Page 20 - AVN May 2016

WHO’S WHO
IN MEMORIAM | |By Dan Miller
Frank Barbarino, president of FB
Productions, one of the leading
box cover companies in adult
entertainment, died March 28 at 57.
Barbarino’s commercial printing
and packaging company is well
established as one of the two go-to
destinations for box covers in the
adult industry with a portfolio that
spans nearly three decades.
“Obviously this is shocking
news,” said Wicked Pictures
founder Steve Orenstein. “I started
my business in 1993, and I’ve been
dealing with Frank since then and
knew him a little bit before that.
Probably truly one of the nicest
guys you could know, that is always
there for everyone else, always
Frank Barbarino, 1959-2016
looking to help you in any way, a guy who his word and his
follow-through was the most important thing, and you just
always knew where you stood and that you could count on
him.”
Since founding the company in 1989, Barbarino worked to
make sure FB Productions remained on the cutting edge of
printing technology as he serviced a diverse clientele ranging
from Hollywood studio heavyweights to adult film giants.
Kevin Beechum, the owner of K-Beech Video who was
Barbarino’s best friend of 25 years, called him “the most loving
person anybody in this world would ever meet.”
“There wasn’t a bad bone in that guy’s skin,” Beechum said.
“It’s just crazy. Let me put it this way bro, he was closer to me
than my original brothers are.
“When he first started in business we met and I took him
around and introduced him to everybody and we just bonded
from that day on and from there it’s always been brotherhood.
There ain’t too many places we didn’t go together or things we
didn’t do together. If you’d seen him, you’d seen me, or if you’d
seen me, you’d seen him.”
Barbarino was born in Sicily, Italy, and grew up in Monterey,
California. His family owned a fishing business in Monterey
and Barbarino worked on fishing boats before he ventured into
adult. He attended Fresno State University and took a job with
Sal Anza’s printing company before he started FB Printing.
Adult clients actually made up only about 10 percent of FB
Productions’ business, Beechum said. Most of FB’s deals were
done with Hollywood studios and cosmetics companies.
“He was big into cosmetics and back when VHS and
Blockbuster Video was big, Frankie made all the big cardboard
cutouts and displays you’d see in Blockbuster.”
Barbarino through the years maintained a loyal adult
client base that included Orenstein’s Wicked Pictures,
Dion Giarrusso’s Combat Zone and Filly Films, T.T. Boy’s
Evasive Angles, Greg Alves’ Zero Tolerance, Jerry E.’s Juicy
Entertainment, Jules Jordan Video and K-Beech, among others.
“Frankie still printed all the guys he liked,” Beechum said,
noting FB Productions employed about 200 people at its height.
“Those were all good friends of his that he printed.”
Barbarino was part of Beechum’s notorious “Bad Boys
Club” that all had the same custom-made rings. The tight-knit
crew included everyone from Hell’s Angels to UFC fighters.
Beechum, who worked with a jeweler friend to design the ring,
said they were made of white gold and included a diamond bar
across the middle.
“There were over 50 guys that all carried that ring. They used
to call us The Ring Gang,” Beechum said.
Director Axel Braun remembered Barbarino’s generosity and
kindness. “The first time I set foot in his home I was blown
away by his exquisite taste in furniture and decorating, and I
told him—we had literally just met— and when I told him I was
about to close escrow on a house, he immediately volunteered
all the numbers of the designers, artists and contractors who
had worked on it,” Braun recalled. “So for the following six
years I lived in a house that I had modeled after his.”
Recalled Lewis Adams, sales manager for Metro West,
“When I started in this business in 2000, Frank was the first
printer I ever used. We even had a problem on our first order
and he said, ‘I want to get this right on your first because I
want you to be successful,’ and I’ll never forget that.”
Barbarino is survived by his mother and father and two
younger brothers—his brother Sebastian works at FB.
Ron Ellis, 1971-2016
Ellis’ nephew Khris Drummond told AVN, “my uncle wasn’t
perfect, but to the end he tried to help as many people as he
could. He had a big heart, man.”
In addition to owning Exotic Talent Agency for more than
10 years and launching the careers of numerous established
models, Ellis’ experience also included directing—he helmed
six volumes of the Lay Da Pipe series for Black Market as well
as shot titles for Darkside and Heatwave.
“Most of the black girls in the ’90s and early 2000s got their
starts because of him,” Drummond said. “Pinky, Roxy, whoever
it was, they had a career because of Ron.”
Ellis got his first taste of adult work as a photographer for
Hustler more than 23 years ago before transitioning into talent
management, content production and digital media services.
“I knew Ron for almost 20 years,” Mr. Marcus told AVN.
“He was one of the first guys I worked with. He was always
shooting content, doing three of four websites at the same
time. … He worked with Darkside a lot and did a lot of post-
production for them. He always found talent. If you needed a
girl, he was your go-to guy.”
“He had charisma,” Drummond continued. “He loved
this business. You know how certain people, they’re in it for
the check. But he loved this business and I want to protect
the sanctity of this business for him because that’s what he
believed in. That’s what he was about.
Ron Ellis, the man behind the
Teazeworld network of performer
websites, passed away February 10
in Las Vegas. He was 44.
The beloved industry personality
was a mentor, friend and business
associate to countless adult
entertainment professionals for
more than two decades. He created
Teazeworld in 2008, building and
managing more than 20 official
sites for some of the top porn stars
in the world.
20 | AVN.com | 5.16
“Yes we’re black people in this business, but we didn’t go,
‘OK we’re black, we’re just going to take what was given. We’re
going to make it ourselves.’
“We’re a network. We do websites, we also shoot content
along with our partner Sean Barnett, who owns SinfulSolos. We
all came together.”
Ellis was born in Louisiana but called L.A. and Las Vegas his
home. “He was a loving son,” Ellis’ mother Arma told AVN.
“He was my first born. He was a good person. … I loved him so
much. He was intelligent and I’m going to miss him.”
Drummond, who moved to L.A. from New York six years
ago to join Ellis’ Teazeworld team, said his uncle considered his
friends and colleagues to be “family.”
“When I say this is a family, I mean there’s girls that we do
the sites for were his family. I just want to acknowledge them—
Chanell Heart, Yasmine de Leon, Tia Cyrus—these girls were
here going through this craziness with us. Misty Stone called.
Ariella Ferrera. … Joslyn James, Ivan from Puba, … These
people were his family. I spoke to them every five seconds.
They were asking me, ‘How’s Ron?’ These people came up to
the hospital. ... He’s been doing it over 23 years. A lot of people
are family to him. I just want to thank everybody who cared.”
Veteran director Ivan told AVN, “He was one of the few
people that I can honestly tell you was a true friend. He was a
good, good person in the industry.”