Some Thoughts On Porn Awards Pornwikileaks and Memory
By MikeSouth from MikeSouth.com
December 7th, 2011
I remember getting my first AVN nomination, it was for my first video. I remember winning my first time as well, it felt good even though it was not at the main show but at a dinner get together the night before. It always felt good to hear my friends announced as winners too, it’s a kind of validation that it’s not all for the money, that if you do something, somewhat creatively or different then you can stand out from the crowd.
Unfortunately, creative and different began to mean violent and misogynistic and thus began the fall of the house that guys like Reuben Sturman and Russ Hampshire built. You had asshats like Rob Black, Mark Handel (Kahn Tusion) and the like getting all the recognition…as if violent acts were somehow creative.
Rob Black even goes on national television and dares the Attorney general to come after him, vowing that he would never take a plea. Well the Attorney General did come after him and Rob did take a plea and for all of this unnecessary scrutiny he brought to the industry with overtly violent and arguably obscene content we are rewarding him with the Freedon isn’t Free Award and induction into the Hall of Fame.
It isn’t just Rob Black, if you look at the inductions over the last few years of non performers it reads like a who is who of people who are directly responsible for the industry being in the sad shape it is in. And this year AVN has singled out yet another douchebag who has helped to ruin porn and created a special “Visionary Award” just for him. Well if your vision is to have AHF controlling things and the market for adult shrunk to one quarter what it was five years ago, then yes, Steven Hirsch is indeed a visionary.
But as a friend of mine points out this is just porn doing what porn is best at, eating itself from within, and awarding itself for doing so.
The single biggest battle fought in porn this year was pornwikileaks. Nobody wanted to take on this battle, not AVN not XBiz not AIM and Not the FSC…Oh the FSC acted like they were in on it but in the end they accomplished NOTHING, NADA, Nil as always.
So a ragtag team of people including myself, Mark Speigler, Shawn Thompson, Michael Whiteacre, Mercedes Ashley and Monica Foster took on what nobody else would. We all suffered slander, insults, threats, we had our families names posted publicly along with phone numbers, kids photos, where the kids went to school, pictures of our houses and faked documents showing us to be HIV positive, criminals and all sorts of stuff. We paid a heavy price for everyone in the industry but in the end our persistence and our tireless efforts paid off and PWL was no more. I got a lot of email and phone calls thanking us for our efforts, many from people I have had long standing issues with, but they knew that everything else aside, this was more important.
So when it comes time to award the the best of our industry does anyone remember what we sacrificed to win that battle for EVERYONE, all 15,000 performers who had personal information on that site? Nope.
Yes I feel slighted but honestly They could leave me out completely and just recognize the rest and I would be perfectly happy, I don’t need the recognition, that isn’t why I did it.
But it seems the industry forgot.
Yet at this very moment it has been brought to my attention by several performers that a copy of that site has been brought back online, and they are asking me again to please get it taken down, and in all honesty I am not in a position to fight that fight again, if the industry itself doesn’t care why would anyone else?
Please retweet, email or republish this as you see fit…I want everyone in the industry to read it in the hope that they will remember.
The porn industry will continue to be the snake eating its own tail until real business people that understand you gotta invest money to make money get involved. Porn will never be completely mainstream in our lifetimes but little by little its getting there.
Right now too many people in porn have the “get a quick payday and GTFO” mindset that is ruining the industry. No one thinks of taking care of the industry’s most valuable asset (the talent). Many of the folks in charge look at the talent (for the most part) as expendable and easily replaceable.
I know I have said it before but the industry needs an organization that advocates for the talent with health insurance (including help with mental health, alcohol, and substance abuse help, as well as financial planning training).
Piracy is also taking a huge chunk of the profits away so porn companies will have to think of new ways to make money instead. Live cam shows are one way. Make most of the money off the live show as it airs because 2-3 days later pirates will be showing it everywhere.
I have to agree with a lot of what Mike writes here. Despite the fact that AVN does not equal “the industry,” his point is well made. I have come to the sad conclusion that the current AVN is even more clueless than the old AVN.
I’ve met Theo, and like him personally, but, aside from the issues raised above, he is also the one responsible for starting the gossip thread on GFY about Patient Alpha. It was he who used that thread to solicit for rumors and scuttlebutt about the identity of the patient and those who may have been exposed. This, naturally, led to wild accusations, false theories and outings — all of which were picked up on by AHF and used against the industry. And it all could have been avoided, as the patient in question turned out to have been HIV-negative after all.
I don’t know if the new AVN is even handing out a Reuben Sturman award this year. Frankly, I don’t think the new management even knows or cares who Reuben Sturman was. And that’s the problem.
