiting Tour began March 10 and is continuing into the fall. “We hope to find
another superstar like Cody Cummings or like some of our other Next Door exclusives,” said Stephan Sirard, president
of Next Door Entertainment. “We are always recruiting new fresh faces, but this time, we will not stop until we find a
new star!”
Tucker Scott, Next Door Entertainment’s promotions and event manager, answered a few questions about the Porn
Star Next Door tour.
You visited 25 cities in the Porn Star Next Door tour. Which city was the most fun?
Which drew the biggest crowds?
In Denver our talent experienced one of the warmest welcomes, with fans that packed
the venue and kept them busy with photography sessions on the red carpet and an
endless surrounding of admirers as they performed on stage. The venue took very good
care of the talents as well, in a grand VIP style, and to top it off, they made a charitable
donation from a portion of the event profits to the local LGBT youth center.
During the course of the tour, we also found that Texas continues to live up to what
it is known for and provided the biggest crowds during the tour, with stops in Houston
and Austin. And Austin ultimately drew in the largest crowd.
Part of the purpose of the tour was to show appreciation to fans, both by spending
time with them and by giving away certain items. Which giveaway item generated the
most enthusiasm?
The tour allowed us to distribute over 8,000 promotional giveaways and of those, the
item generating the most enthusiasm was the custom Next Door Studios Fleshjacks. A
close second was the Next Door DVDs. Although we had a larger quantity available,
everyone was willing to fight for titles that displayed our exclusive models on the cover.
It had inspired some to say, “These are the hottest guys I’ve seen in porn!”
What region produced the most new members for the fan club?
The fan club idea was developed as a way to tap into the fans who felt the need to go
beyond a normal level of interaction with our talent and the brand. … It was not surprising
to find that Chicago was our strongest market for new members to the Next Door Studios
Fan Club, as we have positioned ourselves strongly from a marketing perspective with con-
sistent weekly sponsored Friday night events as well as participation in Market Days.
Was this the biggest tour Next Door has ever sponsored? Will you be doing it again?
To date, the Porn Star Next Door Tour was in fact the single largest tour we have
sponsored, but additionally it provided the maximum exposure in all facets for the
Next Door brand. … In 2013, the tour will have some changes as nonstop traveling for
three months and engaging in high-energy club events each night proved to be an
exhausting experience for both the staff and talents alike, while juggling the daily opera-
tions of our studio.
What kind of content did the tour provide for your member websites?
We have built a lot of content from the Porn Star Next Door Tour for our free website,
NextDoorStudios.com. Fans who were unable to attend the events can access the “free
media” section of NextDoorStudios.com, where we will continue to post video clips
from the tour. In addition, we have a photo section which serves both the fans as well as
those who are looking for additional content for their blogs, which we always appreciate
as this generates additional support and exposure.
What did your performers think about the experience?
Although some of our guys found it a bit overwhelming in the beginning, everyone
involved has changed for the better through the tour experience. At the beginning, the
talent would try to avoid the dancing and now I almost can’t pull some of them off the
stage. It’s always wonderful to get those text messages from performers that say, “The
people in this club are so great, I want to come back again soon!”
In addition to the Porn Star Next Door Tour, you have also been conducting the Next
Door Recruiting Tour, during which you’re searching for new performers. Were the
hopefuls mostly already in the industry?
We found that a large percentage of people have at least thought about being
performers in adult entertainment. Some of the submissions we had received or those
who contacted us have already worked in the industry, but during the tour we also
found that 95 percent of them haven’t, and the ability to engage with a studio
representative face to face makes the difference when they realize the level of
professionalism behind our company.
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