Evil Angel (studio)

Last updated
Evil Angel
Company type Private
Industry Pornography
FoundedMarch 19, 1989;35 years ago (1989-03-19)
Headquarters,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Products Pornographic films
Services Video on demand
OwnerJohn Staglino
Website Official website OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Evil Angel is an American independent production company and distributor of pornographic films, founded and owned by John Stagliano.

Contents

Stagliano and Evil Angel pioneered the gonzo pornography genre in the late 1980s. [1] [2] Several of the most acclaimed pornographic film directors have worked for Evil Angel, and its films have won numerous awards. [3] [4]

It has been described as "the top porn-film producer" in the U.S, [5] as one of the handful of companies which dominate the distribution of hardcore pornographic films in the U.S., [6] and as one of the most profitable porn studios. [7] [8]

History

Evil Angel owner John Stagliano. John Stagliano DSC 0116 cropped.JPG
Evil Angel owner John Stagliano.

Background and beginnings

The company's rise to prominence was fueled by the industry switch from film to videotape. In the late 1970s, a feature-length porn film shot on photographic film—usually 35mm—might have cost as much as $350,000. [9] In 1983, the VCR had been recently introduced, and producers were beginning to make pornographic films on videotape. A film using video could be made for as little as $5,000, compared to a minimum of $40,000 for a movie shot on film. Into the 1990s, by shooting its productions with video cameras, Evil Angel could still make films for $8,000. [9] Stagliano initially had little knowledge of filmmaking, but he made his first movie for $8,000 in 1983: Bouncing Buns, starring Stacy Donovan. For the next six years, he shot films for other companies to manufacture and distribute. [10]

In 1989, he started Evil Angel, to sell his own films. The origin of the company's name goes back to when Stagliano was working as a stripper: "There was another guy in one of my shows named John. So this MC started calling me Evil John to differentiate us. This was when I was doing Dracula and chains. At the same time I had a girlfriend who called herself Angel when she did strip shows. She was a very nasty girl and I suggested that she call herself Evil Angel. She didn't, but I loved the name and wound up using it for my company." [10]

Buttman and Gonzo

The first Evil Angel film was Dance Fire, filmed in 1988 by Stagliano, starring himself, Trinity Loren, Brandy Alexandre and others. It would only be released on DVD 20 years later. [11] Influenced by amateur pornography, in 1989, Stagliano hit on the idea of performing in a film while also operating the camera, so that the viewer experiences the film through the eyes of his character. The first-person perspective was influenced by the 1960s film Blowup . [12] At the time this was in contrast to the majority of porn, which tended not to make viewers aware of the camera. [13] This technique is today known as Point of view pornography. He formed his Buttman persona, and shot Adventures of Buttman. [14] The early Buttman films were written, produced, directed, edited, shot and manufactured personally by Stagliano. [15] The first two Buttman films had lengthy scripts, but the series soon evolved into an improvised, spontaneous format. In contrast to his earlier work and the standard porn of the time, Stagliano did not link each scene together to form a conventional narrative. At times, the camerawork was shaky. [13] Partly due to his lack of funds, he did not use elaborate sets or locations. At the time, porn films had a traditional storyline, with sex scenes interspersed with dialogue by performers with little acting ability. Instead of that format, Stagliano chose to film "one sex scene which has a beginning, a middle and ends at a climax. Trying to make all that relate to a bigger story is very difficult and creates all sorts of problems that get in the way of making the best scene possible." [10] The distinct style of the early Evil Angel films would be widely imitated, and would come to be known as Gonzo pornography. [15] [16]

Success

In the 1990s, Stagliano became one of the most successful figures in the American pornographic film industry. [17] In 1990, Patrick Collins and Stagliano founded the Elegant Angel label as a subsidiary of Evil Angel. [2] [18] In 1991, Stagliano established a production subsidiary in São Paulo, Brazil. [19] By 1993, the company was producing a new videotape every three weeks, and was grossing more than $1 million a year; [20] in 1996, it sold approximately half a million videos. [8] In the mid-90s, the company started using the phrase "The Evil Empire" on its box covers, in reference to its growing stable of directors. [4] In 1996, Collins established Elegant Angel as a separate company, and in 1998, it ended all cooperation with Evil Angel. [2] [21] His departure from Evil Angel has been called "less than amicable", and he and Stagliano are apparently "ex-friend[s]". [21] At the time Collins said that Stagliano "couldn't run a business, and would fail without him". [21] According to Stagliano, "Patrick's a bully ... he wasn't doing his job properly ... I should have fired him years ago". [21]

