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May 15, 2006

Exclusive Model Survey: Titan Responds

In the last few weeks there seems to be an unusually large number of press releases from several different studios announcing that they have signed contracts with exclusive models. I was curious about this sudden trend, so I wrote to a couple studios to get their reply, and find out about this "exclusive" business in general.

Titan replied to my survey without dropping any hints about upcoming "surprises", and sure enough, a couple days later - another press release announcing another exclusive! This time it's Darius Falke, who I think makes a perfect match for Francois Sagat, who is now apparently working for Titan. Scroll down and compare the photos of these two. Hmm. Did one signing lead to another? Is there a gay porn remake of the Patty Duke Show being planned? ("They walk alike, they talk alike, and sometimes even fuck alike! You could your miiiind, when cousins are two of a kind....")

Here is Titan's response:

Lavender Lounge Blog: Why are studios getting so many models to sign exclusive contracts right now?

Titan: Spring is in the air, and a fresh new crop of hot men are popping up all over!

Lavender Lounge Blog: How does the studio benefit from signing an exclusive?

Ensures that the time, money and effort in developing and building the brand of the model is returned. It takes a lot of energy and money to make a "Star", so when you do, you want to make sure the investment is returned. Why would a company invest in the development of a "star" when the "star" is going to work for a bunch of other companies? It makes sense to secure a model for a certain period of time if the company is going to invest in the development of the star.

Lavender Lounge Blog: How does the model benefit from signing an exclusive?

The studio has the money and ability to quickly and effectively make the model a well known star in a short period of time. Someone new that is looking to become a "star" can quickly do so with the right studio behind them. No one knew who Dred Scott was, and several of the other large studios had passed on him. Within months of aggressive marketing and promotion we had made Dred Scott one the biggest stars of the day. Models looking to make a splash and become stars quickly benefit from being exclusives with the right companies.

On the other hand, if they become exclusives with companies that don't have the strength and ability to market and promote them, their careers can suffer. The model needs to make sure it is the right match for them. They need to make sure the promises made by the studio and the expectations they have are compatible. There are some studios that have so many "exclusives" that none of the models are special or get the promotion or marketing push they deserve. I would tell models to talk to others in the industry and ask for references from other exclusives currently with the studio before they sign contracts. I would also caution stars not to sign contracts any longer than 1 year. You need the flexibility to move on after a year and get additional experience. The model can always re-sign if they want to stay, but it's hard to get out of a long contract that keeps you chained to one company.

Lavender Lounge Blog: Who are your current exclusives?

Titan: Tober Brandt, Damien Crosse, Darius Falke (This will be announced this week), Cole Ryan, and Francois Sagat. We try not to have more than 6-7 exclusives at any one time. Any more than that and we cannot give each the promotion and marketing they deserve.

Lavender Lounge Blog: Any more surprises coming up?

Titan: We always have surprises coming up! But they wouldn't be surprises if we told you! You'll have to wait and watch!

Keith Webb
Vice President
Io Group, Inc dba Titan Media

(San Francisco, May 11th, 2006) Titan Media, parent company of gay mega-brands TitanMen, ManPlay and TitanMen Fresh, has announced the signing of its newest exclusive model, Darius Falke. The 28-year old was recently discovered by director Ray Dragon during filming of the newest ManPlay film, Boot Camp: ManPlay 24. Born in communist Poland, Darius immigrated to Germany in his teens and currently resides in Berlin.

"As soon as Darius came into the studio, he dropped his pants and was hard as a rock. I knew at that moment he was a natural," says Ray Dragon, ManPlay's lead director. "Darius had done previous photography work in Europe and loved showing off his amazing body, so he was extremely comfortable in front of the camera."

The 8" uncut versatile stud's first film is Boot Camp: ManPlay 24 which releases at wholesale June 27, 2006.

Darius recently finished filming an amazing three-way scene with Jason Ridge and TitanMen exclusive Damien Crosse for the Fall 2006 release Cop Shack, directed by the legendary Joe Gage.

Scheduled appearances include roles in a major leather/fetish-themed film to debut at the 2006 Folsom Street Fair, and additional Brian Mills features for Holiday 2006. Darius will also appear exclusively for TitanMen during the 2006 Folsom Street Fair and the 2007 GAYVN Expo.

Posted by lavenderloungeblog at 06:56 PM

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