Why are all the big name directors leaving Red Light District? They’re not, they’re being asked to leave.
Eric Everhard, Vince Voyeur, Sean Michaels, Mike John, Manuel Ferrara, all gone from the company.
Red Light is a branded name, the NAME sells itself. Why?
Red Light made its’ name because of one word, PARIS. Because of that one title and Red Light District’s association with the title, the studio is now right up there with Vivid as far as name brand, even ahead of Digital Playground.
When Dion first started the company, he and Vince Voyeur put a philosophy into place. Let the directors fund and own their movies and the company will handle all post production and distribution and then take a % of the revenues. This was extremely effective because it locked in solid directors to exclusive deals and it kept costs down for the company. It was the ‘Directors’ that carried the ‘Studio’.
Once One Night In Paris was released, the roles were reversed and the ‘Studio’ began to carry the ‘Directors’. Red Light moved approximately 800,000 units of One Night, and with that the Red Light name was branded! This translated into higher automatics on new releases. People who took 10 were not taking 50. People who took nothing were now taking 25.
All the Directors were making tons of cash, because 1) their product is outstanding, and 2) because of David Joseph having the balls to release the Paris video.
Now that Red Light is a branded name and that the name itself carries the weight, why do all that work for 30%? The answer was to simply release the directors from their contracts and start shooting titles that the Studio OWNED 100%. Now Red Light keeps 100% of the title and simply pays the normal budgets for shooting a gonzo.
Everyone made money off of Red Light, and everyone involved in the company has moved on to greener pastures because of their affiliation with Red Light. It’s a smart move on behalf of David Joseph, owning 100% instead of 30%.