Helix Studios

Last updated
Helix Studios
Company typePrivate
Industry Gay pornography
Founded2002 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
FounderKeith Miller
Headquarters
Las Vegas, Nevada
,
U.S.
Website helixstudios.com

Helix Studios is an American gay film studio that mainly produces pornographic material, but also non-sexual content. Founded in 2002 by Keith Miller and based in Las Vegas, Nevada, it primarily features twink performers. The company began in Fort Lauderdale, Florida as a maker of niche spanking films before transitioning to mainstream hardcore pornography in 2004 and relocating to San Francisco, California in 2006. They have primarily operated on a subscription business model since their inception and have released also their films in various other formats, including on DVD, video on demand, a Roku channel, pay-per-view, and a website.

Contents

History

Helix Studios was founded in 2002 by Keith Miller, who had previously co-worked for the billing service iBill, which he co-founded, until it was bought out in 2000. Since starting and as of 2022, they use a monthly subscription business model, which allows subscribers to download or stream the studio's films. [1] The studio's first release, First Time Spankings, was a spanking movie released in 2002 under the name SpankThis. [2] Helix partnered with distributor Marina Pacific in 2003 and transitioned from niche fetish content to hardcore pornography films in 2004. At the 2005 GayVN Awards, Helix was nominated for Best Specialty Release (18-23) for their movie Twinkalicious, winning the award at the following year's ceremony for Twink Juice. Helix Cash, their affiliate program, was launched in January 2006. [3] In September 2006, Helix Studios moved from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to San Diego, California. AVN called Helix "one of the leaders in its specialties" of twink-focused videos the following month, by which point they had the lines SpankThis, which focused on spanking films, and 8Teenboy, which had been purchased by Miller from a local photographer and focused on hardcore videos featuring "barely legal" twink performers. [4] [2] They opened an online store, Mankind Video, which contained their entire catalog, in September 2007. [5] Helix Studios released a mobile version of their website using WebKit in 2010. [6]

Helix released 8TeenBoy Boost, an herbal aphrodisiac, in March 2011. [7] In June 2011, they partnered with AEBN to release over 200 of their films on video on demand, and launched a channel on Roku in August 2012. By then, in addition to SpankThis! and 8TeenBoy, they also had their HotStuds, Fratboy, Latin Studs, and Raw Lads lines, which were eventually all merged into Helix Studios as a result of the Great Recession. [8] [9] [2] A parody of the music video for the Robin Thicke song "Blurred Lines" by Helix Studios was released in July 2013 and became popular online. [10] Helix signed a licensing deal with the gay pornographic film studios BoyCrush and Staxus to release their films to subscribers in January 2015 and purchased the catalogs of gay pornographic film studios PZP Productions and Puppy Productions in March 2015. [11] [12] Helix Studios was nominated for the XBIZ Award for Gay Studio of the Year in 2017. [13] In April 2017, Helix launched 8TeenBoy.com, a website for their 8TeenBoy line, which was headed by Max Carter, a former performer for Helix. [14] [15] Also in 2017, Helix relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada and closed its San Francisco studio in January 2018. [16] [2]

Las Vegas-based filmmaker Heidi Moore became an editor and writer for Helix Studios in 2018 and made the studio's films more narrative-based, with many of the films' nonsexual scenes being uploaded to Amazon Prime Video and their YouTube channel and earning them 150,000 subscribers on YouTube by 2022. [16] By 2018, Helix Studios and its performers had devoted female followings on social media. [2] 13 Red Media, an LGBT media company founded by Miller, began releasing the Rise Up series of young adult novels based on Helix Studios actors, including His Own Way Out, based on Blake Mitchell, Twink, based on Kyle Ross, and Electric Soul, based on Joey Mills. [17] [18] [19] Miller was inducted into the GayVN Hall of Fame in 2019 for his work with Helix. [20] In 2020, Helix Studios won the GayVN Award for Best Feature for their film Vegas Nights. [21] Helix Studios Latin America was created in 2021, and, in 2022, Helix launched Helix Studios Europe as well as a pay-per-view service, which allowed non-subscribers to purchase individual films. [1] As of 2022, Helix Studios is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. [22] [16]

Performers

Related Research Articles

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

The AVN Awards are film awards sponsored and presented by the American adult video industry trade magazine AVN to recognize achievement in various aspects of the creation and marketing of American pornographic films. They are often called the "Oscars of porn".

