Porn Valley Observed: Home of Gram Ponante, America's Beloved Porn Journalist

Regardless of whether AltPorn, like Plushy/Furry videos, is a good idea financially, it is something that the adult industry has been arguing about for over a year, and all publicity is good publicity in this business.

Peter Reynolds, who until yesterday was VCA's vice president of sales and marketing, is credited by many for cajoling Larry Flynt Productions and the adult world in general into accepting AltPorn as a viable alternative to a stagnating gonzo market.

Reynolds was an often passionate advocate for the work of Eon McKai, Ron Royster, Benny Profane, Joanna Angel and, most recently, Malachi Ecks and Vena Virago, all of whom found homes at VCA.

One of the oldest adult companies, the Video Corporation of America was purchased by LFP in 2003 and seemed to be in a tailspin as it tried to redefine itself under new ownership. Reynolds arrived in early 2004. "We struggled with identity conflict for a long time," he told me earlier, "and there was a lot of turnover."

Alt was VCA's iMac.

In 2005 Eon McKai, who had worked at VCA editing and making DVD menus in the days of Veronica Hart and Jim Malibu ("after [VCA founder] Russ Hampshire was bought out," Veronica Hart said, "VCA was just three initials that stood for Larry Flynt") was commissioned by VCA to make Art School Sluts, which represented a departure from the implant-heavy Porn Valley content being produced with its parade of natural, mopey, tattooed, sock-wearing hotties.

McKai, now managing Vivid-Alt, credits Reynolds with laying the groundwork for Art School Sluts' success, as well as that of the three Kill Girl Kill movies and this year's Neu Wave Hookers.

"He's the reason I'm here," stated McKai. "Here," McKai meant, meaning both successful as a porn entity but also at a company other than VCA.

In many ways Reynolds, who sold what would become known as AltPorn in non-traditional ways, like hyping products at the South-by-Southwest music and media conference, in alternative magazines like Vice, and by sponsoring parties at hipster bowling alleys, gave porn directors like McKai ideas that they deserved better.

"When things really started taking off, Vivid offered me a very good deal that it took VCA six months to match," said McKai.

Art director Alaska! is one of the most innovative boxcover designers in porn, engineering the first impressions of the 40 percent of consumers who buy adult material in DVD form.

"Peter is the most progressive salesman I've met in the XXX industry," he said. "While numerous people have told me my design work wouldn't sell, Peter has consistently proven everyone dead wrong. It seems that the majority of XXX companies are content in settling for
marketing to the same ol' crowd, whereas Peter was always tapping into mainstream/youth culture outlets for promotion and sales."

"Selling AltPorn was a battle," Reynolds said, "and the industry could be kind of conservative, so it was a pleasure to see it catching on."

Reynolds worked at Leisure Time Digital and Vivid before VCA.

On Monday, a source within Hustler told me, Flynt "came in and decided to cut some of the big salaries." Reynolds was gone as of yesterday.

With the departure of McKai and Reynolds, there are a few Alt or Alt-esque titles still in VCA's release schedule, including Profane's Barbed Wire Kiss on May 30. VCA also has its ethnic-themed Excessive imprint, but it seems that aside from Alt titles there is nothing which defines VCA's output as separate from that of Hustler.

Vivid-Alt, which has yet to release a movie, seems to be the growth industry of the Alt genre. It is hard to imagine Alt surviving at VCA without Reynolds championing it.

Hustler sales director David Diamond said no decision had been made if or when Reynolds would be replaced. Reynolds, who can be contacted here, is considering taking a few weeks off for a road trip with his wife of 25 years, Ellen.

Previously: Barbed Wire Kiss; The porn movie formerly known as Alpha 15; Vivid-steve launched; VCA fires pre-emptive volley as McKai leaves; Neu Wave Hookers review; Atomic Vixens review; Joe Gallant: "The machinery is weird."
See also: VCA, Hustler, Vivid-alt