Kat Slater Replaces
Mark Hamilton As Head Of Production For Hustler Video
How Christina Peters Came to Direct Porn
By Richard Abowitz,
Las Vegas Weekly
Kat Slater, the director of Hustler’s successful series Young Sluts
Inc., remembers the night almost two years ago when she stayed at
my barren apartment, and I inspired her to embark on a career in porn:
“I did an independent movie for MGM in 1999, and it wasn’t released
in any form until last year. That was quite a lag time. In Hollywood,
no one is banging down your door until you are already busy. I was
hanging around Hollywood waiting for people to call me back. I decided
to go on a road trip back home to Wisconsin. Leaving L.A. in my car,
I stopped the first night in Vegas to see my old friend from college,
Richard Abowitz.”
I remember the night well. Kat (weird, still, for me to use her porn
name) had always been the most driven person I knew. She arrived in
L.A. with nothing but a bachelor’s degree; I know from experience
how useless that is. But, while working as a temp, she managed to
write her film and then, even more impressive, succeeded in getting
the funding to direct it herself.
Kat’s life dream may have gone direct to video, but that is further
than most of us get, and I was proud of her each time I walked past
its box at Hollywood Video. But this modest success had taken her
years of relentless effort, and during this visit she was tired, depressed
and, worst of all, not sure what to do next.
I wanted to encourage her. I didn’t know how, since, in truth, I
had strong doubts about her chances. It’s not that I didn’t believe
in her talents; it’s that Kat’s sensibility seemed all wrong for Hollywood.
Her movie, set at a school, was packed with scenes of teenagers doing
drugs and engaging in sexual violence. In fact, considering the graphic
subject matter, it seemed a tribute to her abilities as well as to
her powers of persuasion that the film was made at all. The script
for her next film was, if anything, more extreme. I couldn’t imagine
that it would ever be made.
.......................
Kat Slater's real name is Christina Peters. She wrote and directed the
horrible 2000 movie The
Smokers with funding from producer Nicholas Loeb. They met on a date
and she persuaded him to make the movie.
Prior to porn and The Smokers, Christina Peters, had never written or
directed anything.
Christina had been trying to get her screenplay (The Smokers) made for
ten years.
Christina Peters by phone April 12, 2002.
Christina: "Yes, I was a blind date. And I joked him [Nicholas Loeb] with
that it was probably the most expensive blind date he ever had. We dated
for about a month. Then we were just friends. He graduated college and
wanted to produce a movie. And he asked me to produce it because I was
going through ups and downs and all other s---..."
"How did you feel about how the movie turned out? [It got harsh reviews.]"
Christina: "It's a lot like life. I feel happy and not so happy. I was
extremely happy that MGM picked it up and it went out to video stores
and people can see it. That's the ultimate dream of an artist - that people
see your work. I was disappointed in seeing how everything works. It's
no longer your movie anymore. There are so many cooks in the kitchen and
everyone changing something.
"I haven't seen the final product. I was so excited when I first made
the movie but I did so much with it, it became like my firstborn child
that I had to let go of. I know that they cut it from an NC17 to an R.
I know that my favorite line in the movie is no longer in the movie. They
changed the music. That was one of my biggest disappointments.
"But I am so not complaining. I am so grateful to have made my movie.
I glow whenever anyone says, 'I saw your movie at Blockbuster. My daughter
loves it.' Of course I'm ecstatic. Somebody enjoys it and got something
out of it. A lot of people really do get the message that I was trying
to convey. That girls can't be boys. Women can't f--- like men and I
don't think they have to. A lot of times, women in a men's world feel
that they have to become a man. I'm saying there's an alternative in
that route. There's power in being a woman and in being honest with
what you want. Lisa realizes that she's not such a great person but
that's who she is. And Karen wishes that she had a boyfriend."
Q: "So how did you come to direct for LFP?"
Christina: "I don't want to talk about that."
Gene Ross reports:
Porn Valley - Selena Silver, www.selenasilver.com began what will
probably be a very successful series on www.KSEXradio.com. Silver's
interviewing female porn directors, and Kat Slater was her first guest.
Kent Silver observed that guys are fascinated by women who are directors
and in porn. "We're going to bring the porn listener the best women
directors in porn today," Kent said.
