Page 58 - AVN May 2015

FEATURE
MISSION CONTROL A four-year veteran of the Vegas scene, Lee Roy Myers shoots his WoodRocket parodies on his own sound stage. Above,
the characters in Myers’ version of Futurama.
FEATURE | By Dan Miller
Brando carries his motion picture permit with him when he’s on
location and it notes that he shoots adult. “I did the right thing and
I put adult on it. I didn’t want to come out here and do anything
illegal. It’s all on the up and up,” he says.
Glenn King, the owner of MeanBitch Productions, who relocated
his operation to Vegas last year, says even though Vegas is less risky
than L.A., producers should use common sense.
“I’ve been told, stay out of residential neighborhoods where
somebody can call the cops on you,” King says. “… If you’re going
to do a production where you have eight cars, some of them are
blocking the neighbors; you’ve got girls standing out smoking with
their tops off; you’re dumping trash all over the yard or you’re
making noise, it doesn’t matter what city you’re in—you’re going
to have a problem.”
Meanwhile, Ivan, the head of production for the Vegas-based
Puba network of porn star sites, says he enjoys shooting inside
some of the town’s upscale hotel rooms that are typically less
expensive than renting a location. He also utilizes the home
he rents in Vegas, where he’s shot a clown-themed scene and a
Christmas scenario, among others.
“It definitely feels safer there and just more relaxed,” says Ivan,
who still owns a condo in L.A., too. “[In L.A.] you go to a location
and you’re stuck in traffic for god knows how long. I want to shoot
more there.”
Ivan continues, “I think most people who don’t know anything
about Vegas who are not in porn assume Vegas is like a big orgy,
that it’s a free-for-all. I think everybody assumes that Vegas
is this party of hookers and drugs and partying. Vegas is very
conservative.”
He says the only thing L.A. has over Vegas is “the beach and
weather.”
“It should be logical for people in porn,” Ivan reasons. “I
“IF THERE IS NO IMPENDING
think what DVD companies should do is they should start hiring
freelance producers and directors to shoot in Vegas. This way
you’re protected. So you’re not worried about the condom law.”
DOOM IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, I EXPECT THINGS TO STAY THE
Johnny Castle would agree; he’s been doing just that as an
independent producer based in Vegas for just over three years.
SAME IN THE YEARS TO COME.”
Castle, who is one of the busiest men in the city and likely all of
— VIC LAGINA, DIRECTOR, BRAZZERS
porn, recently bought his second house in the area.
The 11-year veteran has produced between 30 to 40 scenes in
both the past two months alone in addition to performing in 25
scenes per month.
“I’ve been doing this every month for the last three years,”
Castle tells AVN. “I’ve been very busy, very fortunate.”
One of Castle’s biggest clients is Naughty America.
“Technically I don’t work for them, but realistically they buy
all my product,” says Castle, one of the resident go-to guys many
Vegas newcomers seek out for guidance as they’re learning the
territory.
“I’ve got a pretty good handle on it. A lot of people come to me
for help. I have locations. I’ll offer to help all the other independent
producers out here.”
Castle says he loves Vegas and it’s “got just the right amount of
people to let me do my thing.”
“I kind of stay under the radar,” he says in an understatement.
“A lot of people didn’t want to move to Vegas but for me it was just
about the money.”
Castle bought the first house he moved into because “it’s easier
to shoot out of your own house if you are the owner.”
“You kind of need to know what’s going on, especially for the
volume that I shoot and every day trying to figure out a different
location. There are not a lot of locations that are porn friendly.”
A native of New Jersey who has a degree in psychology from
Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, where he also played
on the soccer team, Castle says the porn business has treated him
well.
“I love it more today than when I first started,” he says. “People
get burned out but I enjoy it more now than ever and I’m going to
do my best to keep riding the wave.”
The 37-year-old says at this point he can pick and choose the
jobs he wants to do.
58 | AVN.com | 5.17
“I put up all the money for these shoots up front and I’m shooting 10 scenes a week at times,
so I juggle a lot but I am focused,” Castle says. “Everyone doesn’t understand how I keep shooting
and performing year after year and add production into it. There’s a lot that goes into these scenes,
with booking the talent that are not local, cancellations and last-minute changes. I always hope it’s
going to be smooth day, but I know it’s not going to be a smooth day.”
Miles Long tells AVN he has owned a house in Vegas for 14 years and lived there full time for
the past five. The versatile producer/director says, “I always knew I wanted to live in Vegas.”
“I was planning on retiring in Vegas,” Long says. “When California became more restrictive,
more anti-business, more anti-Second Amendment and consistently encouraged people to become
victims instead of protecting the average citizen I thought it was better to divest out of this state
sooner than later and Nevada represented everything I wanted to have in a state.”
Long produces and directs scenes for his own production company as well as Nikki Phoenix’s
Little Dragon Pictures. He also runs his own record label, Sights & Sounds, out of Vegas.
“I’m in a unique situation,” Long continues. “Thankfully my skill set is broad enough that
I’m able to transition well to a lot of other things besides porn. I shoot billboard campaigns for
nightclubs and jewelry brands. I run a social media marketing company and I own a record label.
There’s a ton of opportunity up there for me that doesn’t necessarily translate to the rank and file
of shooting porn. There’s a nice little community of content producers in Vegas and a number of
other folks, including cam girls and website-only-type girls, fetish girls, alt models, those kind of
folks as well.
“When those girls are not producing or starring in content, they can go to a strip club and make
500 bucks a night during conventions. If you go to the Spearmint Rhino in L.A. you’re lucky if you
can make 200 bucks a night. It’s not the same market.”
Nikki Phoenix, the adult performer/producer who is also an up-and-coming EDM artist and
aerialist, made the jump to Vegas from Seattle four years ago to be in closer proximity to her
passions. She says it’s hard to beat the opportunities she has to partner with other artists in the
Vegas club and DJ scene, not to mention honing her aerial training with world class pros.
“I train at L’Oracle with Cirque performers on aerial straps and Lyra, and my coach is a well-
known performer and coach in the aerial community with performers flying in from other
countries just to train with him,” Phoenix tells AVN. “And of course, my ability to pursue both
performing and producing content for my websites and distribution deals.”