Corbin Fisher
{{Short description|American gay pornography studio}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Corbin Fisher
| logo = Corbin_Fisher.png
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| type = LLC
| genre = Film studio
| fate =
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| foundation = {{start date and age|2004}}
| founder = Corbin Fisher
| defunct =
| location_city = Las Vegas Valley, Nevada
| location_country = US
| location =
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| area_served =
| key_people = Jason Gibson, CEO
Brian Dunlap, Vice President
| industry = Film
| products = Gay pornography
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| homepage = {{URL|www.corbinfisher.com}}
| footnotes =
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}}
Corbin Fisher is an American independent film studio with a focus on gay pornography, based in Las Vegas, Nevada.{{cite news | last =Pardon | first =Rhett | title =Corbin Fisher's Steamy Offer to Levi Johnston Gets Close Look | work =XBIZ News | publisher =Adnet Media | date =December 4, 2009 | url =http://www.xbiznewswire.com/view.php?id=115319 | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190215201746/http://www.xbiznewswire.com/view.php?id=115319 | archive-date =February 15, 2019 | url-status =dead }} The studio maintains a website at CorbinFisher.com; other web properties of the company include AmateurCollegeMen.com, AmateurCollegeSex.com, CFSelect.com, CorbinFisherLive.com, CorbinsCoeds.com, and ShopCorbinFisher.com.{{cite news | title =AVN Industry Directory - CorbinFisher | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | year =2009 | url =http://business.avn.com/companies/Corbin-Fisher-58631.html | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100210103311/http://business.avn.com/companies/Corbin-Fisher-58631.html | archive-date =2010-02-10 | url-status=dead }} The founder of Corbin Fisher, who goes by the same name as an alias, started filming men and making videos during his spare time, and started the website CorbinFisher.com in 2004. The company released its first full-length DVD in September 2008. Since 2009, the company has collaborated with the European studio BelAmi on movie production and cross-distribution.
Corbin Fisher's products have been well-received, both by others within the industry and by media commentators. In 2006, Corbin Fisher won an award in the category of Adult Gay Megasite at the Cybersocket Awards. Since then, it has been recognized with multiple nominations for awards within the industry; both for its video content and websites. The company received the Free Speech Coalition Award of Excellence at the 2010 Cybersocket Awards, and was named Gay Site of the Year at the 2011 Xbiz Awards.
History
Jason Gibson, the founder of Corbin Fisher, who uses the same name as an alias, previously held jobs including police officer and human resources manager.{{cite news | title =AVNOnline On the Rise 200602 - CorbinFisher | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =February 1, 2006 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/AVNONLINE-ON-THE-RISE-200602-CorbinFisher-47679.html | accessdate =2009-12-06 }} With a prior interest in pornography, Fisher began to film men during his weekends off from these jobs. In January 2004, he started the website CorbinFisher.com, and the business grew quickly since then. AmateurCollegeMen.com was also started in 2004.{{cite news | last =Rice | first =G. Zisk | title =Corbin Fisher Releases First DVD | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =September 22, 2008 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/Corbin-Fisher-Releases-First-DVD-54878.html | accessdate = 2009-12-06 }} In a 2006 interview, he told Adult Video News, "It was a steep learning curve. I look back at some of my earliest work and cringe. Filming sex and getting the right shots while retaining some semblance of naturalness and spontaneity is not as easy as it sounds."
