Vivid Girls

Vivid Girls

Vivid Girls is one of the world's largest adult film producers, featuring a popular catalog of DVD titles and internet content. Vivid Girls specializes in high-production-value movies, filmed in exotic locations and shot with professional lighting and quality cinematography. Vivid also produces gay porn movies under the names "Vivid Man" and "Vivid Video". The company is best known for its "Vivid Girls", a collection of porn starlets such as Briana Banks, Jenna Jameson, Racquel Darrian, Devon, Ginger Lynn, Sunny Leone, Kobe Tai, Tera Patrick, Sunrise Adams, and Savanna Samson. All of these women made their names in other companies' productions, then moved to Vivid once they had become famous. The Vivid Girls are retained on exclusive contracts much like those of bygone days of the Hollywood studio system. They reportedly command a higher salary than do free-agent performers and produce only a handful of films per year (in 2004, Jenna Jameson told an interviewer "you probably have more sex than I do - I only film a couple of scenes three or four times a year"). Vivid has a strict policy mandating condom use, and the sexual activities shown are generally "milder" than those of Vivid's competitors. Anal sex is never depicted, and scenes of bondage are rare and particularly mild. Vivid did not follow the path taken by much of the rest of the porn industry in the late 1990s toward more explicit and extreme activities. Intercourse almost always involves a heterosexual couple; larger groupings or orgies are never depicted. These policies are intended to appeal to a wide, mainstream market that may not rent or buy pornographic movies frequently. Vivid produces relatively few titles per year, and each film is aggressively advertised and promoted. This is different from many other San Fernando Valley production companies, who routinely film, edit and release a two-hour title in less than a week, spending relatively little on advertising or promotion. Its titles are sold to the rental market and direct to consumers through its online mail-order site. Vivid also distributes the films to cable and satellite channels and offers its Internet subscribers pay-per-view access. Steve Hirsch and David James, who together started the company in 1984, control Vivid. Vivid has drawn some criticism for the lack of racial diversity among their performers. Nearly all of the male actors in their sex scenes are white; in contrast, many other porn companies frequently use, at a minimum, both black and white male actors. Vivid has produced few scenes featuring a black woman having sex with a white woman or a black woman having sex with a white man, and even fewer with a black man having sex with a white woman. Vivid employs relatively low numbers of Hispanic male actors and virtually no Asian male actors. Similarly, the majority of Vivid Girls have been white and blonde. Many other companies offer not only films featuring mixtures of ethnicities in their casts, but often also produce series in which all of their actors are Hispanic, black, Asian, et cetera. Also, concerns have been raised on how Vivid treats its employees, as well as accusations of "draconian" security measures towards possible bad PR.

Devon

Devon was born March 28, 1977, in New Jersey. Devon did bypassed most of the traditional paths into adult films. She has an older sister and two younger brothers. Devon was active in gymnastics and jazz dance instruction until she was 15. She graduated from high school early and, shortly afterwards, took a waitress job to support herself. Devon then auditioned for an amateur night at Al's Diamond Cabaret in Reading, Pennsylvania (and later won the first place jackpot). Devon danced at Al's Diamond Cabaret for three years. Devon's first foray into erotica was in New Breed (1998). Shortly after, Devon became a highly sought after porn starlet - helped in part by her striking resemblance to then pop starlet Britney Spears. After a few features, Devon was signed to an exclusive Vivid Entertainment contract. In 1999, Devon made an appearance on E! Entertainment's Howard Stern Show. Devon also began posing for several men's magazines (including being on the cover of Club magazine and being Penthouse Pet in January 2001). In January 2002, Devon received the first award of her career, Adult Video News's Best Interactive DVD for Digital Playground's Virtual Sex With Devon (it was also later awarded Best Interactive DVD from Empire and AFW). Digital Playground then signed Devon to an exclusive contract. In May 2002, Devon was featured on Stuff magazine's home page. Devon did her first anal scene in 2005's Intoxicated.