A 1997 U.S. News & World Report investigation identified Evil Angel as the most profitable pornographic studio. [8] In 2007, the studio received 127 AVN Award nominations in 60 categories, making it the fourth year in a row in which it received more than 100 nominations. [22] In 2008, EA won 18 AVN awards. Stagliano won the "Best Director - Video" award for Fashionistas Safado: Berlin. [23]

In 2015, company vice president John Grayson reported that transsexual pornography was by far the company's most profitable category or genre, earning about 20% more on a per-movie basis than any other productions. [24]

In August 2007, Evil Angel and Jules Jordan prevailed in a DVD piracy case against Kaytel Video Distribution and several other defendants, winning a total of over $17.5 million, which was the largest sum ever awarded in an adult piracy case. [25] Evil Angel was awarded $11.2 million and Jordan $5.3 million. EA had originally filed the lawsuit in November 2005. [26]

On April 8, 2008, Evil Angel and Stagliano were indicted on federal obscenity charges by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. [27] [28] Films named in the obscenity charges included Storm Squirters 2 by Joey Silvera, Milk Nymphos by Jay Sin and a trailer for Belladonna: Fetish Fanatic 5. [27] [29] Stagliano and Evil Angel were represented by Al Gelbard, who successfully defended JM Productions owner Jeff Steward in a 2007 obscenity case. [27] The company released a compilation DVD entitled Defend Our Porn, with proceeds going towards its legal defense fund, and set up the DefendOurPorn.org website to provide information on the legal proceedings. [29]

In December 2008, the BBC reported that Stagliano and Evil Angel were a client of UK lawyers Davenport Lyons who were seeking financial redress from people they asserted had downloaded copyright material using Peer to Peer software. [30]

Directors and films

The company differs from most other porn studios in that it contracts with in-house directors and permits them to own the films that they create, while Evil Angel handles the film's manufacture, distribution, promotion and sales and takes a percentage of the gross sales. [31] [32] Each director has their own particular style and is a star in their own right, with their own brand identity. [33] Stagliano adopted this business model due to his previous experience selling his videos to other companies. He found it difficult to establish his reputation when someone else owned his content, and he did not receive any more money if a film sold well. [34]

The company's roster of directors, includes Stagliano himself, Aiden Starr, Proxy Paige, LeWood, John Leslie, Rocco Siffredi, Joey Silvera, Christoph Clark, Nacho Vidal, Jonni Darkko, Jake Malone, Jay Sin, Jazz Duro, Manuel Ferrara, Lexington Steele, Mike Adriano, Steve Holmes, Uncle D and Belladonna. [32] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] Previous directors include Gregory Dark, Jules Jordan, Bruce Seven, Bionca, Alex de Renzy and Erik Everhard. [4]

Former directors

Gregory Dark left VCA over "creative differences" in the summer of 1995 and launched his own film company, Dark Works, with Evil Angel Video handling all distribution. [40] His first film for Evil Angel was Sex Freaks, starring Stephanie Swift, Nyrobi Knights, Lovette and Tom Byron. [41] He also worked on Snake Pit and The Best Of Gregory Dark. [42] Dark has since stopped directing for the studio.

Jules Jordan formerly directed for Evil Angel, producing series including Ass Worship. [29] In 2006, he left to form his own company, Jules Jordan Video. [43]

Erik Everhard also worked with the company, after directing for Anabolic Video, Diabolic Video and Red Light District Video. [44] [45] He left Red Light District in 2005 to join Evil Angel, before joining Jules Jordan Video. [46]

Glenn King has also worked with the company producing several series including "Mean Cuckold" and "ManEaters". [47] [48]

Current directors

John Leslie. John Leslie AEE Las Vegas 20070115.jpg
John Leslie.

