SAN FRANCISCO — After an award-winning 27-year run in the gay adult industry, Steven Scarborough on Friday announced that he is stepping down as president of Hot House Entertainment and retiring.
The announcement comes as a result of a deal in which Falcon/Raging Stallion Studios acquires the assets of Hot House Entertainment, the company Scarborough founded in 1993. Falcon/Raging Stallion Studios, along with Naked Sword, make up the gay division of the Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network (AEBN). The acquisition of Hot House creates for AEBN the largest conglomerate of gay erotic studios in the world.
Scarborough decided to attempt a sale after receiving news that the Hot House San Francisco office/studio building was slated for demolition this fall to make way for a new office complex. Facing the daunting prospect of moving to a new facility in San Francisco where the current tech boom is sending rents skyrocketing, Scarborough thought this was an opportune time to exit the industry and pursue other interests. He reached out to Chris Ward, president of Falcon/Raging Stallion Studios, and fast-tracked a deal that allows Scarborough to exit while Ward seamlessly continues the operations of the Hot House brands in their San Francisco offices, just a few blocks away.
“Any two companies going through a process like this face significant operational hurdles, but there are aspects of this deal which make for a smoother transition,” Scarborough explained. “Both companies already make premium gay content for membership sites through the Buddy Profits Affiliate Program. Hot House director Christian Owen will stay on board to continue making movies for both the HotHouse.com and ClubInfernoDungeon.com sites. Fans can be assured that the same quality product will be delivered without interruption while remaining faithful to the brand’s integrity.”
There’s plenty of shared history between the two men and the companies they helm. Scarborough began his career in the adult industry as a director at Falcon in 1987 and quickly became the top director for the leading studio. He then went on to start Hot House which quickly established itself as a major company known for filming the highest quality films in the industry. In 1997 Scarborough tapped Ward to direct his new fetish line, Club Inferno. Ward parted ways with Hot House in 1999 and started Raging Stallion before eventually acquiring Falcon in 2010.
“It’s fitting that my catalog ends up with Falcon now nearly three decades later,” said Scarborough. “I’m thrilled to see Hot House continue with a company that shares my commitment to safer-sex, high-end productions; and with Chris now the president of Falcon/Raging Stallion Studios, this whole thing has come beautifully full circle.”
Both Scarborough and Hot House have a long list of top honors in the industry, including Best Website wins at the Cybersocket, XBIZ, and Grabby Award Shows and numerous movie and production awards, including Best Picture for 'Justice' in 2007 and Best Leather and Fetish wins for the "The Missing," "Verboten," "Black & Blue," and the notorious "Skuff" series.
Scarborough launched the careers of Hot House exclusives Dick Wolf, Alex Collack, Collin O’Neal, Francesco D’Macho, Vinnie D’Angelo and many others; he also has won Hall-of-Fame awards from Cybersocket, XBIZ, and The Grabby’s as well as the Free Speech Coalition’s Lifetime Achievement Award this year.
“Steven’s retirement is truly an historic moment in gay porn,” Ward added. “It means everything to me personally that he trusts my team to carry on his work with the Hot House brands. He is my mentor and all the success I have had in this industry is because of Steven. I am dedicated to protecting his legacy and growing the brands so they remain as fresh and vital as when he started.”