Brandon Iron Interview
2003-07-16 13:15:55

I talk by phone with Brandon Iron from Platinum X Pictures July 16, 2003.

From Canada, he entered the Los Angeles porn industry in October of 1997. I first met him in 1998. He was a gentle soft-spoken soul. Canadian nice. After a couple of years, his nasty side came out while working for Extreme Associates. He directed the controversial series Slap Happy, where the girls got consensually slapped around.

Luke: "What have you been doing of late?"

Brandon, 35 years old: "I've been working on a movie of late where it seems like I bit off more than I can chew. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The movie is called, 'Intensities In Ten Cities.' It's shooting in ten different places. I've got to get cracking on that. It comes out in August."

Luke: "What's the theory behind it?"

Brandon: "I lead such an interesting life that I go to ten different world cities and find people who want to have sex and film it and everyone's having a great time. I took Wendy James to Maui, Hawaii.

"All ten cities are done. I do my own editing. I have to squeeze this into the time constraints. I have to do a separate VHS version (160 minutes is the maximum on a commercial VHS tape, limiting scenes to less than 16-minutes) and a DVD version."

Luke: "You said it seemed like a good idea at the time?"

Brandon: "Shooting ten scenes in ten different places got prohibitively expensive. You make these mistakes when you're young and stupid."

Luke: "You're paying for this out of your own pocket."

Brandon: "Yes. I shot in Prague, Hamburg, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Budapest, London, Maui, Los Angeles, Brussels and Surbiton, Surrey, a suburb of London."

Luke: "How about starting up Platinum Pictures? Was that another great idea?"

Brandon: "It's always intimidating at first. I think we're on the right path. I would rather be in business with these people than anybody else in the world. This hasn't been done [where director fund their own movies] in a long time and if anyone can beat the odds, it's us."

Luke: "Did you have much business experience before this?"

Brandon: "Not really. Just producing for other companies. If half of life is just showing up, half of porno is just turning things in on time."

Luke: "What happens if one of your five people drops dead?"

Brandon: "The machine rolls on."

Luke: "You used to do some really nasty stuff."

Brandon laughs: "I did. It's funny how that sticks with you."

Luke: "You made some vicious stuff, which always surprises people because you are such a gentle guy in real life."

Brandon: "I try to fit in wherever I go. I didn't think I was good looking enough to work in features. I was shorter. I just like things intense and strong. I gravitated towards a company like Extreme. Wherever I go, I like to excel, or to be doing stuff that people notice. I don't want to spend ten years at anything and not be remembered. Now people know. I get emails to this day on Slap Happy."

Luke: "Do you have any second thoughts about choosing to do that?"

Brandon: "Never. I did start to finish. I can live with what I did. I know how the negotiations went. The worst critics are people who've never watched one of them."

Luke: "I've never watched one of them but it sounds revolting."

Brandon: "I don't know what to say to that. There's a great quote from the January AVN Directors' Roundtable by Henri Pachard. I put it on my wall because it is such a testament to how people think in this business. 'Some of it is appalling but not so shocking that I have to do something about it. Take Slap Happy. I watched it because it was offensive but I turned it off after one scene.'

"I respect his opinion but I don't think anyone is qualified to say anything about that movie without watching it in full."

Luke: "How long were you at Extreme?"

Brandon: "It seems like forever. As an actor, they were great to me for a year and a half. Things soured as I became a director for them. There was just no money paid. You amassed an invoice that went into thousands and then tens of thousands of dollars. It almost broke me personally. I can't afford to pay for my sex addiction."

Luke: "How much money do they owe you?"

Brandon: "I don't like to go into the numbers. I had a bad experience with them. I know that I did my best for them. We'll just leave it at that."

Luke: "You could probably buy a house with it?"

Brandon: "Not a house. You could put down a good downpayment. You could probably lease the Mercedes Rob was driving with the invoices I was turning in."

Luke: "Tell me about Mason."

Brandon: "She came to us from Elegant Angel. She's shooting her first title for us."

Luke: "Does she always dress up like a Muslim woman?"

Brandon: "That's the schtick. Whatever works."