Stagliano has directed several series for the studio. By 2003, almost 30 entries in the Buttman series had been produced, some of them shot in locations including New Zealand, Prague (Czech Republic), San Diego and London. [15] The premise of most of the films is Stagliano approaching a woman and persuading her to show him her buttocks, followed by their having sex. The films blurred the boundary between what was a pre-arranged set-up and what was real. [49] It has also been turned into a comic book. [50]

John Leslie had a successful career as an actor, then began directing for VCA Pictures in the mid-80s. The first film he directed for Evil Angel was The Dog Walker in 1994, after its script had been rejected by VCA. [35] Rocco Siffredi began working as a director for the company in 1994.[ citation needed ]

Joey Silvera started directing for Evil Angel in 1995. Previously, he had been an actor, then directed for Devil's Film in the early 1990s, from 1998 onwards, his 'Rogue Adventures' series (along with Devil's Film's own 'Transsexual Prostitutes' series) helped bring transsexual pornography into the mainstream. Christoph Clark joined the company in 1997. His first film was Euro Angels. Nacho Vidal joined the studio in late 2001. Jonni Darkko first directed for New Sensations. In 2004, he formed Darkko Productions and joined Evil Angel.[ citation needed ]

Belladonna. Belladonna (porn star).jpg
Belladonna.

Manuel Ferrara released his first Evil Angel film in May 2006, after working for Red Light District Video for two years. [51] He was originally a protégé of Rocco Siffredi, and had an award-winning acting career, including an appearance in Stagliano's Fashionistas .[ citation needed ] Jake Malone signed an exclusive distribution deal in June 2006. [45]

Belladonna was first introduced to Stagliano by her then-boyfriend Nacho Vidal. Evil Angel is the exclusive distributor of titles under the Belladonna Entertainment and Deadly Nightshade Productions labels.[ citation needed ]

Jay Sin started directing for Buttman Magazine Choice in early 2007, working on films including Milk Nymphos 2, then became an EA director in January 2008. [52] Sin is known for his extreme anal pornography, more recently including rectal prolapse in some of his videos. [53] Many of his videos also feature women inserting objects such as oranges and baseballs into their rectums, then pushing the objects back out. Sin calls his films "artistic" and states that porn is "a way of life" for him. [54]

Evil Angel Publishing

Evil Angel Publishing is the magazine division of Evil Angel. In March 2007, it launched Extra Parts, a 100-page publication featuring pictures from director Joey Silvera's movies featuring transgender women. [55]

Awards

The following is a selection of some of the major awards Evil Angel films have won:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocco Siffredi</span> Italian pornographic actor (born 1964)

Rocco Siffredi is an Italian pornographic actor, director and producer. Known as the "Italian Stallion", Siffredi has starred in more than 1,300 pornographic films since 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Stagliano</span> American pornographic actor and director (born 1951)

John Stagliano, also known as Buttman, is an American entrepreneur, former pornographic film actor, producer and director who founded and owns the Evil Angel pornographic film studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Haze</span> Former American pornographic actress

Jenna Haze is an American director, model, and former pornographic actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XRCO Awards</span> Adult entertainment industry award

The XRCO Awards are given by the American X-Rated Critics Organization annually to people working in adult entertainment and it is the only adult industry awards show reserved exclusively for industry members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Silvera</span> American pornographic actor and director (born 1951)

Joey Silvera is an American pornographic film director and former actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jules Jordan</span> American actor and director

Jules Jordan is an American adult film actor, director, and producer known for his work in gonzo pornography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seymore Butts</span> American pornographic filmmaker (born 1964)

Adam Glasser, known professionally as Seymore Butts, is an American pornographic film director, producer, and occasional performer who has produced hundreds of films in the gonzo genre of pornography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Light District Video</span> American pornographic film studio

Red Light District Video (RLD) is an American independent pornographic film studio headquartered in Chatsworth, California.

Gonzo pornography is a style of pornographic film that attempts to place the viewer directly into the scene. Jamie Gillis is considered to have started the gonzo pornography genre with his On the Prowl series of films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel Ferrara</span> French adult entertainer and director

Manuel Jeannin, known professionally as Manuel Ferrara, is a French-American adult entertainer and director. One of the leading actors in the porn industry, Ferrara has won over 64 adult industry awards including six AVN Awards as Male Performer of the Year—the record for the accolade, and was inducted into the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.

Elegant Angel Productions is an independent pornographic film studio located in Canoga Park, California and owned by Patrick Collins. The company is considered one of the early pioneers of gonzo pornography, and its films have won numerous awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christoph Clark</span> French pornographic actor, producer and director

Christoph Clark is a French pornographic actor, producer and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belladonna (actress)</span> American pornographic actress, director, producer and model (born 1981)

Michelle Sinclair, known professionally as Belladonna, is an American former pornographic and erotic actress, director, producer, and model. Since announcing her retirement from pornography in 2012, she has acted in several mainstream films, including Inherent Vice and The Ladies of the House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anabolic Video</span> Defunct American pornography studio

Anabolic Video was an American independent pornographic movie studio headquartered in Chatsworth, California. The studio was a pioneer of gonzo pornography, and is considered one of the most successful gonzo producers. They have since gone out of business.

