Hoping for Heat in Atlanta

So it’s a ‘short week’ here at Maddy G, as we pack up ‘the show’ and move the whole thing south to meet up with Alexis Golden in Atlanta, GA.

As I blogged earlier, we’ll be shooting “FLP 3”, among other things, and hopefully come back with some dirty stories to tell.

The temperature at The Play Place has been hovering in the single digits. On Sunday, it’s supposed to be 60 degree’s in Atlanta. While that’s by no mean a heat wave, I’ll take it as a welcomed thaw. And besides, I’m pretty sure that Alexis and her tag team of hotties will bring plenty of heat of their own.

So the rest of today will be spent making sure I have everything. Packing the lights, and camera’s, and being sure to include the chargers, and the ‘little stuff’ that’s always around the studio that I don’t think about. (Like Wet Wipes & hand sanitizer)

The earlier part of this week was relatively un-eventful. I worked on getting February’s DVD releases ready for the manufacturing plant. On deck is “Bubbles, Balloons & Other Stuff…” along with Alexis Golden’s “Travel MILF: L.A. Adventure”. You’ll see them both in your favorite video stores in February.

Maddy’s first 3D movie “Oral Servitude 3 in 3D” was just released on Video on Demand and Download. You’ll have to have a pair of Red / Blue 3D glasses to watch the 3D version so dig ‘em up and check it out. 

On the 31st you’ll be able to pick up the 2 Disc DVD which has 3D Glasses included, or you can grab a copy right now at the Play Place DVD Store. If 3D isn’t ‘your thing’, you have the ‘Standard Version’ available now too.

Totally NOT in 3D.

I won’t be blogging next week, but I will be doing some updates on Facebook, so check in with me there for updates from ‘the road’.

Now where’s my Willie Nelson tape?

- Mark

Maddy G 2.0 is Fully Operational Sir.

Last Sunday night we began the process of moving the Maddy G Network to it’s own Dedicated Server. The reasons for the move are well documented by now I think, but let’s just say it was long over due. On Sunday night the Server was put in place and connected to the network and Monday night I shut the old server off and moved all our sites to the new server.

The entire process took around 5 hours, but we prioritized the sites by volume of traffic, so www.MariesPlayPlace.com was only down about an hour, and www.RegardingJenny.com went back up a half our later. www.MaddyGTV.com took the longest because there’s over 5 gigs of programming that had to get uploaded.

This was my first time installing a dedicated server. Next time, there won’t be downtime, now that I know what the fuck I’m doing.

While the transition wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked, the Network is running exceptionally well on the new server and using only about 3% of it’s resources. So, plenty of room to grow.

The early feedback coming in has been great with reports of drastically improved access and load times. So, ‘Handled’.

That delicious butt is Alexis Golden, who’s “FLP” Series has been topping our “Best Seller” list since she started it a year ago. At the end of the month, Maddy and I will be joining her in Atlanta, GA. to lend a hand on set of her upcoming “FLP 3”. Alexis will be leading an all star cast on a beautiful location so it’s gonna be something to see.

“The Monster” Prop from the upcoming Maddy G Production “Blood of Ohma” arrived today. We won’t be showing too much of this thing before the movie so we don’t spoil anything for anyone, but I’ll say it’s pretty intense. We’ve been waiting on the actual prop to design the official poster. All the web teasers were based on pictures of the design. So, without further whatever, here’s a look at the Official movie Poster for “Blood of Ohma”.

Since this is supposed to be a ‘porn blog’, here’s a shot of Jenny Densuke in her new ‘skinny jeans’.

And with that, I bid you a good weekend.

- Mark

What Kind of Day Has it Been

If you’re a fan of Aaron Sorkin, you recognize this Blog title. It was an Episode title on “Sports Night”, then “The West Wing” and then again in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”.

I understand now how this happens, when the same shit keeps happening over and over again – well, it’s bound to find it’s way into your writing.

Today was one of those days.

It started like most all the others. Coffee with E-mail, Overnight Numbers, the ‘Industry Boards’ and Social Networks. It was then I was reminded of a snarky comment I published to the new GMD Films Facebook Page yesterday.

It’s not there anymore, so don’t bother to look. But it was one of those things you think out loud after the intended conversation is long over. One of those “I should have said…” moments. I was talking to a new DVD Distributor who was surprised to hear that we still retain 100% of the rights to all of our films. He said it in a condescending, “well, your films must not be any good then,” sort of way. I didn’t think of it at the time, so about an hour later – when it actually hit me – I posted the following to the GMD Films Facebook page.

“To answer your question, it’s because I didn’t sell off my movie to the highest bidder like it was fetal tissue. Residuals pay my gas bill.”

So I dunno. I do stupid shit now and again.

Well, actress Katie Russell assumed I was talking about another film maker who works in this area and made an equally snarky comment in return.

Here’s a shot of Katie with Larry Laverty on the set of “House of Bedlam”.

Don’t make a judgment about her look, I beat her up pretty good on that movie. She got hit by a car for fuck’s sake.

