Interview: Legendary Director and Star Jules Jordan

Porn movies with the Jules Jordan Video banner are a ubiquitous presence! They’ve helped define the style and shape of pornography over the past two decades. In this far-ranging new interview, we go behind the scenes with the creator of the label, the legendary Jules Jordan himself.

At this point in what has been a legendary career, what drives you?

Technology and the constant fresh, new talent constantly inspire me and my content. I’m always trying to deliver cutting-edge visuals in the highest quality possible. The talent has evolved so much over the last 15 years. Porn really is accepted much more, thus giving us better and better-looking and -performing talent.

You’ve been successful at creating many different porn series through your career. Which one do you feel has been the most successful?

The Ass Worship series has always been our number one seller — people love round asses and anal!  I’ve been releasing these sporadically since the early 2000s.

Take us through the basics in the development, production, and release of a typical Jules Jordan Video movie.

It’s a bit impulsive — sometimes I’m hoarding scenes of a particular genre until I feel I have the best mix of performances and talent, then decide when it releases. I’m a little more unorthodox on how I release films — I can afford to be, whereas a typical director is told “you need to shoot this whole movie in a day.”

Is there a movie set that really stands out to you? One that you’ve been most proud of?

I mostly shoot in houses that I own these days unless I’m doing something specific like a dungeon shoot or something. What I enjoy is how the lighting works out on set at different times of the year or a day. I’m mostly concerned with making the talent look great, and not necessarily “the background.”  I shoot almost always with natural daylight. Certainly the right furnishings and decorations add additional eye candy to a scene or film.

You’ve worked with so many performers though the years. Who do you feel that you’ve vibed with the most?

Jenna Haze, Riley Reid, Angela White, Gina Lynn, Belladonna, Abella Danger, Emily Willis, just to name a few . . . there’s so many amazing past/present performers.

What is the most difficult genre of porn to shoot?

Anything that requires a challenge for performers. Most of the time group scenes and anal take a little more time than usual because of all the variables. Certain genres like anal may be more difficult due to the number of talent available at any given time.

Over the course of your career, what technological improvement has been the biggest game-changer?

The advancement of HD and 4K. A consumer can now download 4K content, put it on a thumb drive, plug into a 4K TV and watch glorious 4K resolution! The cameras these days are also amazing. Also the ability to shoot content on iPhones, they really are great devices to photograph and film with.

From logos to box covers, Jules Jordan Video has always had a distinctive visual style. How did you develop that?

We have a great movie cover artist named Art Attack, who has worked with us since my days at Evil Angel. I always loved their work before I was even there. I always have input on how I want movie covers laid out etc. Our logos were designed by an artist named Mister Cartoon, who has done artwork for Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and basically all of hip hop at one time or another. He also does all my tattoos as well

You’ve won countless award thus far! Do you display them all in your home? Do you have a favorite?

They take up too much space at my house. I have most on display at my office, although it’s almost impossible to have them all out. It’s always funny to see someone, who doesn’t know what I do, look at the categories and be shocked. My favorite awards are always Best Director because there is so much competition and diversity in the field.

Do you prefer being in front of the camera or behind it?

It just depends on the day or situation. It’s not always fun being talent, especially on 100-degree days shooting outside lol . . . I don’t ask any of my hired make talent to do anything that I wouldn’t do myself lol, such as group scenes, gangbangs etc. It’s often difficult to know what shots you’re getting from in front of the camera, but I have it down pretty good with my guys. It’s always nice to film and know exactly what you have. I’m a director that shoots camera and stills on my sets.

Tell us how you’ve witnessed the industry change through the years (both good and bad).

Social media has been a blessing and a curse, but I think it’s had a major impact on the industry. Here you can reach millions of followers with the touch of a button to promote yourself or your company. But it also puts people out there for criticism people have never faced in their life, which can be overwhelming.

Talent and industry people are also using social media for activism and politics, which often clashes with followers’ views, and “breaks character” which may impact fan perceptions.

Right now lots of very popular performers are choosing to primarily operate their own platforms due to the ease of use of things such as iPhones. People are literally shooting scenes, then uploading to their fan platforms with a few clicks . . . I disagree with performers putting all their eggs in one basket; I think studio porn provides a bit more fantasy and professional qualities that performers need to grow their fan bases. There is no better way to gain social media followers than mainstream porn.

Tell us about what a typical day in your life looks like.

I wake up about 6 a.m., walk my dog, then respond to emails or browse the web, look at Twitter etc, then depending on the day, I’m rather preparing to film, or I’ll head to my office. Fortunately, I can do my creative work from home or office. I’m always picking out photos, updating social media, or looking at film edits.

I usually wrap my day by 6 p.m. from shooting or doing office stuff.

I also have a sex toy company called Clandestine Devices, which keeps me busy as well. I’ve designed a few iconic vibrators over the years that have won numerous awards and gained lots of notoriety.

How has the pandemic changed the industry?

It’s taught us all the wonders of doing Zoom meetings for business lol.

We have had great, fast COVID testing during the pandemic. It’s really been a blessing to be secure on set. I believe we were the first entertainment business effectively rapid-testing; of course doing 24-hour testing has had its last-minute dilemmas, requiring lots of problem-solving.

The pandemic has also taught lots of content creators/performers to be self-sufficient with their own fan platforms . . . many had to go numerous months without a mainstream paycheck.

Many brick-and-mortar retailers were shut down for months, leaving them in a bind on how to proceed with inventory, and how to buy smart. Time will tell if these shutdowns will impact the future of DVD . . . thank god for Adult Empire! Haha

What’s the most irritating mainstream misconception about the porn industry?

The most irritating misconception is that performers are doing things against their will on set, or that studios are bad, or uncaring entities . . . there was a time during the pandemic when many performer grievances were aired against studios, some warranted, some not . . . but the mainstream industry was kind of vilified, which I felt was unfair as a whole.

What exciting projects are you working on? Both in your personal and professional life.

I’m just trying to get back to an efficient filming routine, and film release schedule, now that most people are vaccinated — it’s a big relief. I’ve been a bit hesitant on filming group scenes but this is slowly coming back . . .

Do you remember the first time you came to be familiar with Adult DVD Empire?

In the mid 90s I was working at an adult film (VHS/DVD) distributor in New Jersey. My office mate had DVD Empire as an account and would ship lots of adult product to them in semi-rural Pennsylvania. This was at a time when there was VERY few online retailers of adult product . . . DVD Empire to me has always been an “institution” in the industry and a great asset. After all, who has such an endless catalog of films to buy from?

What trait do you consider to be most essential to success in porn?

Passion is the number one essential to porn, no matter what you’re doing in the industry . . . if you’re passionate about what you do, success will follow!