Mercedez

Mercedez (born November 10, 1979 in Corpus Christi, Texas, also know as Nina Mercedez) is an American erotic actress. According to the bio on her web site, her family background is a combination of Spanish and Mexican, "all the way to the Aztec Indians". Like many popular models, she claims that she was neither popular nor attractive as a teenager (she appeared on a segment of The Jenny Jones Show titled "From Geek To Chic" contrasting her "then and now" appearance). She dropped out of school and worked a variety of jobs, including ones at Denny's, OfficeMax, and Barnes & Noble. She later became a bartender and worked as a Budweiser swimsuit model and Tejano calendar girl. Answering an ad in the newspaper, she began stripping at a club called Heartbreakers. After a few years working as a dancer, she was photographed for the June 2000 issue of Penthouse. Around this time, she also began entering nude pageants. Her impressive body won her many titles, including "Miss Nude North America" and "Miss Nude International" in 2001, "Exotic Dancer/Entertainer of the Year" in 2002, and "Miss Nude Universe" in 2003. Mercedez has signed an exclusive contract with Vivid Entertainment. Mercedez has a tattoo of a coiled snake on her lower right abdomen. It covers a horizontal scar.

Sunny Leone

Porn Star Sunny Leone (born May 13, 1981 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a model best known for winning Penthouse magazine's Pet of the Year 2003. She is also noted for being one of the few porn actresses with an Indian background. Leone's family moved to California in 1996. After graduating high school in 1999, she began modeling and eventually transitioned into nude modeling. Leone began appearing in many magazines and websites in the nude, and posed in a layout for Penthouse magazine in 2002. Her popularity and beauty allowed her to win the 2003 Penthouse Pet of the Year award. She mostly does softcore modeling, both solo and lesbian. She has signed an exclusive contract with Vivid Entertainment. She has admitted that had she never left Canada, she would have been a different person and not gone into the adult industry. Her parents are aware of her career and support her although they want her to discontinue it. She has one brother. She is finishing college and intends to become a pediatric nurse.

Dasha

Porn Star Dasha was born Dagmar Kozelková November 21, 1976 in Brno, Czech Republic. She is known for her penchant for female ejaculation. Her stage name is frequently spelled Dascha. Dasha studied ballet in her home country before moving to America in 1998. She allegedely worked at a Kmart, and not happy with the money she was making, made the move to stripping. After dancing in strip clubs for a while, she decided to enter adult films and signed with Vivid Video. She married adult actor Dillon Day in 2000; they both retired from adult films in 2003 and moved to Europe. Along with Kira Kener and Tera Patrick, Dasha posed for the cover of Playboy magazine's March 2002 issue as well as a "Sizzling Porn Star" pictorial. In 2000, Dasha appeared in music videos for Madonna (Music) and the Deftones (Change). She also appeared on the cover of Brougham's CD "Murked Out".

Tawny Roberts

Porn Star Tawny Roberts (born March 19, 1979 in Dallas, Texas) is a porn actress. In many of her films, her only male co-star is her now ex-husband Rick Patrick. She has also made appearances in mainstream television on The Joe Schmo Show and The Man Show. Tawny grew up in Dallas and attended college in Utah. After two years of college, Tawny lost interest and moved out to Los Angeles, California. While in Los Angeles working as a retail manager, Tawny met adult film actress Jill Kelly, who helped her land her first role in the film Immortals. She worked for several companies building a name for herself before signing on with VCA Studios. She eventually left VCA and signed a contract with Vivid, for whom she has worked since.

Sunrise Adams

Porn Star Sunrise Adams was born September 14, 1982 in Como-Pickton, Texas. She is the niece of porn star Sunset Thomas. She first entered the Xbiz at 18, starring in More Dirty Debutantes 186. In August 2002, she signed a two year contract with Vivid Entertainment to become the latest 'Vivid Girl'. The terms of the contract require her to do 8 movies per year for the company. Sunrise Adams was also on the cover of the Xbox and PlayStation 2 game, Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood, and portrayed herself in that video game. After her career as an actress she plans to direct some films. She is also working on a business degree. She is a promotional model featured on the sign for Las Vegas nightclub Tangerine at Treasure Island and on their web site

Julia Ann

Porn Star Julia Ann was born Julia Ann Tavella October 8, 1969) is originally from Los Angeles, California. She debuted in 1993 and is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame. She was one half of the touring strip club feature act "Blondage" along with fellow adult star Janine Lindemulder. During this time, she had an long-time lesbian relationship with Lindemulder. She married Michael Raven on June 21, 2003. Along with Inari Vachs and other female porn actresses, Ann hosted the Playboy TV show Naughty Amateur Home Videos.

