Exclusive Interview: Porn Producer and Director and Choice Talent Management CEO, Chris Crisco

It's easy to forget sometimes, but pornography is first and foremost a business. Yes, it is all those stunning men on the screen who we lust over and who get the most attention, but it is a large number of masterminds from behind the camera who bring all those gorgeous specimens to us.

One person who has worked extensively behind the camera as a crew member, a director, a producer, and now a business owner is the founder and CEO of Choice Talent Management, Chris Crisco.

In a revealing and candid interview, Chris shared with us his journey from first joining the business to moving up within several creative production aspects to now building his own business, which serves the talent he clearly cares so much about.

Could you tell us about your journey of becoming a filmmaker in the adult industry?

This is a pretty interesting story actually. So back in the day, I used to produce a talk show for Sirius Satellite Radio (back before XM and Sirius merged). When the recession of 2008 hit, I was let go with half the company. I was unemployed for about 9 months (applying for jobs at Starbucks and McDonald’s just to pay my rent). One day I was looking for a job on Craigslist (when you could still do that), and I came across a listing for a marketing assistant at Lucas Entertainment. I thought; “hey what do I have to lose? Could be fun”. So, I applied. I had a great interview and started work a couple of days later. A few weeks into working there, I met Mr. Pam who was the creative director at the time. She took me from the marketing department and made me her production assistant. From one day to the next, I was out from behind a desk to holding a boom pole on set. It was wild. I worked with her for about 2/2.5 years as her production manager until she resigned. When that happened, I took over running the production side of the company along with Marc MacNamara who wrote the scripts for the big-budget movies. We were a killer team. Adam Killian also came in to help with videography and became my production counterpart. We had a blast and shot some amazing movies in some magical locations. I was very proud of our work together. I left the company in December of 2013 and started my management company in January of 2014.

Photo courtesy of Chris Crisco.

You have worked at a number of different studios. How do some compare with others?

I have worked with several different studios and have shot for both the gay and straight sides of the industry. Honestly, there’s really no difference when it comes to my work with each. Mostly it’s just the budgets that differ from studio to studio, and what we are able to do with the budgets we are given. I have worked with studios that drop thousands of dollars per scene to be in killer locations with international travel budgets and then other studios that can only afford a hotel room and need to use local models. But as far as my work, I treat each studio like they are spending a million dollars on a shoot and work my hardest to give them a fantastic product.

Why did you decide to shift from the creative process as a producer and director to forming your own talent management company?

I made the switch mostly because I saw there was a need for a compassionate manager who will fight for his models. Throughout my directing years, I would hear models tell me horror stories of how they were treated on set by other directors, CEOs of companies, and others. I thought to myself that something needed to change. These models need an advocate. I am very protective of my models and they know I will fight for them should anything happen. If one of my models feels unsafe or is being treated poorly, I will remove them from that situation in a heartbeat. Having directed for so long, I have learned that happy models work harder. The only way to shoot is in a safe and welcoming environment, one where the model is treated well and encouraged. Let’s face it, if a model is feeling uneasy about a situation, performing can be VERY difficult; which then makes the work harder and the shoot days much longer. So why not be nice? It’s easy.

Photo courtesy of Chris Crisco.

How does the business aspect compare to the creative?

My job taps into both the creative and business sides of the industry. Because I deal with all aspects of the casting process and marketing, I really am in the middle of it all. My job includes everything from photographing and filming my models to making sure flights, hotels, and STI tests are booked. It’s all things that I did when running the production department at Lucas. I have even started shooting scenes again, and casting my Choice Talent models whenever I can. This time I’m working with porn mama ChiChi LaRue, for a new company called Backwards Hand. After several years of not shooting, I’m back at it.

What is your main purpose as a management company? What exactly do you provide for your models?

My main purpose is to get my models as much work as possible. Whether that’s studio work, pro photoshoots, or club/appearance gigs. On top of that, I hope I provide a sense of family and a feeling of protection. My models know I would move heaven and hell to help them and they can call me for any reason day or night. Most of my models call me Mama and we really are like a family. I am also the first one to put a model in their place if they screw up. I can be a fun porn mom and I can also be the disciplinarian. If a model makes a mistake, I have a long talk with them to go over what happened. We figure out a way to make amends and/or learn from the experience. So, in the end, I’m a friend, a family member, a biggest fan, a therapist, a teacher, and a mentor. Not too bad for a job title.

Photo courtesy of Chris Crisco

What are your plans for the company moving forward?

I have so many ideas that I’d like to implement for Choice Talent. I’m always finding ways to get my models more and more work. I am now trying to dive into the non-porn world to get my guys more commercial gigs. Some of my models are now working in student and professional films and working with Hollywood directors. A few of my models were seen in Ryan Murphy’s “Hollywood" and have worked with directors like horror movie master, Carter Smith. So as Dolly Levi says in Hello Dolly “I Put My Hand In” everything (God I’m so gay, HA!).

What do you look for in a model that you would like your company to represent? How does one qualify to be a Choice Talent Model?

That is the million-dollar question. I pride myself on having an amazing roster of models. They are all beautiful and have the ability to work with the most prominent studios. My prerequisite for becoming a Choice Model is to have the drive to pursue this career, and they must have a professional, hard-working disposition. I don’t want problem models. Being an actor myself (theatre) I know the importance of the first impression. If you walk onto a set with an attitude, thinking you're the hottest thing to ever grace a set, a director makes a mental note and then won’t work with you again. If you come to the set tired cause you’ve been partying all night, they will remember that. Some models feel as though doing porn is like hanging out with friends, that they don’t have to take it seriously. My models know that being on set can be fun, but it’s a job first. I also ask my models to keep up with their health and fitness. At the end of the day they are models, so they have to keep up with their appearances. If I have a model who gets out of shape, I have them take some time off and get back into shape before I start sending them out on jobs. A conversation I don’t want to have is when a director calls me and says “your model doesn’t look like his pictures”.

Photo courtesy of Chris Crisco.

What are some of your thoughts on the ongoing competition between the studio world and the OnlyFans world of the business? 

This is a really tough topic for me. I am so happy that models have another outlet to make money. Back in the pre-OF world, it was sometimes VERY difficult to make porn lucrative. Most models had to have a day job to make ends meet. Now with OF, and the other content platforms, models now have the ability to capitalize on making great money. The competition with studios and OF creators exists because models know they can potentially make a lot more money by working from home. They get to work with who they want and shoot the content they want to make. This ultimately hurts the studios because they have a harder time getting models to commit to scenes and the prospect of finding fresh talent willing to do studio work gets more challenging. I have to say though, the studios and content creators should work together. Studios need new models and models need the studios' marketing and social media resources. Other than Twitter (which we know has become a hot mess lately) and possibly Instagram, content creators who are just starting out don’t really have the ability to market themselves to a wider audience. Studios have that ability. With their press releases, email blasts, bloggers promoting newly released scenes, and appearances at expos and clubs, these content creators have the ability to reach a much broader audience base than if they attempt to go it alone. I think if there is a content creator out there who wants to reach a wider audience and make more money, they should do some studio scenes. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. And they should contact me to help them make that transition! lol.

Perfectly said! Continued Success for Chris and Choice Talent Management!

https://ctmgmt.com/home

Follow Chris Crisco on Instagram and Twitter.
Follow Choice Talent Management on Instagram, Twitter and their website.

Fleshbot: Plug In Get Off.
Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.