Cobra Video is an American independent gay pornographic studio. The company has been the subject of scandals related to founder Bryan Kocis, who engaged in sex with a minor in one instance, and hired an underage actor to perform in another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Gunn (actor)</span> American pornographic actor and director

Thomas Joseph Strada, better known by his stage name Tommy Gunn, is an American pornographic actor and director. He has made several mainstream appearances, including an episode of Entourage and music videos for Buckcherry and Rilo Kiley. In 2016, Gunn was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GayVN Awards</span> Gay adult entertainment industry award

The GayVN Awards are film awards presented annually to honor work done in the gay pornographic industry. The awards were sponsored by AVN Magazine, the parent publication of GAYVN Magazine, and continue the recognition for gay pornography which was part of the AVN Awards from 1986–1998. The awards went on a hiatus after the 2011 ceremony and returned in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Brandon (pornographic actor)</span> American pornographic film director & actor (b. 1965)

Michael Brandon is an American pornographic actor and director who specializes in gay pornography. He has had his own subdivision at Raging Stallion called "Monster Bang" and has previously participated in some charitable efforts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Scarborough</span> American pornographic film director

Steven Scarborough is an American gay pornographic film director, the founder of Hot House Entertainment (1993), and he was an Executive Vice-President and director for Falcon Studios from 1987 to 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas Entertainment</span> New York-based gay pornographic studio

Lucas Entertainment is an independent New York-based gay pornographic studio started by porn star Michael Lucas, funded by his ex-husband Richard Winger. It is one of the largest such studios in the world. The studio is known for lavish, big-budget films, and it contends that its 2006 film Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita is the most expensive gay porn ever made. The film won 14 GayVN awards in 2007, the current record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexis Texas</span> American pornographic actress

Alexis Texas is an American pornographic actress. In 2020, Texas was characterized as one of "the most popular porn performers", based on her Instagram following of around 3.8 million followers. She was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2022.

Corbin Fisher is an American independent film studio with a focus on gay pornography, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The studio maintains a website at CorbinFisher.com; other web properties of the company include AmateurCollegeMen.com, AmateurCollegeSex.com, CFSelect.com, CorbinFisherLive.com, CorbinsCoeds.com, and ShopCorbinFisher.com. The founder of Corbin Fisher, who goes by the same name as an alias, started filming men and making videos during his spare time, and started the website CorbinFisher.com in 2004. The company released its first full-length DVD in September 2008. Since 2009, the company has collaborated with the European studio BelAmi on movie production and cross-distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela White</span> Australian pornographic actress

Angela Gabrielle White is an Australian pornographic film actress and director. She has been inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame and the XRCO Hall of Fame, and in 2020 became AVN's first three-time Female Performer of the Year winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittany CoxXx</span> American actress

Adrian Cortez, better known by the stage name Brittany CoxXx, was an American performer in gay and transsexual pornography. CoxXx had a successful career in gay pornography under the name Stonie before transitioning from male to female in late 2005. Before transition, she performed in more than 60 productions, appeared on nearly 50 box covers, and was nominated for the 2001 GayVN Award in the "Best Newcomer" category. She made a cameo appearance in the 2006 movie Borat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Driller</span> American pornographic actor

Adam Cuculich, known by the stage names Ryan Driller and Jeremy Bilding, is an American pornographic actor who has appeared in both straight and gay pornography. In 2016, he received the XBIZ Award for Male Performer of the Year. Men's Health has described him as "one of the biggest names in the industry".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Sins</span> Adult film performer (born 1978)

Steven Wolfe, better known as Johnny Sins, is an American adult film performer, director, and YouTuber. He is consistently among the most popular male talent adult movies searches and is known for his shaved head, muscular physique, and blue eyes. His accolades include three AVN Awards for Male Performer of the Year. He has been the subject of memes, which center on the large variety of occupations his pornographic characters have worked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Wolf</span> American pornographic actor (born 1981)

Justin Heath Smith, known professionally as Austin Wolf, is an American former gay pornographic film actor. Throughout his career, he has won six GayVN Awards, two Pornhub Awards, two Grabby Awards, and two Str8UpGayPorn Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocco Steele</span> American gay pornographic actor

Rocco Steele is an American gay pornographic actor, pornographic film director, and former escort. Steele became an escort in 2012 while in his 40s. He started his pornographic career two years later, and has since been frequently regarded in the media as one of gay pornography's most recognizable and lauded stars, particularly for his large penis, "daddy" image, and entrepreneurship.

Max Konnor is an American gay pornographic film actor and webcam model. After starting his pornographic career under the name Isaiah Foxx in 2009, he left the industry in 2012 to pursue a career in stage and television acting. In 2017, he became a webcam model on CAM4 and started pornographic accounts on OnlyFans and Twitter. He soon started performing in studio-made pornographic films and later became the most-followed Black gay pornographic actor on Twitter and CAM4's first male ambassador.

