LOS ANGELES — The man behind Digital Playground’s new action thriller “Apocalypse X” told XBIZ he was born in Canada, but “raised by the world.”
Known simply as Jakodema in the adult industry, the head of production and creative director at Digital Playground revealed that his parents used to travel a lot for extended periods while he was coming of age.
“That’s a big chapter by itself, which I like to keep private,” Jakodema said.
What isn’t so private anymore is Jakodema’s flair for filmmaking that came to the surface this year as he directed projects such as “Apocalypse X” and “Crave,” which was the company’s first episodic web series in March.
In this exclusive interview, Jakodema talked about the move to episodic releases and his role behind the scenes at Digital Playground.
XBIZ: What is your professional background and what brought you into the adult industry? How did you land at Digital Playground?
Jakodema: Cinematographer/special effects coordinator. I just followed the yellow brick road.
XBIZ: When did Digital Playground begin doing episodic series online? What was the first one?
Jakodema: Digital Playground began releasing series the beginning of March 2014. Our series debut was 'Crave,' starring Dani Daniels, Anikka Albrite and Madison Ivy.
XBIZ: Why did Digital Playground decide to go episodic with its recent projects?
Jakodema: We wanted to give our members a unique digital platform, providing various programming options like niche scenes, blockbuster features and episodic series, different from other websites. Basically, my idea behind this was to create a network.
XBIZ: Which titles so far have been episodic and how many episodes are there?
Jakodema: Digital Playground has released ‘Crave,’ ‘Swans of LA,’ ‘Gym Angels,’ ‘4EVER,’ ‘Sisters of Anarchy,’ ‘Girls of Summer’ and our newest, ‘Wingmen.’ Each series contain eight episodes that are 25 to 30 minutes in length.
XBIZ: What has the response been like from your website members to these episodic series?
Jakodema: Since taking over and introducing our new platform (Series, Flixxx, Rawcuts, Blockbusters), the response has been extremely positive. The challenge will be finding ways to innovate.
XBIZ: Who is in the principal cast for ‘Apocalypse X’?
Jakodema: Stevie Shae is the lead role with a supporting cast of Anikka Albrite, Veronica Rodriguez, Abby Cross, Eva Karera, Mischa Brooks, Derrick Pierce, Mick Blue, Ryan Driller, Tommy Gunn, Richie Calhoun and Steven St. Croix.
XBIZ: How many shoot days were there for ‘Apocalypse X’? How large was the crew?
Jakodema: 'Apocalypse X' was shot a total of five days with 29 crewmembers.
XBIZ: What is the concept for ‘Bubble Gum Girls’?
Jakodema: There are times in our lives wanting to do or be something more but we couldn’t for X reasons, so what we do is retreat to an alternative reality a fantasy which give us the courage and power to be who we wanted.
XBIZ: Who is in the principal cast for ‘Bubble Gum Girls’?
Jakodema: ‘Bubble Gum Girls’ stars Veronica Rodriguez, Dakota Skye, Katerina Kay, Lucy Tyler and Alina Li with appearances from Eva Karera, Preston Parker, Tommy Pistol, Derrick Pierce, Jessy Jones, Ike Diezel, Ryan McLane and Giovanni Francesco.
XBIZ: What is the release date for ‘Bubble Gum Girls’?
Jakodema: ‘Bubble Gum Girls’ will release to Digital Playground members on Oct. 2 and streets on Oct. 21.
XBIZ: What other projects are in post-production that you'd like to preview? As Head of Production and Creative Director for Digital Playground, what is your vision for adult filmmaking, or, your filmmaking philosophy?
Jakodema: I can answer those questions with a quote from Walt Disney: “Around here we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
What will those paths reveal? Time will tell. All I can say is strap on your seatbelt and get comfortable, you haven't seen anything yet.
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