Treasure Island Media
Treasure Island Media (also known as TIM) is an American gay pornography studio founded in 1998 by Paul Morris and based in San Francisco. The studio specializes in bareback films. Treasure Island Media was the first studio to produce bareback films as part of an underground "bareback re-emergence" in gay porn in the late '90s.[1] The studio is named after Morris's favorite childhood book, Treasure Island.[2] In addition to the original San Francisco office, TIM has production offices in New York, London and Ft. Lauderdale.[3] [citation needed]
Motivation
In a 2011 interview, Morris said he started Treasure Island Media because he "was interested in preserving the integrity of pornography and the honest representation of male sexual behavior. When I started producing porn, the genre had become depressingly corrupt, representing only a small subset of sexual behaviors [...] I wanted to capture the kind of sex that has meaning for me and I wanted to do so as accurately and honestly as possible. I also wanted to document the men. I wasn't interested in what they looked like, I was interested in what they understood regarding the complex behavioral language of sex among men."[4] He added, "Most recently, I've been motivated to produce pornography to directly address the appalling phenomenon of the HIV 'closet'."[4]
Sales & Popularity
According to XBiz, TIM's best selling video to date is 2004’s Dawson's 20 Load Weekend, which stars Dawson [1], its most well-known performer who was named "Most Interesting Person" In Gay Porn 2008 by Mark Adams VidioView.
In July 2008, their first international video filmed in London, England by Max Sohl, “UK Beef Bangers”, went to Number 1 on the JRL Gay DVD Rental Charts.
In September 2008, Paul Morris' "Fearless" debuted at Number 1 on the JRL Gay DVD Rental Charts, and simultaneously secured the #1 spot on the European Gay DVD Sales Charts - the only time a non-European studio has ever conquered the top position.
Controversy and criticism
In 2004, Titan Media banned its performers from signing with Treasure Island Media.[5]
In July 2009, Treasure Island Media sent out a press release announcing they had been banned from attending or participating in Folsom Street Fair, Folsom North, Dore Alley, Gay Erotic Expo [2] and International Mr. Leather.[6]
Awards & Nominations
The GAYVN Award placed a lifetime ban on Treasure Island Media production’s from eligibility as well as other productions depicting barebacking.
Bareback Video Awards (aka “The Spoogies”)
- six in 2001 (Best Overall Action, Best 1-on-1 and Best Top for “Plowed”) [3]
- two in 2003 (Best Scene in “Riding Billy Wild” and Best Sequence in “Fucking Crazy”)
- 9 Spoogies in 2004 (including Video of the Year, Most Original Concept, Best Gang Scene, Best Orgy, Best New Performer and Hottest Ass for “Dawson’s 20 Load Weekend” [4] and Best Amateur Production, Best Scene, Best Sequence for “Plantin’ Seed”).
VOD (Video on Demand) Awards
In October 2007, TIM won the prize for Best US Studio at the David Awards in Berlin. This caused controversy as TIM produces bareback films, causing Titan Media founder and CEO, Bruce Cam, to decline his award.[7] [8] [9] [10]
Golden Dickie Awards (from Rad Video)
- 2008: Best Studio, Best Movie (What I Can't See 2), Best Director (Paul Morris), Best Performer Top (Jesse O'Toole) [11] and Best Specialty/Fetish Movie (Damon Blows America 8 – Los Angeles).
1st Annual JRL Awards [12]
- 2010: Best Bareback Movie of The Year; Best Gay Bottom Bareback Performer; Best Top Bareback Performer; Best Gangbang Movie of the Year; Best All Sex Video
Cybersocket Web Awards [13] [14]
- 2010: Best New Site; Best Video Company; Best VOD Site; Movie of The Year
European Porn Awards [15]
- 2011: 24 nods [16]
- 2012: Best DVD Cover (US): Eric’s Raw Fuck Tapes 4; Best Fetish Actor: Peto Coast; Best Studio (US): Treasure Island Media
Legal issue
In December 2010, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Treasure Island Media $21,000 for exposing employees (i. e. the models) to "semen and other potentially infectious materials". The films in question are Liam Cole's Slammed (2012), Park & Ride: A Max Sohl Sex Tape (2012), Cheap Thrills Volume 3 (2011), In the Flesh: A Liam Cole Video (2011), What I Can't See #3 (2011), Breeding Season #2 (2010), Raw Underground: Paris (2010), and Full Tilt: Liam Cole (2010)[7]
The companies being complained about besides TIM are Bareback Inc.; Dark Alley Media; Hot Desert Knights; Huge Studio; Icarus Entertainment/Raw Pups; Pete’s Distribution; Sparta Video; Spunk Video; Stud Mall; SX Video; Viper Entertainment and Zyloco Inc., several of which are not even based in California, the only area where CalOSHA has any jurisdiction. [17]
Exclusives
B.J. Slater [18]
References
- ^ King, Mark S. (7 November 2011). "Mark S. King: The Most Important Gay Film Ever Made?". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ "Treasure Island Media :: Treasure Island Media :: HOME :: HOME :: Paul Morris Papers". treasureislandmedia.com. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ http://www.treasureislandmedia.com
- ^ a b Nichols; Morris, Paul (25 April 2011). "Paul Morris, Treasure Island Media's Maverick, Sets The Record Straight About Porn, HIV, & "The Complex Behavioral Language Of Gay Sex" - Part 1 - Let's Talk About Sex - LTASEX.INFO by Jeremy Stuart Nichols". ltasex.info. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ "Xtra Archives". archives.xtra.ca. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ Witchka, Keith (8 March 2009). "JRL interviews". jrlchartsonline.net. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ Andrew, Mike (10 December 2010). "SGN - Seattle Gay News - Page 17 - OHSA fines bareback porn studio for safety violations - Friday, December 10, 2010 - Volume 38 Issue 50". sgn.org. Retrieved 22 July 2012.