Truth is, a day or two before I ended a fight with Katie she didn’t know we where having. Again… I do stupid shit sometimes. Anyway… I let her snarky comment slide, and in fact corrected her that it wasn’t the guy she was implying. If you knew her, you’d know that Katie is in fact snarky… so whatever.

Well as it turned out, some low level groupie of the guy Katie was actually talking about read this retarded little exchange between us, and if by some stroke of ego I can’t fathom, decided the comment must certainly have been about this local film maker. I only wish I was kidding about this. If it feels all “Third Grade”, well… it is. And of course, GMD Films was at the heart of it and taking the brunt of all their flaming little shits.

Seriously, these are the type of folks who throw the term “Pornographer” around like it’s an insult to me and the company I work for. Even after 7 AVN Nominations (the uhm, ‘Oscars of Porn’) and moving more DVD copies out of our west coast warehouse in the first quarter than these two company’s have moved in their entire careers. They’re bragging about “Shooting in HD” and we just put out our 16th Blu-Ray.

By the time I realized the whole thing wasn’t a joke, my stomach hurt from the laughter.

Whatever. I had to shoot a Custom Video for Maddy’s Fiverr account. This little opus was called  “Up Marie’s Skirt 2 – Pantyhose Edition”. It answers all those nagging questions left over from “Up Marie’s Skirt 1”.

And because I am actually reading your e-mail and listening to you fuckers… I got a few shots for the feet & shoes fans among us.

So clearly, I had a lot on my mind.

At the same time, I got the news that Alexis Golden’s new movie scheduled for release January 24th was stalled at the Manufacturing Plant because the DVD Inserts were lost.

It looks like this, in case anyone saw them floating around:

Exactly. How the fuck do you lose something like that? Yet alone, 1500 of them? So while “Up Marie’s Skirt” was rendering I was trying to track down these DVD inserts.

We did finally find them, thankfully. They turned out to be mixed in with stuff from PHE, Inc. If you don’t know ‘Porn’, that’s Adam & Eve. Again… how the fuck do you get us mixed up with them?

Good news arrived in the Afternoon when I learned the guy’s at the FX House shipped “The Monster” prop for “Blood of Ohma”. I’m dying to finally get to see this thing in ‘the flesh’.

I finished the day having a chat with Madison Marie about Showtime’s Fall lineup. It’s harder to sound ‘normal’ around a chick like that than it would seem. And I’ve been in Porn 12 years now.

So yeah… weird day. Not all bad. Some of it, remarkably good actually. Just weird.

And it’s only Monday.

- Mark

Back in the Game

I watched the new HBO Sport’s Series “24/7 Pens & Caps” that followed the road to the 2011 Winter Classic.

In response to criticism over their recent losing streak the Caps GM George McPhee said “If they knew anything about the game, they’d be playing it.”

This quote has become my mantra for 2011.

“If they knew anything about the game, they’d be playing it.”

The landscape of the Adult Industry is changing at such a rapid pace right now that it’s difficult to know what steps to take next. Yet at the same time, being stagnant – doing nothing – would be akin to suicide.

There’s a lot of posturing in the Porn game right now. Everyone think’s they have it figured out and many are quick to offer their unsolicited advice on the “next big thing”.

As annoying as it is, it’s happening because the ‘Porn Industry’ is based on trends and how quickly company’s can respond to them. Like Hollywood, there aren’t too many original idea’s floating around Porn Valley. In the early days of internet porn, all you could see was Glamour Shots and ‘Pretty Girl’ pictures of teens in cheerleader costumes. As connection speeds increased, and video became prevalent the waves of look-a-like content came in. Everyone couldn’t wait to get on the “Gag The Girl” bandwagon, or the “MILF” train. Alexis Golden was filling that niche before anyone knew it even was a niche. But that’s how ‘Porn’ has done business since day one, and for a long time it made a lot of people a lot of money.

Then the internet changed everything. It leveled the playing field, allowing pretty much anyone with a camera to set up shop as a pornographer. Now, 10 years or so into the ‘internet age’ you can find ANYTHING you want with a click of your mouse. Literally. Anything you can think of. It’s right there. And most of it’s free.

‘Trends’ don’t really apply anymore. Everyone knows how to do a web search, and everyone’s comfortable with online payments, and everyone’s plugging into the web on everything from their phones to the television in their living room.

If you’re not already doing something unique, controlling your own content and serving your own audience – it’s too late for you.

There’s always going to be a demand for big budget vanilla porn that appeals to the widest possible audience, so the ‘Top 6 Studios’ will always be around, but the rest of them… well, we’re already seeing mass exits. Stars retiring, company’s closing up shop.

“If they knew anything about the game, they’d be playing it.”

Fucking exactly.

Here we go. 2011 marks my 12th year in the game, with the last 10 working exclusively for what is now Maddy G Productions.

All the suffering we went thru in 2010 was worth it, leaving us a leaner and meaner company with a very solid distribution network and over 2.5 Million viewers. No regrets there.

- Mark