Today’s Interview is with activist/producer/adult film start Michael Lucas. Michael Lucas is the owner of Lucas Entertainment, the most well known producer of gay erotic film in New York. More info on his company can be found at Lucas Entertainment.
Justin Samuels: What made you chose to base your company in New York? Many of the
other well known company are California based, particularly San Fernando Valley. Why not there?
Michael Lucas: It’s very simple. I love New York City and this is the only place that I would like to live. It’s much more expensive to run a production business here. We are limited in space, and most of our models live on the west coast. So there is the added cost to fly them here, but the decrease in pay is worth living my life the way I want. Also my grandmother lives here. I couldn’t think of not seeing her on a weekly basis.
JS: You’re well known for speaking your mind on a number of political issues. Did you ever feel any concern that it might affect your business?
ML: It probably does affect my business. When you sell a product it’s definitely not a good idea to make your political opinions public. However I left Russia simply because I couldn’t speak my mind. So again, I rather take a decrease in pay and live my life the way I see fit.
JS: How has the Internet affected porn? Has it made your life easier, or harder?
ML: I wouldn’t say it has necessarily made my life harder but it has forced me to restructure the way things are done. Porn has become a real business. I had to hire a team of tech-savvy professionals that have nothing to do with the production aspect of things. And then there is the responsibility of keeping up with the changes in the equipment involved in both filming and post-production.
There are so many new ways of getting to the consumer. It used to be just the physical copy of the film whether it was VHS or DVD. It was all very straight forward and simple. Today all it takes is a click of a button and you can view scenes in an instant. With that said, the turn around time for new content has changed drastically. We are now promoting new scenes on a daily basis vs. the month-to-month schedule in the past.
JS: You do a lot of pro Israel activism. Was Jewish identity a big part of your life in Russia?
ML: Yes, it was a big part of my life. Russia is not only homophobic, but also it’s a very Anti-Semitic place. It’s dangerous to be Jewish or gay, and it’s even worse to be both. When I was living there it was a lot easier to hide the fact that you were gay, but not so easy to hide being Jewish. It may sound ridiculous, but we had stamps in our passport that would identify you as Jewish. So, I realized early on how important it was for Jews to have their moment.
JS: What’s your biggest concern on issues currently facing gays now?
ML: When it comes to the United States I believe gays will be fine. We are very strong here as well as in Western Europe. My concern however, is for gays in other parts of the world. Particularly in Muslim countries where they are being executed and murdered. Most often by their own families. They call it honor killings. It is where your family kill you for dishonoring the family. It’s a wide spread practice that is not often spoken about in the West.
JS: Would you ever consider running for office? You have a lot of ideas and opinions on everything.
ML: Absolutely not.
JS: Is there anything that you haven’t achieved yet that you would like to achieve? If so, what is it?
ML: You know I am pretty happy with what I have achieved. I look forward to future well spent with family & friends. I am proud of that fact that I survived living under communism. Being a gay Jewish in a homophobic, Anti-Semitic society, I immigrated to Europe and then to the US. I turned my life around 180 degrees from a lawyer to a porn star, supported my family for many years when my father lost his job, moved my parents, grandparents and brother to New York, and gave them a wonderful life. I am proud to have an amazing set of friends from all over the world, being capable of employing many people, and providing them with salaries, benefits and medical care. I am living the American dream. Am I missing anything? Maybe the chance to be a father, but things can change.
