Steven Hirsch (born May 25, 1961) is the founder and co-chairman of the adult entertainment company
Vivid Entertainment,
["Vivid Entertainment LLC: CEOs and Executives"]
BusinessWeek. which he founded in 1984.
[25 Years of Vivid]
/ref> It has been estimated to be the top adult entertainment company.
Career
Tenure at Vivid Entertainment
The second generation of his family to be in the business, he is credited by '' AVN'' as the creative visionary who saw the potential to change the nature of the adult entertainment industry.["Vivid's 25th Anniversary: How Steven Hirsch's Company Thrust Porn Into Mainstream America"]
by Jared Rutter for AVN. Posted September 30, 2009. Hirsch and his original partner, David James, an industry veteran with extensive international experience, were later joined by a third partner, Bill Asher, a Dartmouth College graduate with an MBA from the University of Southern California, who has engineered the company's recent financial success through a series of transactions and alliances. The three are co-chairmen of the company.[
In addition to a hardcover book with HarperCollins,][How to Have a XXX Sex Life: The Ultimate Vivid Guide]
by Vivid Girls from HarperCollins. Hirsch developed ''Vivid Comix'' and graphic novels with Avatar Press["Vivid Comix launches line featuring Vivid Girls"]
by Avatar Press, September 19, 2003 and erotic novels with ''Thunder’s Mouth Press''.[Wells, Jeff]
"Vivid Valley' takes reality TV to local adult industry"
San Fernando Valley Business Journal. October 10, 2005. The faces of Vivid Girls have appeared on billboards in high traffic venues such as Sunset Boulevard
by Joel Stein, June 24, 2001. TIME.[Sullivan, David]
November 7, 2007.
Appearances
The 2004 pseudo-documentary TV series ''Porno Valley'', documents Hirsch's private life and family, and interaction between Hirsch and his Vivid dream.
Two additional seven-party reality series were seen on Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
. '' Deeper Throat'' covered the remaking of the classic adult movie and '' Debbie Does Dallas Again'' was about the trials of getting permission to remake this all-time favorite.
Accolades
In 2012 Hirsch received the first Adult Video News Visionary Award at a gala ceremony in Las Vegas. According to Paul Fishbein, founder of AVN, "Nobody in the modern era of the adult industry has been more innovative in mainstreaming their company image than Vivid. That made them one of the premier brands in all of Hollywood, adult or otherwise. Steve and the company are truly deserving of this achievement."
Advocacy
Hirsch opposed Measure B
Measure B, also known as the ''County of Los Angeles Safer Sex In the Adult Film Industry Act,'' is the law that requires the use of condoms in all vaginal and anal sex scenes in pornography productions filmed in Los Angeles County, Californi ...
, a law passed in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
on November 5, 2012 that requires all performers in adult films to wear condoms when filming sex scenes. Hirsch expressed confidence that the law, which was passed by 56 percent of voters, would be overturned on the grounds that it violates filmmakers' First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
rights, but stated that failing this, Vivid would move production out of Los Angeles County to survive, commenting, "There have been obscenity prosecutions, but this is something on a whole different level."
Personal life
Hirsch was born in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Hirsch operates his company with his sister, Marci, who was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2015. He is the father of two children (Alexa and Jack Hirsch) with his ex-wife.
References
External links
*
Vivid Entertainment
LA Times article about Hirsch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, Steven
1961 births
20th-century American Jews
Living people
People from Lyndhurst, Ohio
American magazine publishers (people)
21st-century American Jews