Page 52 - AVN July 2016

FEATURE
“I turn down lines all the time just
because it has to be something that I
really feel is going to bring something
to the DVD market. Because there’s
companies that will just load up and
take everything they can get their
hands on. But I need distributors and
stores to know that I’m putting my
seal of approval on this product.”
—Jules Jordan
Jordan says thus far he’s sacrificed a “normal family life” to “to stay focused and
be where I am.”
“A lot of people come to L.A., get in the business and they’re sucked into a party
atmosphere. It’s not a good situation to be in especially if you’re an 18- to 21-year-
old girl. You have quick money and parties right next door and everybody wants
to give you the world. That’s a challenge for a lot of these impressionable girls,”
Jordan says. “And then unfortunately a lot of these girls blame porn for their issues
when porn was never to blame.”
While the consistency of Jordan’s own line continues to provide the foundation
for everything, he now also distributes several other blue-chip brands such as Greg
Lansky’s Blacked and Tushy, the BDSM juggernaut Kink.com and the popular new-
girl site Amateur Allure.
Recently, he signed veteran sharpshooter Jonni Darkko and new power couple
Johnny and Kissa Sins for their Sins Life imprint, aligning them with long-standing
distribution partners such as Mike John Productions, who was his first producer
client in 2006; the Bang Bros.-owned Dancing Bear and College Rules lines; and
his own all-anal off-shoot studio, The Ass Factory.
That’s in addition to ongoing agreements with established directors such as
Chris Streams, Manuel Ferrara and Prince Yahshua to helm various series for Jules
Jordan Video.
“I turn down lines all the time just because it has to be something that I really
feel is going to bring something to the DVD market,” Jordan says. “Because there’s
companies that will just load up and take everything they can get their hands on.
But I need distributors and stores to know that I’m putting my seal of approval on
this product.
“So I was approached by Mike Moz and Greg Lansky about a new line that they
were doing which turned out to be Blacked. Greg was always known for his girl/
girl stuff. And he was never fortunate enough to be promoted as an individual for
all these years that he’s been shooting for these websites.
“So they told me the concept—it was directed by him. It all sounded great;
it sounded like a premium product. They trusted me to handle the distribution
and everything. Now it’s the most popular thing that’s out there—Blacked
and Tushy.
“I think it was a good time for something new to hit the market with a minimal
look for packaging and shot real clean. And shot with more of a filmmaker’s
perspective. And I think the timing was perfect and they’re truly doing numbers
that were numbers that we could get eight years ago. Their product right now
is pretty unaffected by the downturn in DVDs. That’s been a cool thing to be
involved with someone’s product that’s really selling well at a respectable price
in a time where the norm is for the retailers to go to the dollar to three-dollar
product to stock their shelves.”
Jordan calls that brick-and-mortar retail trend “a truck-stop mentality.”
“Look, it’s tempting to buy all this stuff for a dollar. If you line your store with
garbage, with all these one-dollar DVDs, it doesn’t matter. If it doesn’t sell, it
doesn’t sell,” Jordan reasons. “But some retailers think that’s the only way they
can compete. But they’re actually driving people to the Internet to get some of the
more collector’s item-type shit, instead of training people to come into the shops.
That’s one of the things that’s killing the DVD market, too.
“For some of these studios it’s just like an inventory blowout because once you
sell off all your DVDs for a buck you can’t really replicate them again. What are
you going to do, replicate them for a buck-fifty when you just sold out of them for
a dollar? So it’s kind of a clearing house mentality.”
Jordan has never been a follower, taking pride in his ability to run an
“unorthodox” business.
“We’re one of the few companies that can still charge 15 to 22 dollars for a new
release when there’s people out there selling new releases for five dollars and a
couple months later for three dollars,” he notes.
“So we have to be real protective of our brand. Certainly these days we can’t
base what we shoot on DVD sales that much because at best the DVD sales alone
will recoup your budget for the movie. Luckily, we’ve transitioned into one of the
The 2016 AVN Awards Show was a big night for both director Greg Lansky (above left) and Jules Jordan, who
distributes Lansky’s Blacked.com and Tushy.com lines.
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