Bill Gray, known professionally as Billy Santoro, is an American gay pornographic actor. He first began performing in gay pornographic films in 2013 as an exclusive model for Men.com, and appeared in Lucas Entertainment's first-ever bareback film alongside his then-boyfriend Seth Santoro later that year. He became a popular performer in the mid-2010s and appeared in over 200 gay pornographic films by 2017. He later became known for his controversies, including his tweets advocating for the shooting of Black people during the George Floyd protests in 2020.

Malik Delgaty is a Canadian gay pornographic film actor. After signing an exclusive contract with Men.com, he became one of the most searched-for gay pornographic film actors online in 2022 and 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 Hoffman, Noel (March 10, 2022). "Helix Rises". In. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Adams, JC (March 1, 2018). "Keith Miller Celebrates 15 Years of Helix Studios". XBIZ. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Joshua Maxwell Hired as Affiliate Coordinator for Helix Cash". AVN. June 21, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  4. ↑ Jansen, Brady (October 18, 2006). "Company Profile: Helix Studios". AVN. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Helix Studios Launches New Online Store, Mankind Video". AVN. September 15, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Helix Studios Goes Mobile". AVN. San Diego. November 10, 2010. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  7. ↑ Street, Sharan (March 10, 2011). "Helix Studios Releases 8teenboy-Branded Herbal Aphrodisiac". AVN. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  8. ↑ "AEBN Partners with Helix Studios for Exclusive Deal AVN". AVN. June 27, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Helix Studios Launches Channel on Roku". AVN. August 3, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  10. ↑ Lowder, J. Bryan (July 11, 2013). "This Is the 'Blurred Lines' Parody We Needed". Slate . Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Bob (January 8, 2015). "Helix Studios Adds Staxus, BoyCrush Content". XBIZ. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  12. ↑ Sanford, John (March 25, 2015). "Helix Studios Acquires PZP, Puppy Production Catalogs". XBIZ. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  13. ↑ Pardon, Rhett (November 17, 2016). "XBIZ Announces Finalist Nominees for 2017 XBIZ Awards". XBIZ . Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  14. ↑ Miller, Dan (April 10, 2017). "Helix Studios Launches 8teenBoy.com". AVN. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  15. 1 2 O'Keeffe, Kevin (February 13, 2018). "Making Life Sexy: How Helix Studios Is Pivoting From Fantasy to Reality". Into . Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 Bell, Josh (July 29, 2022). "Porno Goes Emo". KNPR . Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  17. ↑ Adams, JC (September 21, 2018). "Helix Studios: Gay Guys for Female Eyes". XBIZ. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  18. ↑ Shea, Ryan (May 9, 2019). "Kyle Ross Chats About His Book 'Twink'". Instinct. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  19. ↑ Blocks, Iris (February 21, 2019). "Helix Star Joey Mills Sets Out on Book Tour for 'Electric Soul'". AVN. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  20. ↑ Street, Sharan (January 21, 2019). "A Salute to 2019 GayVN Hall of Fame Inductee Keith Miller AVN". AVN. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  21. ↑ Street, Mikelle (January 21, 2020). "Here's Who Won the 'Oscars of Gay Porn' for 2020". Out. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  22. ↑ Abraham, Amelia (March 18, 2020). "The porn industry is calling for a shut down amid coronavirus". Dazed. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  23. ↑ Weston, Shawn (June 28, 2019). "Kyle 2.0". Dallas Voice . Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Adult film star Kyle Ross killed in a Florida car crash". OutInPerth . May 2, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Helix Studios Welcomes Ross Twins". AVN. February 28, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Vine Sensation 'Not With That Fufu Lame Shit' Is Actually A Gay Porn Model". Queerty. April 16, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Gay Adult Film Performer Zac Stevens Dead At 25". Queerty. November 20, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  28. ↑ Thomas, Chris (July 12, 2017). "Matt Lambert's Short Film 'Flower' Film Finds Intimacy in Sex & Friendship". Out . Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  29. ↑ Grant, David (August 29, 2018). "Helix Studios stud Shane Cook announces he has cancer". Queerty . Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  30. ↑ Thomas, Shibu (July 22, 2020). "Pornstar's Racism & Assault Caught On Camera". Star Observer . Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  31. ↑ Towle, Andy (July 22, 2020). "Helix Studios Says NYC Racist 'Dustin Gold' Has Been Fired, Though He Hasn't Worked In 6 Years". Towleroad. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  32. ↑ Baska, Maggie (May 14, 2021). "Gay porn star tragically dies aged 22: 'We are heartbroken'". PinkNews . Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  33. ↑ Tabberer, Jamie (May 17, 2021). "Gay porn star Alex Riley dead at 22: 'We love you, rest in peace'". Attitude . Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Retired Performer Casey Tanner Passes Away". XBIZ. April 15, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.