Devil's Film is an American independent pornographic film studio, based in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California. Launched in 1997, the studio continues to specialize in swinger and gang bang oriented gonzo pornography and niche product centered on such popular fetishes as interracial pornography, transsexual pornography, and MILF pornography.

Vittorio Paggio, known by the stage name Omar Galanti, is an Italian pornographic actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Vespoli</span> American pornographic actress and director

Dana Vespoli is an American pornographic actress and film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">25th AVN Awards</span>

The 25th AVN Awards was an event during which Adult Video News (AVN) presented its annual AVN Awards to honor the best pornographic movies and adult entertainment products of 2007 in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">26th AVN Awards</span> 2009 American adult industry award ceremony

The 26th AVN Awards ceremony, presented by Adult Video News (AVN), honored the best pornographic movies of 2008 and took place on January 10, 2009, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Paradise, Nevada. During the ceremony, Adult Video News presented AVN Awards in 127 categories released between Oct. 1, 2007 and Sept. 30, 2008. The ceremony, televised in the United States by Showtime, was produced by Gary Miller. Comedian Thea Vidale hosted the show for the second time, joined on stage by actresses Belladonna and Jenna Haze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20th AVN Awards</span>

The 20th AVN Awards ceremony, presented by Adult Video News (AVN), took place January 11, 2003 at the Venetian Hotel Grand Ballroom, at Paradise, Nevada, U.S.A. During the ceremony, AVN presented AVN Awards in nearly 90 categories honoring the best pornographic films released between Oct. 1, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2002. The ceremony was produced by Gary Miller and directed by Mark Stone. Comedian Doug Stanhope co-hosted the show for the first time with adult film star Chloe.