Selena said she has worked with Slater on several occasions [Campus
Confessions 8 & 9; Young Sluts Inc. 14]. "She's just awesome." Slater
directs Campus Confessions and Young Sluts Inc. for Hustler.
According to Kent Silver fans are relaying their wish that Slater
would do scenes. Silver also made reference to the current article
in Las Vegas Weekly on Slater. Kent Silver also pointed out that Slater
made a mainstream movie- The Smokers- for MGM in 1999. Slater explained
that it was about three bad[teenage] girls in boarding school who
decide to f--- men the way they've been f---ed. "So they decide to
rape at gun point." Slater joked that it probably was her start for
Barely Legal.
Slater worked 8 years to get that movie done, she said. "Three years,
26 movies [in porn] 8 years, 1 movie." Out of college, Slater moved
to L.A. and started writing the film. "Between odd jobs to support
myself and re-writing the script- I was a night receptionist so when
my boss wasn't around, I was writing my script." Slater lost count
as to the number of people she pitched her film to.
Silver didn't know how many porn directors have had mainstream movies.
[Anthony Spinelli directed One Potato, Two Potato before going into
porn.] On the other hand, Slater said she's heard of porn directors
who have had success on the other end after-the-fact. [Greg Dark and
Mike Sedan come immediately to mind.]
After Slater did the movie she went to her parents house in Wisconsin
and along the route stopped in Vegas to see an old friend from college,
Richard Abowitz.
"He saw my movie and he was writing an article for the Las Vegas
Weekly on the porn industry in Vegas." Slater said they were chatting
with Caroline Pierce, a porn star. For the most part Slater said she
was checking to make sure that her friend wasn't getting any diseases.
"In fact I ended up interviewing this chick and liking her so much.
She was a normal, cool woman."
Abowitz started putting the notion in Slater's ahead about directing
porn. "It was another 1700 miles for me to think about it," she said.
Slater said now she gets lots of input from people who seem to have
great insight about what will work for her.
Asked if she was twisted growing up or had porn inclinations, Slater
said it was a natural thing for her parents.
"We all have sex. We're all here because someone had sex along the
way. My mother likes to look at it as, 'it's a good thing you're doing
that for all those couples out there that need some help. I was raised
open minded. Relax, it's just sex."
Slater looked at the whole process as just making another movie.
Slater recalled shooting her first Barely Legal vignette. "The girl
came- I was told they would have to have their PCR-DNA test from AIM
and their IDs. Well the girl comes. She shows up to my house the night
before. We're going to shoot on a Sunday- when AIM is closed. The
girl didn't bring her test. I made her sit in front of a video camera
and made her sign a statement that said I do not have AIDs."
Slater laughed about how she now makes all her boyfriends go to AIM
to get tests. Slater said she hears the comments all the time about
drugs and diseases. "Is everyone on drugs? Well, How many people are
on drugs in YOUR business? It's probably going to be the same number."
Slater said the porn business is a fun business and she loves it.
Kent asked Slater if on her 1700 mile road trip she started picturing
her first porn movie and where did her name come from. Slater said
she's not a cat person. "I like dogs." But her friend Abowitz has
numerous cats.
"But I liked this one cat and bonded with the cat. This particular
cat was in heat and I decided along my road trip that Cat in Heat
was going to be the name of my first porn movie."
Slater was picturing a Gone With the Wind now realizing that porn
was predicated on the series. Slater said her first credited name
in Barely Legal was Snowy Rivers on the assumption if she was going
with cheese it would be cheese all the way. "I was saving Kat Slater
for Cat in Heat."
Slater thought with a mainstream credit she'd be automatically accepted
by the porn community. "The irony is I go and my first place is VCA.
I knock on their door and they essentially tell me come back when
you're directing porn." Slater thought about finding investors knowing
full well she didn't know what she was doing. "Maybe I should go work
for a company."
A friend of Slater's then introduced her to Jimmy Flynt. Jr.
"In that meeting they basically said the same thing, come back when
you've directed a porn. I said I'm not coming back."
Slater showed them the trailer to her movie. "They liked it- it was
hot chicks. They said why don't you go do a Barely Legal vignette."
