Page 36 - AVN Intimate Winter 2013

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FEATURE
P Pl le ea as su ur re eP Pi io on ne ee er rs s
AVN inducts Dennis Paradise, Mark Franks and
Nasstoys founders into AVN Hall of Fame
By Sherri L. Shaulis
5
Five pioneers in the adult pleasure products business
have been chosen for induction into the AVN Hall of Fame –
Pleasure Products Branch. The induction officially takes place
at the AVN Awards, slated for Jan. 19 at the Hard Rock Hotel
and Casino in Las Vegas.
Selected as the third class of inductees are Dennis Paradise
of Paradise Marketing, Mark Franks of Castle Megastore, and
Teddy Rothstein, Irwin Schwartz and Elliot Schwartz of
Nasstoys/Novelties by Nasswalk.
Dennis Paradise started Paradise Marketing in 1978, but
didn’t settle exclusively in the adult world until a few years
later.
“In the beginning, I dabbled in a lot of things,” he said. “I
made golf clubs, sold spas and hot tubs ... just a little bit of
everything. But I had always had ties to the condom business,
and when I brought in K-Y lubricant into the adult market,
things sort of took off from there.”
It wasn’t long before AstroGlide selected Paradise Marketing
for its entry into adult, and from there, “I don’t think I
looked back,” Paradise said.
In the years since, Paradise Marketing has introduced main-
stream products into adult, and vice versa. Even as recently as
this past year, Trojan partnered with Paradise Marketing to
bring its Midnight Collection of vibrators, a first for the leader
in condom manufacturing, into adult stores and boutiques.
“I have an understanding of how a bigger company thinks,”
Paradise explained. “I can talk to them in a business
language that they get.”
Paradise Marketing has a reputation as being one of the
best in the business, evidenced by the fact the company
continues to run strong after 35 years in business.
“I am gratified for that reputation; I worked hard for that,”
Paradise said. “When you are the best, you can’t let service
fall, you can’t let communication fall and you can’t just let
prices rise. I always figured that as long as my customers are
making money, then I’ll do just fine. When you get to the
top, that’s when you need to step on the accelerator.”
When I brought
K-Y lubricant into
the adult market,
things sort of
took off from
there.
—Dennis Paradise,
Paradise Marketing
“
Joining Paradise as a 2013 AVN Hall of Fame-Pleasure Products Branch
inductee is Mark Franks.
Franks is the president and CEO of Castle Megastore Group Inc., a multi-
state retail operation headquartered in Tempe, Ariz. With more than 25 years
of experience in the adult industry, Franks has been a market leader in video
production and distribution in the United States and abroad.
He also co-founded, built and operated a toy manufacturing facility with
global distribution. Franks has owned and operated a mail-order business,
chain retail stores, show clubs and video distribution in Australia. He is well
known in both the U.S. and Australia for his aggressive prosecution of
copyright infringement.
Franks took over leadership of Castle Megastore Group Inc. in 2003 and has
been the driving force behind the revitalization of the Castle brand, turning it
into a powerhouse in erotic retail.
His leadership and efforts have not gone unnoticed. He and his store have
received several AVN Awards and “O” Awards nominations, including for Retail
Chain of the Year, winning an “O” Award in 2010 and an AVN Award in 2011.
Marks and Castle Megastore were also named as one of AVN’s Top 50 Adult
Retailers, one of the Top 21 “CEOs of Sex” in Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek and
one of Porn’s Top 14 Power Brokers by CNBC, all in 2011. Additionally, he was
nominated in 2010 for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, as well as
several other nominations and awards in the industry.
“I’m honored to have been chosen to receive this award,” Franks said.
Rounding out the 2013 inductees are Teddy Rothstein, Irwin Schwartz and
Elliot Schwartz.
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36 INTIMATE SUPPLEMENT | WINTER 2013