Page 40 - AVN August 2018

GAYVN
GAYVN | By Brady Jansen
Top, Max Konnor and Armond Rizzo. Bottom, Remy Cruze and Seth Santoro
The core principle of the new label is to deliver “a stylized luxury brand that celebrates
gorgeous men of color.” Blitt says that most of the research Mile High has done shows that
black and interracial products are two of the most searched terms in the United States by
males aged 18-45. The company aims to position Noir Male as a product that will appeal to
that demographic by offering a fresh alternative.
“My feeling is that the gay space is a little more set in their way and change seems to
happen a lot slower. I saw this as a huge opportunity to jump into this market as I felt that
our experience in following trends and quickly shifting our products to market demand
would be a huge advantage for us. If you look at most of our straight productions, you will
see that we are constantly evolving and trying new things based on data we are compiling
from the marketplace. Icon Male is a perfect example—we didn’t reinvent the wheel, we
just took the most trending genre in porn and brought it to the gay market, as no one had
even attempted to do any family roleplay products. Fast-forward three-and-a-half years, and
almost everyone has followed suit,” Blitt says.
“Our secret for success has and always will be to put our heads down and work hard.
Our success isn’t a fluke—we have a really strong team in place from top to bottom, and
everyone is aligned to create great product. The one thing we have seen in the gay market is
how active the talent pool is in self-promotion. One of the main things we will focus more
on as we move forward will be to collaborate more with the talent from both a creative and
marketing standpoint. The guys really take pride in their work, and they really get behind a
product they believe in. I have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from the
talent that has shot for Noir Male so far.”
The debut film will be Black on White, which features four different vignettes that
“celebrate a beautifully diverse cast of gorgeous guys in real-life, relatable scenarios.”
Mile High is starting off with one title per month with the plan to grow to two if and when
the demand is there. And oh yeah, the label has landed a pretty good director, too: Chi Chi
LaRue, with a production team led by Alex Ladd.
“Chi Chi is definitely the perfect fit for this for many reasons, but if I had to pinpoint
one—and she loves when I say this—I brought her on because of what I call the ‘Chi Chi
effect!’ When we developed this product, we felt the No. 1 key to its success would be if we
could get the talent to buy into our vision and what we are trying to accomplish, and there
is no better voice to bring that to light then Chi Chi. She is so passionate about this brand
and what we are trying to accomplish, and that has been infectious with everyone that has
stepped on set.”
“OUR SECRET FOR SUCCESS HAS
AND ALWAYS WILL BE TO PUT OUR
HEADS DOWN AND WORK HARD.
OUR SUCCESS ISN’T A FLUKE—WE
HAVE A REALLY STRONG TEAM IN
PLACE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.”
—JON BLITT
The studio pre-released a full-length scene for free on NoirMale.com. (“The response has
been incredible,” Blitt says.) It also sponsored several parties at the Grabbys, with more
appearances featuring LaRue scheduled around the country—where it will continue to
distribute a free sampler DVD. A big social media push is planned leading up to the site and
DVD launch at the end of August.
“We have already surpassed 5k followers on Twitter and we haven’t launched a thing,”
Blitt says. “The buzz has been so strong that models are coming to us to work for Noir
Male, and we hope to continue to grow this movement.”
The new studio had already shot nearly 30 scenes in mid-July, and Blitt notes that all of
the performers have been amazing—and are vital for its success.
“The reaction we have received from the guys based on what we are trying to do with this
brand has been overwhelming. I think it was Max Konnor who tweeted this, and it pretty
much sums up what we are trying to accomplish, and that is ‘to showcase black men as they
should be seen.’ And let me tell you, the guys we have shot to date are some of the hottest
guys I’ve ever seen in this business.”
That’s encouraging for the fulfillment of Blitt’s ultimate goal: to help change the way the
industry and consumers look at black, ethnic and interracial products and performers.
“We hope to change the stereotypes,” he says. “There is a lot of opportunity in the gay
market, and as long as the market is receptive of what we are doing, we will continue to
create new products. Some have faulted me and singled me out for being a ‘straight’ owner,
but I block out that noise because clearly the market has spoken and the consumer is the
only voice I listen to. Maybe I’m just the ‘Straight Eye for the Queer Guy!’”
40 | AVN.com | 8.18