Luke: "Have you ever seen her outside of that?"

Brandon: "I have and she's very attractive."

Luke: "Does she ever do scenes?"

Brandon: "No, I don't think that's her thing. She's got a good director's eye. She's creative. She's intelligent. She's articulate. She has great ideas. There's a big lack of that, especially in my movies."

Luke: "Does she wear that outfit when she directs?"

Brandon: "No."

Luke: "Only when she goes to industry events?"

Brandon: "Yes. It's like KISS refused to be photographed without their makeup."

Luke: "Does she ever get death threats from Muslims over it?"

Brandon: "No, the fatwah was called off. Until they get Salmon Rushdie, they're going to leave Mason alone."

Luke: "Are you legally able to be here in the US?"

Brandon: "Everything was taken care of."

Luke: "Do you regret that you won't be pushing the brutality envelope at Platinum X?"

Brandon: "Everyone matures and finds their own comfort zone. I'm totally committed to having everyone who works for me have a good time and be paid for their services. I've been screwed over and I don't want it to happen to anyone who works for me. I'm going to be the specialist in the fun - rough genre. It's strong powerful sex but everyone has fun. If you are careful with your casting, you can get a lot out of people and they won't complain about it afterwards.

"I'm not interested in putting out products where there are sick, gross acts (vomiting, slapping) that would marginalize my product on the shelf. I want to do the kind of thing that I would want to watch but have a mass appeal to it."

Luke: "So no animals either?"

Brandon: "We'll leave them out."

Luke: "What's the quality of the new girls today?"

Brandon: "There are a lot of girls who come in prepared to do a lot more than in the past. I'm amazed at what some of the 19 and 20-year old girls out there and what they're willing to do."

Luke: "Are you married?"

Brandon: "Only to Platinum X Pictures. I feel like I'm living the dream. Unless you have that sex addiction, that porn sickness, you wouldn't understand. I travel and meet exotic women who f--- for money."

Luke: "How do your friends from childhood react?"

Brandon: "I keep in touch with several. They respect the choices I've made and wish that they would have the guts to follow what their heart tells them. Who's to say that one path is better than the other?"

Amy Ried Shoots Bakers Dozen For Brandon Iron

Brandon calls me back April 19, 2006.

He shot last Thursday, April 13, with twelve guys. It took about four hours.

Brandon: "She was in the process of changing agencies, going over to LA Direct Models. Her former agent at Metro Talent Management happened to say she was looking for her last booking. 'Why don't you pitch her?'

"I learned to spend it while you've got it. Give girls what they want. You can't replicate some of these shoots. A million monkeys typing for a million years might replicate the complete works of Shakespeare, but nobody could get Bakers Dozen. We only had 13 monkeys including me.

"A beautiful woman like that in the prime of her life, she gave 100%.

"I learned not to offer 80% of what she asks for and ask her to do 100% of the job. Give her 100% of what she asks for and she's going to give you 100% back.

"Rather than hiring a good guy, I chose to do the scene myself. She was patient. We got good stuff. I don't think it's rough or degrading. She's not a punching bag. She's not there to just let you have your way. She participates.

"At the end, there were 12 guys with her and Sasha Knox. Everyone had a good time. It finished without a single cut. Everyone unloaded. It was a pervert's dream."

Luke: "Did you give her drugs or alcohol?"

Brandon: "No. I don't think she's into that. She's straightlaced.

"I worked with Tera Patrick about six years ago. I still get emails about it. When some girls become legends in the business, and it's a feather in your cap when you got to work with one. I did Brianna Banks's first scene.

"Amy could be a mega-star if she wants it."

Luke: "Do you think she's cut out for porn stardom?"

Brandon: "That's what makes her special. She's atypical. She did fashion and glamor modeling. I have no clue what would drive her. I did not get to know her on a deep level. The first time I shook her hand [was the day he worked with her]. I don't know much about her except she's a goddess."

Luke: "Will you ever be able to be happy with another woman again?"

Brandon laughs. "That's going to get me in trouble. There are women and then there are goddesses, above and beyond all of us. I respect Amy for pushing her limits."