References

  1. "ELEGANT ANGEL". AVN . Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  2. 1 2 3 Hunter, Tod (2007-08-10). "Elegant Angel". XBIZ . Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  3. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 3 Feb 2007. p.  22.
  4. 1 2 3 Petkovich, p.10
  5. Breck, John (1999). The sacred gift of life: Orthodox Christianity and bioethics. St Vladimir's Seminary Press. p. 102. ISBN   0-88141-183-3.
  6. Kick, Russ (2005). Everything You Know about Sex Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to the Extremes of Human Sexuality (and Everything in Between). Disinformation Company. p. 145. ISBN   1-932857-17-6.
  7. Joseph W. Slade (1997). "Pornography in the Late Nineties" . Wide Angle. 19 (3). Wide Angle, Volume 19, Number 3, July 1997: 1–12. doi:10.1353/wan.1997.0014. S2CID   167506144.
  8. 1 2 3 Eric Schlosser, "The Business of Pornography," Archived 2013-01-17 at the Wayback Machine U.S. News & World Report , February 10, 1997.
  9. 1 2 McNair, Brian (2002). Striptease culture: sex, media and the democratization of desire. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN   0-415-23734-3.
  10. 1 2 3 "JOHN STAGLIANO". evilangel.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  11. Steve Javors (2008-02-14). "Evil Angel Releases First-Ever Video on DVD". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2012-01-14. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  12. O'Toole, Kerekes p.17
  13. 1 2 O'Toole, Kerekes p.16
  14. Petkovich, Anthony (2002). The X Factory: Inside the American Hardcore Film Industry. Critical Vision. p. 10. ISBN   1-900486-24-5.
  15. 1 2 3 O'Toole, Kerekes p.7
  16. Weasels, P. "The Quick and Dirty Guide to Gonzo". GameLink.com. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  17. O'Toole, Laurence; Kerekes, David (2003). Headpress: Powered by Love. Headpress. p. 5. ISBN   1-900486-22-9.
  18. Kandyba, Slav (2004-04-26). "Product backlog to see porn firms through hiatus". San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  19. Sigel, Lisa Z. (2005). International exposure: perspectives on modern European pornography, 1800-2000. Rutgers University Press. p. 178. ISBN   0-8135-3519-0.
  20. "Despite U.S. Campaign, a Boom in Pornography". The New York Times . 1993-07-04. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  21. 1 2 3 4 O'Toole, Kerekes p.30
  22. Joanne Cachapero (2007-12-06). "Evil Angel Nabs 127 Award Nominations". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2016-11-13. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  23. Mike Weatherford (2008-01-18). "SHOW REVIEW: "Fashionistas"". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  24. "Transgender Porn Is A Best-Seller, But Is It Good For Trans People?". www.ibtimes.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-31.
  25. Evil Angel, Jules Jordan Win Over $16.6 Million In DVD Piracy Case, Adult Video News, posted August 10, 2007.
  26. Joanne Cachapero (2008-05-30). "Evil Angel Makes Final Settlement With Kaytel". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2012-09-23. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  27. 1 2 3 Steve Javors (2008-04-09). "John Stagliano, Evil Angel Charged With 7 Obscenity Violations". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  28. John Stagliano, Evil Angel Indicted On Federal Obscenity Charges Adult Video News, posted April 8, 2008
  29. 1 2 3 Joanne Cachapero (2008-06-26). "Evil Angel's 'Defend Our Porn' Shipping". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  30. "Cash demand over 'porn downloads'". BBC News . 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  31. Blue, Violet (2006). The Smart Girl's Guide to Porn . Cleis Press. p.  88. ISBN   1-57344-247-X. the smart girl's guide to porn.
  32. 1 2 Georgina Robinson (2008-03-03). "Porn's dirtiest girl cleans up". Brisbane Times . Archived from the original on 2008-12-27. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  33. Gittler, Ian (1999). Pornstar. Simon & Schuster. p. 152. ISBN   0-684-82715-8.
  34. John Stagliano. "A Message From the President". evilangel.com. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  35. 1 2 Joseph W. Slade. Flesh Need Not be Mute: The Pornographic Videos of John Leslie. Wide Angle, Volume 19, Number 3, July 1997.
  36. Tod Hunter (2008-08-06). "Evil Angel Cash Launches 9 New Directors' Sites". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  37. "Evil Angel's Raul Cristian Receives Venus Award". XBIZ. 2008-10-23. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  38. 1 2 "Evil Angel Wins XBIZ Best Studio Award". XBIZ. 2008-02-20. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  39. "DIRECTORS". evilangel.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  40. Petkovich, p.44
  41. Petkovich, p.13
  42. "A Message From the President". evilangel.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  43. "Jules Jordan Interview: January 2007". rogreviews.com. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  44. "Erik Everhard's Biography". Gamelink. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  45. 1 2 Michael Hayes (2006-06-28). "Jake Malone Signs with Evil Angel". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  46. Steve Javors. "Jury Awards Erik Everhard $141K in Red Light District Case". XBIZ.
  47. Warren, Peter (August 16, 2013). "Glenn King Joins Official Evil Angel Ranks With 'Mean Cuckold' AVN". AVN. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  48. "Glenn King Announces Departure From Evil Angel, Refocus on Femdom - TRPWL". TRPWL. February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  49. O'Toole, Kerekes p.8
  50. O'Toole, Kerekes p.13
  51. Matt O'Conner (2006-02-08). "Ferrara to Make Movies for Evil Angel". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  52. Steve Javors (2008-01-22). "Evil Angel Elevates Jay Sin to Direct". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  53. "Jay Sin On Xcritic". Xcritic.
  54. "Obscenity vs. Freedom of Expression: The John Stagliano Trial". YouTube . Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  55. Steve Javors (2007-12-21). "Evil Angel Publishing Announces New Magazine". XBIZ. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  56. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 "AVN AWARDS PAST WINNERS". AVN . Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
  57. 1 2 3 "2008 AVN AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED". AVN . Archived from the original on 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  58. David Sullivan (2008-06-07). "2008 F.A.M.E. Winners Announced at Erotica LA". AVN . Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  59. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "THE 2009 AVN AWARDS WINNERS". AVN . Archived from the original on 2009-03-05. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
  60. "2010 AVN Award-Winners Announced". AVN. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  61. "AVN Announces the Winners of the 2011 AVN Awards". AVN. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  62. XBIZ Award Winners, XBIZ , February, 2011
  63. 1 2 3 4 5 XBIZ Award Winners, XBIZ , January, 2012
  64. XBIZ Award Winners 2013, XBIZ , January, 2013
  65. Dan Miller (2014-01-24). "2014 XBIZ Award Winners Announced". XBIZ . Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  66. XBIZ Award Winners 2014, XBIZ , January, 2014
  67. 1 2 3 4 XBIZ Award Winners, XBIZ , January, 2015
  68. XBIZ Award Winners, XBIZ , January, 2016
  69. "2017 DVDEROTIK Award Winner". April 2017.