LOS ANGELES — Sandy Bunz told XBIZ he wanted to offer a glimpse inside the adult industry from a different perspective in his new book “American Pornographer.”
Bunz, a real estate broker and swap meet food merchant before adult, produced and directed more than 400 porn scenes during a nine-year span from 2001-09. His studio Flashpoint Productions specialized in pro-am and gonzo fare that often was shot in outdoor settings such as public beaches, parks and the wilderness.
In his self-published, 262-page book, he describes in detail the risks and rewards of shooting those daring film productions that in many cases had surprised onlookers spying the action. In addition, he discussed his extensive experience with the business side of adult entertainment.
“It’s a very interesting industry and I think of a lot of people out there would be interested in this sort of thing,” said Bunz, who was known for naughty series such as “On the Beach,” “Sweet Lips,” “Spring Break River Rats,” and “Public Sex.”
“I talked to a lot of old timers in the industry while writing this and nobody has really taken the point of view from the director or producer. I think this enlightens the audience with a new angle. There have been a few actors and actresses that have written books but nobody on the administrative level.”
Billed as Bunz’s take on “the controversial and vastly misunderstood American pornography industry,” the seasoned producer/director set out to cast “a clear and intricate light on the people and businesses that hide their true identities to their audience.”
“He describes how a hard-working few who create and market over ninety percent of the world’s pornography are uniquely a group of very professional businessmen,” according to the book’s synopsis.
Bunz, who began writing the book in 2012, said he placed much of the focus of “American Pornographer” on the actual film shoots, highlighting the adventures that surrounded more than 70 of his sex scenes in between recounting numerous off-the-set dealings.
“It was a long process,” he said. “I had other business to attend to other than just writing, so I would write a whenever I got in the mood. It’s all more or less chronological between 2001-09. It’s a history of that time zone.”
Since moving on from porn Bunz said he’s been back in the real estate biz in between taking time to travel. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the suburb of Whittier, he has resided in Orange County for the past 38-plus years. He worked as a food concessionaire at a swap meet, running four catering trucks for four years before porn. Prior to that, he was a real estate broker for two decades.
Bunz noted he made it a point to not date the performers he was shooting during his career, heeding advice he received from the owner of Gentlemen’s Video, Mike Esposito.
“He told me early on in the biz not to mingle with the talent and I never did,” Bunz recalled. “I was more interested in making movies and going to the bank. A lot of pornographers commingle their social lives and personal lives with the business and they’re not doing a service to the production by doing that.”
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