I too didn’t get into the battle against PWL for kudos. And like Mike, I learned long ago to never expect it, just like I never expect good reviews or positive comments. I’m proud of what we did, and there’s still much more to do.
Yes Kamafan you’re right the Industry is pretty much gone. And this years Avns are probably the last will see. I think all those nominated need to thank all the “FANS” out there who watch PORN say thank you! too them and show some love towards them for putting you on that stage in Vegas in January to “suck and Kiss ass professionally like you the Professional you are. Mike South You are the HERO to this Industry and give a “fuck” about people and I know you don’t have to say what you said about all this, But last of all the good ones around and A major producer told me that in LA the other day. You porn website is a better website than this one and provides us all with very informative info that the Crooks that I used to sit on Prison yard with “babysitting” them from violent, and crazy criminal gangs that would have loved to “tapped” that ass would have done are now back in the Industry up to know fucking good but for themselves. So all you that are getting that piece of PHONY ass plastic trophies for cocksucker and ASS kisser of the year 2012, Remember all that has happened and all that will happen next year when major changes take place and you! have to suck harder and lick ass more for shoots and whatever else you know YOU have to do. Happy sucking!…My name is Rick Madrid and I remember it all (PWL) and hiv out breaks for what?. Profits are first and safety is last here and well in Porn valley. Please don’t try to come to Hollywood and put all that Asskissing and cocksucking skills to work here. We give a fuck about OUR members. Have a good week and think about it.
Ohh by the way Nice fucking size fish Mike!
The other site that came up was Dirtywiki.com. It took me about 1 hour to find out who launched the site, his wifes name, pics of his dog and kid, and where he worked, etc… So I called him up. Later that day, he got calls from Sean and Mercedes as well. The next morning it was down. The PWL TroLL strikes again.
Thumbs up to Mike south and whiteacre and the rest of the crew including monica foster on their accomplishment with pornwikileaks. That was a very dangerous site it was racist, antisemitic etc.
I want to shout this out to cindi imagine if your real name and address and family members were listed on their i think you would have reacted more aggresive. As i place blame on lawyer Michael fattorosi is because he could have done more and not have belittled the talent as he did. His true colors showed in his emails under his friend Vanessa Blues account. For gosh sake he is an officer of the court and should be held to a higher standard. Please let me give an analogy and this is specific for cindy who is so protective of fattorosi due to some relationship they have or might have had in the past based on cindi’s twitters i have read from the past. Look at penn state and the actual coach who did the assault, like in this case it is alleged that donny did the writing on PWL, and then you have joe paterno who had enormous power at the university but looked the other way. Here you have fattorosi who was getting calls for help like from monica, and did nothing and then sent those e-mails to Donny that really belittled the porn talent which included his so called friends tabitha, etc.
Please at least tell me where my reasoning is flawed
Cindi:
Why are my comments always awiting moderation. i use no derogatory language and speak the truth
Mike, you got a Thank You from Derek Hay, isn’t that reward enough?
Mike has a strong opinion on many things but that is his right and when something that took many hours of work is done for the good of others in peril I can totally appreciate that. Some people love him and some people hate him but I have always liked Mike and he has always been fair and friendly with me. As Fonzie once said during a presidential campaign on Happy Days, “My bike likes Mike.” Or was that IKE?
Just to extend what will said, people were actually in peril here. some wacko stalkers could based on all the personal information given out could have or perhaps will in the future cause talent and family members lots of problems.
hey Mike…I emailed you a few days ago and no reply!!!! 🙂
I had some pretty harsh shit said about me on that stupid site and my brother was barraged with hatred on his facebook which is just ridiculous. My mom was named and her phone number posted as well. I have great faith that the fate of those behind that stupid site is misery beyond what any of us can comprehend. I pray for gang rape or something along those lines.
Thank you to those who put the effort in to get it taken down and remain down. A lot of damage was done…hell they said I fucked a player on the Cubs for money lol the Cubs?? I don’t think so! lol
Yeah Mariah; Dirty wikki leaks is still up and running and I got cousins in the military that are Marines and they’re pissed off what they’re seeing; I don’t think Court justice is the answer anymore. Just bought a new .357 s&w and its getting really”ansey” now. Fuck this cocksucker it’s time to do it OUR selves. My mother is sick with cancer and doesn’t need this fucking bullshit with fans and stalkers coming around . Its On Now!!.
pwl troll; who the fuck is it..???
DirtyWiki is back up. Pretty sparse, some not even porn whores, just BackPage skanks. No forum to troll 🙁