SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. — Mike Kulich, owner of Monarchy Distribution, announced the forthcoming launch of a new division of the company, Showcase Studios.
Showcase Studios hinges on a novel distribution concept: essentially, the studio compiles a “showcase” or collection of an adult performer’s best work, licenses it to the actor and allows her to become her own distributor and make money from older content.
Monarchy possesses one of the largest content libraries in the industry due to its massive network of 14 studios and multitude of contracts with internet providers, Kulich said. By leeching content from its parent company, Monarchy, Showcase is able to yoke scenes from all eras of a performer’s career — including early scenes shot with defunct companies and content produced within the year
“There’s tons of companies that put out the “best of” Amber Lynn and the “best of” Christie Canyon, but they don’t take the product and make Christie Canyon or Amber Lynn their own distributor of that,” Kulich said, “I think it’s kind of giving a lot more power back to the performers, enabling them to make money off content that they literally shot 15 years ago and got paid their day rate and that was it. So we’re kind of just putting it all together, packaging it nicely, centering it around and branding it around that girl and giving it back to them.”
After committing to a certain number of pieces designated by Showcase, performers buy the pieces, which are then aggregated and packaged by the fledgling studio. According to Kulich, Showcase Studios will sell the girls their DVDs for less than the distributor price and allow them to market and sell it themselves.
The first Showcase film will feature Kiki Daire, who began her adult career in the late ‘90s. Daire’s DVD is currently in the works and will be released in a few weeks.
Showcase Studios will specifically address the market “that all of these studios want to hit” — Twitter fans who devoutly e-follow the performer and whom directly communicate with the star, but may not buy many products, Kulich said. By owning her own content, Daire can sell the content directly to her Twitter followers.
While Showcase Studios offers performers— veterans in particular—an opportunity to cut out the middle man in their sales and reconnect to old or lost content, it may not be an ideal or feasible option for less active or recently branded adult actors.
Kulich told XBIZ that the DVDs produced by Showcase are designed for performers adept at self-marketing and are ready to invest in their career.
“If it’s just a girl who’s on Twitter, and she doesn’t do store signings or tradeshows or feature dancing, and she doesn’t have that connection with her fans, then she’s probably not going to put up the money to buy the pieces,” Kulich said. “But if someone is out there and they’re hustling and they make an effort to actually connect with their fans and go to all these events, it’s really the perfect opportunity for them.”
