Page 16 - AVN December 2017

EDITOR’S DESK
BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS
Hello to 2018, and goodbye to 2017 ... and a giant in adult entertainment
IN THIS ISSUE, we take a look back at the year that was, and take our first leap
According to Brad Mitchell, CEO of MojoHost, “Hugh Hefner was more than
forward into 2018.
a notorious figure, an industry pioneer, an ingenious businessman and the man
The look back at 2017 is in the form of a photo album, with visuals provided
we all slightly envied. His legacy as the supporter of free speech and promoter of
by shooters Jeff Koga, Rick Garcia, Chris King and JFK. This small sampling of
freedom of sexual expression is hard to underestimate.”
the shots they’ve captured over the year provides a glimpse into a year in the life
Paul Fishbein, the founder of AVN, noted that Playboy TV was an integral part
of the Los Angeles adult community, from industry events to social gatherings to
of the history of the AVN Awards as it grew as a broadcast product. The AVN
on-set shoots.
ceremony started airing on Playboy TV in 1998. “If it weren’t for Playboy TV ,
Elsewhere in the issue you’ll find teasers for AVN’s big events of 2018: the
the AVN Awards might have never aired on television and for that, I can thank
2018 AVN Awards and the return of the GayVN Awards. The nominees for both
Playboy and Hugh Hefner for paving the way and believing in our product.”
award shows are listed in this issue, offering a compendium of the best in straight
Director Jacky St. James recalled her first experience with Playboy.
and gay adult entertainment. The winners will be announced next month in gala
“I remember in 1994 seeing Jenny McCarthy on the cover of Playboy magazine
celebrations during AVN Week at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas.
and being mesmerized by her beauty,” St. James told AVN. “I bought the magazine
Also in this issue, Legalese columnist Clyde DeWitt shares his personal
at the ripe age of 17. My first nudie magazine purchase. For me, though, it wasn’t
remembrances of Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire. But given the
her pictures that enthralled me as much as the articles or the interviews. It is an
legacy that the iconic publisher left behind, we wanted to also include tributes
age-old joke that people buy Playboy for the ‘articles,’ but I actually did. It was a
from other members of the industry. These individuals shared their thoughts
really incredible way of marrying pop culture and sexuality in a classy way and
with AVN’s Dan Miller shortly after Hefner died at the age of 91, leaving behind a
nobody, nobody did that better than Hef.”
global media empire that defined a generation.
Director and author Kay Brandt commented, “The man had balls, not only
“Our industry lost a true leader,” said Hustler founder Larry Flynt. “Hugh paved
surviving but thriving amidst changing political parties, politically correctness,
the way for so many of us, for all of us. He will be greatly missed and his legacy
sweeping industry changes, decency laws, censorship, and judgment. It’s because
will live on.”
of his commitment to his visions and enterprise that erotica has flourished for
“Hugh Hefner was a legend,” said Steven Hirsch, founder/co-chairman of Vivid
decades in both literature and film.”
Entertainment. “Our dealings with Playboy helped propel us in the formative
Bree Mills, head of Gamma Films, said “Hefner’s influence went beyond just
years of our company. He will be forever remembered as an iconic pioneer and the
building a brand. “He was an early pioneer in challenging what porn should
industry wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for him. RIP.”
and shouldn’t be, by successfully mixing titillation and cheesecake with highly
Dan O’Connell, the founder of Girlfriends Films, called Hefner “the first big-
intelligent and socially conscious journalism. He elevated sexuality from being
time pornographer,” and told AVN that “Hefner changed the world for everyone
hidden in bedrooms and back rooms to being at the forefront of Western culture.”
and especially our industry. He was a rogue and upset a lot of people because he
Adult star Kayden Kross articulated what many were feeling. “I don’t know ...
was the first real celebrity made by sex and porn, and the first to advance sex and
just feels like the end of an era,” Kross said. “Growing up, he was this larger-than-
porn in a somewhat respectable and upscale fashion.”
life figure at the head of an empire. I half expected him to be immortal.”
EDITOR’S DESK | By Sharan Street
16 | AVN.com | 12.17