2/18/05
Proud Of Kat Slater
Selena
Silver writes on ADT about the new head of production at LFP:
I am so proud of Kat.
She told me over a year and a half ago how much she wanted the job
she just got at Hustler. I always believed she would get it too.
Hustler is going to do very well with her. They always had their
Barely Legal market with Clive, but before some of the recent additions
like Van Styles and Denis Marti and then Jack the Zipper and Eon McKai
they were a little weak on the gonzo side. Even Kat's movies at Hustler
(she directed like 23 or so there) were softer than she wanted. There
was a lot you weren't allowed to do there!
I know she kept pushing and pushing to make Hustler Video what it
could be. I mean just the Hustler name and marketing prowness could
dominate the porn biz if the movies were equal to the name.
With her at the helm and the directors they are using today... wow,
they are going to do well.
Her plans for their market segmentation seem very sound.
If you haven't seen her Cum
Swappers line yet - go get it right away (start with #1 that I
am in! lol). Kat is SO incredibly sexy... she has a way of talking
and looking at you that just makes you want to jump her bones.
In Cum Swappers, she is shooting a twisted female POV where she doesn't
actually perform, but her hands do. She touches pussy, she strokes
cocks... she dirty talks better than anyone I have ever known.
Her story is pretty amazing too...talk about a driven woman. After
spending 8 years getting a mainstream movie done for MGM, she went
porn.
Here is a link to an article
from Las Vegas Weekly about her story.
Here is an link to a AdultFYI.com
article about an interview I did with her back in the internet radio
days.
Here is a
pic of her.
I have some pics I didn't post.. I do have kissing pics, and nudie
pics... but, she is a big time coporate executive now...it wouldn't
be right to post those! I also have pics of her taking her panties
off while still wearing jeans like in Zoolander...
Congrats, Kat!
Female pornographers have not changed the business, or they don't get
it? I don't know if the female pornographers, and let's realize that
though a bevy of beautiful women's names read on the boxes as "directed
by", it's generally a business move and not a female pornographer, so
we are dealing with a very very few female pornographers, but, I'm not
sure they set out to change the business. I think they simply wanted
to direct porn just like any other adult director. And, of course, they're
going to bring their own slant to the table, just like any director
would. Or, maybe they're going to bring their own boring rendition of
the 5 sex scenes just like so many male pornographers. And at the end
of the day, it's a business. If porn has become more misogynistic, maybe
we should look to the audience, as it sure it what a certain large audience
sustaining this industry seems to want. It's not just in porn. TV of
today is a lot different from TV of a decade ago. Look at how the music
has changed. It certainly couldn't be due to a very few female pornographers
picking up cameras. Or... is it because women have become less in need
of men? Let's face it, if he doesn't bring home the bacon what good
is he? We can certainly go get our own kids these days. Or, could it
be like Steph said, that maybe we marry for other reasons? Regardless,
women are quietly becoming PhDs and CEOs and pornographers. It's a fascinating
but confusing time for all sexes. And maybe our porn (both gender's)
exemplifies this.
I don't think porn makes women more course or unsuitable for marriage
or mothering. In fact, it allows a woman inside the brain of a man.
It's makes her more sympathetic, more compassionate. And any mother
who doesn't recognize her child will be dealing with sex by age 10 these
days is kidding herself. Surely, that female pornographer is going to
have a lot more than the birds and the bees to gently explain to her
child. And surely she'll have a better understanding of why her man
needs to work late... however she decides to handle that, and will probably
do so just like a woman.
As for non-porn women knowing "the truth"... "porn and prostitution
devalue and demean the worth of the average woman." Who's truth would
that be? Sounds like a little lady pulled one over on someone as he
laid that 4 karat on her finger. Hmmm... would hate to tell this guy
about all the non-porn women who are fucking around on their husbands
in the suburbs. Or, could that woman still be worthwhile? Maybe we should
ask the sluts we call men these days.
As for any delusions, I think most women are smarter than you would
think. And they all "get it." Don't kid yourself.
Men will finally know who their children are when they start looking
past themselves.
I think men who think like this SHOULD stick to getting the simulated
version on-line.