Savanna Samson

Porn Star Savanna Samson (born Natalie Oliveros on October 14, 1974 in Rochester, New York) is an erotic actress. Her name sometimes leads to confusion with Savannah, the adult actress who committed suicide in 1994. Samson trained in ballet through out her childhood and teen years growing up in Watertown, New York, which gave her an edge when she became an exotic dancer at Scores Gentlemen's Club in New York City in the mid 1990s. She soon started making regular appearances on Howard Stern's radio and E! cable network shows. Her fiancee's fantasy was to marry a porn star, so Samson made an adult movie with Rocco Siffredi in 2000 and gave the video to her husband on their wedding night. The movie, along with her appearances on Howard Stern, grabbed the attention of Vivid Entertainment producers. In 2002, Samson became a contract actress for Vivid (a "Vivid Girl"). She has recently become an author, contributing chapters to How To Have A XXX Sex Life (published by Regan Books). She also started a wine company in 2006, Savanna Wines. Her first vintage is called "Always Savanna Vino Rosso". Samson has four sisters and a son who was born shortly before Samson signed her Vivid contract. Despite her career and lifestyle, Samson says she is a devout and practicing Catholic. She is currently separated from her husband of five years. In 2000, Savanna made appearances in the TV programs Ed and Better Days. Savanna won several AVN Awards in her career, including 2006 Best Actress for The New Devil in Miss Jones, 2005 Best All-Girl Sex Scene with Jenna Jameson for The Masseuse, and 2004 Best Actress for Looking In. Savanna was the host of the 2005 AVN Awards. In 2005 Savanna scored a major role in a moderate budget remake entitled "The New Devil in Miss Jones" who she co-starred with Jenna Jameson. Savanna along with co - star Jenna Jameson walked away with an award for the Best All-Girl Sex Scene for 2005. On February 3, 2006, Samson, Jenna Jameson, and several other Vivid Girls hosted the first ever Vivid Club Jenna Super Bowl Party at the Zoo Club in Detroit Michigan, with a $1,000 ticket price that featured a lingerie show, but no nudity or sex acts. When announced, the party caused controversy with the NFL who did not sanction this as an official Super Bowl event.

