LOS ANGELES — Industry veteran Bob Christian passed away Friday in North Carolina after an illness, friends have confirmed.
A key member of the Adam & Eve senior management/marketing team for a quarter century until his 2020 retirement, Christian played a vital role in the company’s expansion into many of the adult industry’s competitive sectors.
Dave Keegan, Adam & Eve’s franchise director, told XBIZ that Christian became his mentor when he joined the company in 2009.
“As time passed, we also became friends,” Keegan said. “Bob was always in good spirits and had a manner about him that was always calm and understanding. He was very knowledgeable about business and life, so it was always easy to have a conversation about anything. He loved his real family and work family very much; he loved to play music and travel the world. I can truly say Bob could strike up a conversation with a stranger anywhere in the world. He will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Bob!”
The Duke- and UNC-educated Christian first began working with local tycoon and Adam & Eve founder, the late Phil Harvey, in the 1980s. Christian started in Harvey’s General Vitamin company, but later moved into PHE’s adult business, Adam & Eve.
After Harvey started Adam & Eve, Christian performed multiple duties as a trusted associate, becoming part of the company’s inner circle alongside company president David Groves. He seamlessly transitioned from accounting to marketing to key roles running the company’s movie operation and establishing the thriving retail chain.
After the passing of Mary Gates, Christian became head of Adam & Eve Pictures, where he oversaw numerous classics of the DVD era, like “Pirates,” “The 8th Day,” “Rawhide,” “Babysitting the Baumgartners,” “Marriage 2.0,” “Dinner Party” and “Love Emergency,” as well as multiple series like “Adult Stars at Home,” “Amateur Angels,” “Sex Across America” and “Naked Hollywood — the REAL Sex in the City.”
Christian partnered with the industry’s last true “contract stars,” striking deals with Carmen Luvana, Kayden Kross, Bree Olson, Ava Rose, Sophia Lynn, Teagan Presley and Alexis Texas.
Under Christian’s stewardship, Adam & Eve also produced 42 educational “Nina Hartley’s Guide to…” titles, and pioneering adult female director Candida Royalle’s Femme Productions movies.
“Working with Nina and Candida has always been very fun and rewarding,” Christian told XBIZ in 2020, for a career retrospective feature celebrating his retirement.
During the transition from the DVD era to the internet era, Christian coordinated the development of AdamEve.com.
Christian was also a stalwart in the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) for over two decades, serving as treasurer for seven years and spearheading the industry’s fight against onerous 2257 requirements, as well as the successful campaign against Proposition 60.
Alongside other seminal FSC figures like Christian Mann, Christian helped develop and refine the PASS performer testing system.
Christian told XBIZ he especially treasured his role in starting and growing Adam & Eve's retail franchise business. By the time of his retirement three years ago, the Adam & Eve retail chain had grown to 78 store locations, even crossing over into Australia after he led the acquisition of that country’s biggest online retailer of adult toys and sexy lingerie, Wild Secrets.
Asked to reflect on his 24 years in adult, Christian told XBIZ that, first and foremost, he cherished working alongside “all of the industry’s characters, independent thinkers and good folks.” He also expressed gratitude for having had the opportunity to work with Phil Harvey and David Groves and to “experience them as leaders, visionaries, managers and role models.”
A man of many passions, Christian was known for his optimism and conversational skills. Phil Harvey summarized his longtime friend and employee by saying, “Bob has a way of brightening up the day.”
Christian relished performing magic tricks for his grandchildren, playing the drums — he was in a band for his whole life — “treasure hunting” at the beach with his metal detector and scuba diving. He was also a lifelong golf and tennis enthusiast.
Asked to impart some words of wisdom to anyone entering the adult business, Christian offered, “Enjoy it and be smart. Live long and prosper. Toast frequently — ‘To life … as it should be, and as it is today.’”
