Hosted by adult distributor CalVista Australia, this year’s event was held at the Sebel Albert Park Melbourne and was sponsored by Vivid, Private, Evil Angel, Woodman Entertainment, ClubJenna, Pulse Distribution, Jules Jordan, Harmony Films, Digital Playground and Titan Media, as well as novelty wholesalers Topco Sales, Doc Johnson, CalExotics, pjur Lubricants, Tantus Silicone and Sportsheets.
The invitation-only, business-to-business event brought together vendors from Australia and New Zealand for an opportunity to meet with U.S. industry members and celebrities.
An opportunity for the straight and gay sectors of the industry was afforded by a meeting between Titan Men exclusive model Alex Baresi and Digital Playground contract star Jesse Jane.
Jane attended with Digital Playground president Samantha Lewis and Director of Marketing Adella O’Neal, to promote Robby D’s “Babysitters.”
“We love Jesse Jane,” Titan Media vice president Keith Webb said. “I hate to admit it, but I love being her ‘gay posse’ and going shopping with her and Samantha Lewis at Louis Vuitton. It’s a blast to see people on the street stop in their tracks when they see Jesse walking down the street.
“She is one the sweetest and most fun girls I have ever meet,” Webb added. “There is never a dull moment when Jesse is around; she’s a firecracker.”
Baresi, who attended the event with Webb and Titan Media founder Bruce Cam, also was on an Australian tour to promote a music CD for JOY 94.9, Melbourne’s GLBT Radio station.
While in Melbourne, Baresi also sat for renowned contemporary artist Ross Watson and the resulting portrait work will be featured on the artist’s website..
Webb pointed out that the trip to Melbourne was business-oriented, as well as promotional. Content piracy was the primary topic of discussion for Webb and representatives of the Adult Industry Copyright Organisation (AICO), which is affiliated with CalVista.
“This year’s Adultex show was our most successful ever,” Webb said. “TitanMen has more films classified and approved by the film board and legal for sale in Australia than any other gay adult studio.”
“We also met with Graeme Dunne, the head of AICO, to review some of our most recent anti-piracy wins and to discuss new cases and strategies going forward,” Webb added. “Our anti-piracy efforts have been extremely successful in Australia and have helped to increase our overall sales and revenue.”
Digital Playground president Samantha Lewis echoed Webb’s praise of AICO in leading the fight against content piracy.
“CalVista has set a worldwide standard. With the support of AICO, they have spared no expense, financial or otherwise, to protect our trademarks and stop piracy throughout their territories,” Lewis told XBIZ. “With Rob and Hui at the helm, CalVista is able to offer a level of integrity that every business should aspire to. They are one of the best clients I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”
