THIS ISN'T YOUR FATHER'S PLAYBOY
My section of the xxxchurch website is called The Industry, and that's exactly what I plan to reveal to you. In some cases it's ugly. In others, it's intriguing. During porn shoots, the things that go on behind the scenes are often stomach churning. I plan to bring all of that to you. Today, however, I want to dispel a common misconception: that Playboy, the most recognized name in porn, is a "soft porn" company.
Just a few days ago I received the very last 1099 I'll ever get from the company. 1099 tax forms come from Playboy Enterprises, Inc. and Consolidated Subsidiaries. It's those Consolidated Subsidiaries that make the company quite different than the Playboy you think you know.
One thing I always found interesting was the fighting amongst subsidiaries. Playboy's Chicago staff seems to have an elitist attitude and feels they're better than the lowly internet porn employees from other subsidiaries. It's actually quite amusing to witness. The first time the print and internet divisions had to work together on a project was during one of Playboy's Casting Calls in Tampa, Florida, an event I was fortunate enough to attend. Everyone tolerated each other well during the event, but it was just a few months later when fighting broke out between them. Come to think of it, that kinda sounds like many modern churches, don't you think?
But let's move on to the point of this entry...
Although soft porn is what built Playboy and is still what most people think of when the Bunny comes to mind, it's simply not the case anymore. Playboy actually owns some of the most graphic, sexually explicit hardcore porn sites on the Internet. If you were to read Playboy's financial Form 8-K you might notice a mention of a company called ICS, Incorporated. ICS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Playboy and is the name under which the company's hardcore porn sites are run.
Playboy also purchased porn star Jenna Jameson's Club Jenna, Inc. Club Jenna offers hardcore DVDs and internet sites as well. Speaking of DVDs, the company also sells hardcore DVD titles through another of their subsidiaries known as Spice Studios, formerly called Cinemaplay.
I can only speculate as to why Playboy hides the hard porn behind various wholly owned subsidiaries. Perhaps associating the bunny with explicit pornography might dampen subscription numbers to the main magazine. That's probably a good business decision on their part. I'm sure many loyal readers would be offended by the harder stuff. But Playboy has learned that relying on soft porn magazine subscribers won't keep the company alive.
Through new projects and acquisitions, Playboy now leads the pack in the world of hardcore porn. This is not the same company whose magazines appeared beneath your father's mattress.
