Monday, Sep 15, 2003    Text size: 

An industry with a price tag of more than $10 million riding on its head can't be all that bad, can it? The popular cable network intends to find out.

HBO went public this week with plans to air a six-part series profiling the thriving, recession-proof adult entertainment industry in Southern California.

A subsidiary of Home Box Office and the darling of media and entertainment conglomerate AOL Time Warner, HBO's investigation into the porn trade will be titled "Pornucopia: Going Down in the Valley" and will aim for an exclusive look at what makes porno tick, who's making it, and who's watching it.

"Pornucopia," directed and produced by Dan Chaykin, is scheduled for a 2004 debut and will be aired in 30-minute segments, an HBO representative told XBiz.com.

Chaykin comes to HBO from a career in public broadcasting, network entertainment, and network news. He has produced programming for both CBS and ABC.

According to HBO, each of the six segments will explore "every aspect" of the industry, including production, distribution, marketing, the social mores of the adult entertainment world, and adult content's rapid proliferation across the Internet.

Former record producer Steve Ziplow is the executive producer on the project. Ziplow is the author of "A Filmmaker's Guide to Pornography."

A representative for HBO's headquarters in New York told XBiz.com that most of the shooting for "Pornucopia" has already been completed.

HBO has an estimated 18 million subscribers in 50 countries worldwide, including Asia, Latin America, and Central Europe.