Twenty-five years is a long time — especially in an industry that’s constantly changing.
When Falcon/NakedSword President and CEO Tim Valenti talks about his company’s early days, there’s no chest-thumping or victory-lapping — just a steady, grounded reflection on what it took to keep building, even as the business around him kept reinventing itself.
“Looking back at NakedSword’s first 25 years, I think our biggest impact has been proving that gay adult entertainment can be at once commercially successful and creatively impactful,” Valenti says. “From the beginning, we believed porn could be cinematic. We pushed for better storytelling, higher production values and a greater respect for the people in front of and behind the camera.”
Affectionately referred to by die-hard fans as “the Netflix of gay porn,” NakedSword launched as a VOD service in an era when the idea of streaming adult content still felt experimental. Over time, it grew into a platform that would later fold into the Falcon brand, expanding beyond distribution and into full-scale studio production.
That evolution mirrors Valenti’s own preferred approach: Stay focused on craft, stay open to what’s next.
In person, Valenti has a handsome “hippie Santa” vibe and is pretty humble about what he has built. When the conversation turns to the milestone quarter-century anniversary at hand, his response reflects his personality: quick to laugh and slow to self-mythologize.
“To be honest, I don’t really think about it a lot!” he admits. “I’m so focused on what’s happening now and what we’re going to be doing next. But I feel proud that I was able to do this. It’s just a nice feeling that we’ve been able to create such a great product, work with so many talented people in this business, keep it going — and know that we have a vision of the future.”
Filling the Gaps, Setting the Bar
For Valenti, the shift from aggregator to studio with the advent of NakedSword Originals wasn’t about planting a flag — it was about noticing what was missing.
“I realized there were gaps in what was being produced,” he recalls. “So we became our own brand, and we’ve always tried our best to do cinematic features and that level of work.”
That instinct toward narrative and genre has shaped much of the studio’s recent output, from last year’s XMAs-nominated thriller “Wild Game” to the romantic comedy “The Way to a Man’s Heart” and even a holiday romance entry with “Bred & Breakfast: The Push It Inn.” Each project reflects a willingness to play with form — not to chase trends, but to follow curiosity.
Yet Valenti is quick to frame growth in terms that go beyond release slates. When he talks about how he operates day to day, his language shifts from production to people.
“A few of the key values that have guided my success are consistency, respect and authenticity,” he offers. “I’ve always believed in showing up — whether for performers, creative teams or partners — and in building trust over time rather than chasing short-term victories. This industry moves fast in terms of technology and innovation, but relationships are what keep the wheels greased.”
That approach is something longtime collaborator Ben Rush regularly sees firsthand. The vice president of content development — and a frequent writer-director for the studio — traces much of NakedSword’s creative climate back to Valenti himself.
“Tim Valenti is the main reason I love the adult business,” Rush attests. “He understands that great adult films and brand extensions are built on trust, taste and conviction. Tim also has an instinct for when something feels authentic versus when it feels safe, and he always pushes for the former.
“He doesn’t micromanage,” Rush adds. “He sets the bar high and then lets creatives do what they do best. That kind of leadership creates an environment where bold ideas aren’t just allowed, they’re expected. That’s why NakedSword continues to be culturally relevant and creatively edgy.”
For Valenti, the work doesn’t stop when the cameras turn off. He talks about NakedSword’s relationship with the broader queer community in the same practical, forward-looking terms he uses when discussing content.
“One of the most important parts of what we do is a lot of community events, whether it’s parties or working with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” Valenti says. “We’re going to be doing a lot more in the new year.”
Build, listen, show up, repeat. It’s a familiar rhythm by now at NakedSword, and one that’s set to carry the company into its next 25 years.
‘Something we could own ourselves’
During the early years of the internet, Valenti found himself working with an ad agency in San Francisco.
“All of our clients wanted to have websites,” he remembers. “I realized what we could do online, but the agency was not willing to do it, so I rolled it out into my own company.”