Jenna Jameson

Porn Star Jenna Jameson is born Jennifer Marie Massoli on April 9, 1974. She is the most successful female pornstar worldwide, sometimes given the unofficial title "The Queen of Porn". Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada. Her father was a police officer and her mother was a Las Vegas showgirl. Her mother died of cancer when Jenna was three years old. During her childhood, she took ballet classes, which helped her future career in dancing, and was a frequent entrant in beauty pageants. At age 16, Jenna began dancing in strip clubs with the help of a false I.D. Initially rejected from dancing at the Crazy Horse strip club because of her braces, they quickly relented when she removed them herself. During her dancing days, she became a voracious drug user, using such drugs as acid and speed. When she was 18, she moved to California, where her father had moved, and with his help she became clean. By age 20, and with her father's blessing, this quickly led to nude pictorials in such magazines as Hustler, Penthouse and Chéri. After a bidding war, Wicked Pictures, a pornographic film production company, signed Jameson to an exclusive contract. After only a few films, she quickly achieved notice and critical success, and, in 1996, won top awards from three major industry organizations. Jameson has also made cameo appearances in some mainstream movies and other media, including Howard Stern's 1997 film Private Parts and, in 2002, as the voice of a porn star called "Candy Suxxx," in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. In 1997, she made an appearance for an Extreme Championship Wrestling PPV as the valet for the Dudley Boyz, followed by a few months where she was the ECW interviewer. She also filmed a vignette with Val Venis in the WWF. In 2001, she debated the merits of porn against a panel of anti-porn activists at the Oxford Union and won the debate 204 to 27. In 2004, Jameson's autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale was released. Co-written with Neil Strauss, it was an instant best-seller. She is co-owner of ClubJenna, a website and movie-production company, along with her husband, porn-director Jay Grdina (who performs and directs under the stage name of "Justin Sterling"). The couple resides in Arizona. In 2005, her moan tones (moaning sounds) were made available for downloads as ringtones for telephones. As of April 13, 2005, she and publisher ReganBooks are in a lawsuit. The point of contention is the new reality show around Jameson's "everyday life" -- a deal that was being inked out between her husband and A&E. ReganBooks indicates however that this is a breach of Jameson's contract, as the contract indicates that ReganBooks has a stake in the profits generated by two different venues: a one-hour special based on her memoir and reality-based series. As of this writing, an agreement has not been reached regarding this dispute. In August 2005, she launched Club Thrust, an interactive website for her gay fans, which includes videos, galleries, sex advice, gossip, and downloads. Jameson is one of the few actresses in straight porn to have developed a following among gay audiences. In October 2005, production began on The Provocateur, in which Jameson made her directorial debut. The film is expected to be released in late 2006. In November 2005, she released the much anticipated "Armagetiton" starring Jason Ridder and Sam Smith, known in the industry for their performances in "One Night and Pounding." Smith said the experience was "the best of his career." In 2005 she purchased Babes Cabaret, a strip club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The club faces closure under a new Scottsdale ordinance limiting adult-entertainment venues. She is the host of Playboy channel's Jenna Jameson's American Sex Star. On February 3, 2006, Jameson, Savanna Samson, and several other Vivid Girls hosted the first ever Vivid Club Jenna Super Bowl Party at the Zoo Club in Detroit Michigan for a $1,000 ticket price, that featured a lingerie show. When first announced, the party caused controversy with the NFL which did not sanction this as an official Super Bowl event. In the January 19, 2006 edition of The Detroit Free Press, Jameson attempted to end some of the controversy by assuring that there will be no nudity or sex acts at the party, although the February 6, 2006 edition of The Detroit News reported Jameson did have one planned "wardrobe malfunction" at the party.

Chloe Jones

Chloe Jones (born Melinda Dee Jones in Houston, Texas) (June 17, 1975 – June 4, 2005) was a model and pornographic actress. Jones was the Penthouse Pet of the Month in April 1998 and crossed over into adult films in 2001, then retired from the adult industry in 2004. She performed in fewer than thirty films during that time. Jones had gained considerable fame as a nude model and was a well-known figure in the adult world at the time of her retirement. Jones suffered multiple fractures to her arm in January 2000; during surgery, doctors discovered that she had leukemia. She also reportedly suffered from epilepsy, although details are vague due to Jones' efforts to protect her privacy. After deciding to enter the hard-core porn industry, she signed an exclusive contract with adult film-making company New Sensations, followed by another contract with Vivid Entertainment. Neither association lasted very long, and rumors circulated about Jones' "difficult nature." She was allegedly released by Vivid for her use of prescription drugs; again, specific details are elusive. She worked briefly as an escort, during which time she claimed to have numbered Charlie Sheen and Woody Harrelson among her clients. (Jones' claims were met widely with disbelief, in part because she sold her "story" of Sheen to a tabloid.) An unsubstantiated report states that she was beaten badly by one of her customers, resulting in a trip to the ICU and the decision to leave escorting and return to films. Before she was able to make her comeback, however, her health began to fail; she passed away less than two weeks before her thirtieth birthday. Very little information about her death was publicly released, except that the official cause was attributed to liver failure. She was buried at Woodlawn Garden of Memories in Houston, Texas She is survived by three children, an 8-year-old girl and 7-year-old twin boys