In 1996, Valenti started an advertising and technology agency called Cubik. The company built early web presences for clients like IBM, Fujitsu, GameSpot and Shorenstein Properties — a portfolio that placed Valenti squarely inside the tech boom just as the web was taking its first real steps.
One of Cubik’s earliest high-profile clients was Eidos Interactive, the creators of Tomb Raider. The agency helped generate content and visibility around Lara Croft, nudging her from an early 2D character into the beginnings of an icon.
“I thought, why can’t we be doing this with regular movies in Hollywood?” Valenti recalls. “I went down to L.A. to meet with some studios to tell them what we were doing. They all thought it was great, but they weren’t ready.”
Instead, the pivotal moment arrived closer to home.
“Obviously, being in San Francisco and being gay, I knew there were a lot of gay studios,” Valenti says. “I thought, ‘This is something our community could own for ourselves.’ So I pitched the idea to all the gay studios.”
That instinct led to partnerships with Titan Men creators Bruce Cam and Keith Webb, as well as the Mitchell Brothers, who operated the O’Farrell Theatre and were the filmmakers that created “Behind the Green Door.”
“We built their platform and subscription site,” says Valenti. “I was trying to build my own little empire because I couldn’t do it in Hollywood.”
When Worlds Collide
After launching NakedSword in the late 1990s, Valenti spent years growing the platform. By 2007, that success led to a merger with AEBN, combining NakedSword's brand with the streaming pioneer's technology and distribution network. In the years that followed, additional studios including Raging Stallion, Falcon and Hot House joined the growing ecosystem while continuing to operate under their own brands.
Behind the scenes, Valenti was still running Cubik alongside the adult venture.
“I’m streaming adult content, and also have major corporate clients that I’m building websites for,” he says. “It was very scary, but I never lied about it. I told some of our chief clients and they were all very good about it. They loved our work and appreciated that we were being open with them. We didn’t lose any clients.”
Then there was an email mix-up that became legendary.
“One of the techs put in the wrong email list and sent out the NakedSword email to the mailing list for the National Potato Board, which was all housewives,” Valenti laughs. “The President was really mad but the board couldn’t fire us.
“What was funny was, that weekend we probably made $3,000 off that list from housewives,” Valenti adds mischievously.
What’s Possible
Even after 25 years, Valenti still cultivates a spirit of exploration. Thinking about the next phase of NakedSword, he anticipates broadening the language of adult storytelling.
“What’s exciting for me is some of the partnerships we’ve created over the last few years with different studios, different talent and some of the things we’re going to embark on — especially in the more mainstream, safe-for-work areas,” he enthuses. “We will be creating some content that will be entertaining and stand on their own. It will be a bridge to some of our adult products.”
Valenti also sees plenty of room for international growth.
“We’re doing a lot more with Alter Sin in Europe, and we will be doing more with partners in Montreal, Asia and South America,” Valenti affirms.
For those creating the content, the company’s approach translates into an unusual degree of freedom. Rush points to risk-taking, not scale, as the defining feature of the NakedSword brand.
“That’s very rare these days,” Rush says. “There's a real backbone to the brand: high standards, no complacency and a genuine respect for staff, filmmakers, writers and performers who want to push themselves. Tim trusts us to go further, dig deeper and make content that actually says something. That kind of support doesn’t just elevate the work — it changes what’s even possible.”
The result?
“Sex that hits hard, stories that audiences remember and performances that feel dangerous and dirty in the best possible ways,” Rush attests.
For Valenti, the partnerships, the risks and the successes all trace back to one central guiding principle.
“I truly hope that our work has raised expectations about what gay adult content can look like, the way it’s made and how long it can last,” he shares. “I’m proud that we’ve proven longevity comes from knowing what our brand represents and evolving without losing our core audience.
“Following trends is not necessarily the way to stay relevant,” Valenti says. “It’s about standing for something.”