Excelsior Productions, the parent company of Corbin Fisher, was founded in 2005 by chief executive Jason Gibson. Brian Dunlap became marketing director at Excelsior Productions in November 2005.{{cite news | last =Lewis | first =Todd | title =Excelsior Hires Brain Dunlap as Marketing Director | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =November 7, 2005 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/Excelsior-Hires-Brain-Dunlap-as-Marketing-Director-46577.html | accessdate =2009-12-06 }} In February 2006, Corbin Fisher participated as a sponsor in "The Gay Phoenix Forum", an event held for webmasters and website visitors.{{cite news | last =Johnson | first =Peter | title =Gay Phoenix Forum Planned for October | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =February 15, 2006 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/Gay-Phoenix-Forum-Planned-for-October-47899.html | accessdate =2009-12-06}} In February 2011, the company moved its headquarters from Florida to Las Vegas.{{cite web|last=Pardon |first=Rhett |url=http://www.xbiz.com/news/130036 |title=Corbin Fisher Breaks Ground for Las Vegas Studio |publisher=XBIZ.com |date=2011-01-27 |accessdate=2012-02-10}}
Products
In August 2006, Corbin Fisher launched the website AmateurCollegeSex.com, which focused on "straight-guy niche content".{{cite news | title =Corbin Fisher Launches AmateurCollegeSex.com | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =August 2, 2006 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/Corbin-Fisher-Launches-AmateurCollegeSex-com-50388.html | accessdate = 2009-12-06}} Brian Dunlap explained the emphasis of the new site, "The guys are straight. This is what they do when the cameras aren't on, so we wanted to give surfers a glimpse into that part of who the guys are." The site was created to serve as a complement to Corbin Fisher's site AmateurCollegeMen.com, and Dunlap commented on the business potential of the two sites for webmasters, "Maybe a big portion of their traffic has already signed up to Corbin Fisher. Well, now they can start earning new money off those old surfers. This is an opportunity to promote not just one site, but two. There's an opportunity to earn two commissions off one referral." By August 2007, AmateurCollegeMen.com had about 500 "solo and hardcore all-male videos".{{cite news | last =Hunter | first =Tod | title =CorbinFisher.com to Remove DRM from its Sites, Videos | work =XBIZ News | publisher =Adnet Media | date =August 31, 2007 | url =http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=83655 | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120826034024/http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=83655 | archive-date =August 26, 2012 | url-status =dead }} In August 2008 Corbin Fisher described itself as a website offering media of amateur sex between attractive young people at universities. The website explained that most of the models on the site were heterosexual young men.
The company released its first full-length DVD in September 2008, called The Best of Lucas: Volume I. The DVD highlighted five scenes with Lucas, a favorite actor by fans of the website who was one of the site's first heterosexual models to appear in male-male scenes.{{cite news | last =Adams | first =JC | title =CorbinFisher.com Goes to DVD Market with Top Model Lucas | work =XBIZ News | publisher =Adnet Media | date =September 18, 2008 | url =http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=99145 | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120826034055/http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=99145 | archive-date =August 26, 2012 | url-status=dead}} Bruno Gmunder distributed the DVDs in Europe. Bruno Gmunder included content from the Corbin Fisher photo book Playing Hard to Get in some of its books released in 2009.{{cite news | last =Adams | first =JC | title =Gmunder, Corbin Fisher 'Playing Hard to Get' | work =XBIZ News | publisher =Adnet Media | date =April 9, 2009 | url =http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=106952 | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120826034102/http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=106952 | archive-date =August 26, 2012 | url-status =dead }} Since then, Corbin Fisher has released 8 other DVDs.
In July 2009, the gay Europorn studio Bel Ami chose Corbin Fisher as its first collaboration on a production with a studio based in the United States,{{cite news | last =Rice | first =G. Zisk | title =Bel Ami, CockyBoys Release Amsterdam Adventure | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =October 30, 2009 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/Bel-Ami-CockyBoys-Release-Amsterdam-Adventure-368270.html | accessdate = 2009-12-06 }} for their Five Americans in Prague movie.{{cite news | last =Rice | first =G. Zisk | title =Bel Ami, Corbin Fisher Get in Bed Together | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =June 16, 2009 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/Bel-Ami-Corbin-Fisher-Get-in-Bed-Together-345895.html | accessdate =2008-12-06 | archive-date =2010-12-20 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20101220061222/http://business.avn.com/articles/Bel-Ami-Corbin-Fisher-Get-in-Bed-Together-345895.html | url-status =dead }} Production included filming in San Francisco, Prague and Budapest. The first scene that developed out of the collaboration with Bel Ami was released in July 2009.{{cite news | last =Adams | first =JC | title =Bel Ami, Corbin Fisher Pact Bears 1st Fruit | work =XBIZ News | publisher =Adnet Media | date =July 17, 2009 | url =http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=110664 | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120826034125/http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=110664 | archive-date =August 26, 2012 | url-status=dead }} Though one actor spoke English and the other Czech, the language barrier was not an issue during filming.{{cite news | last =Rice | first =G. Zisk | title =Bel Ami, Corbin Fisher Release First Collaborative Scene | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =July 17, 2009 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/Bel-Ami-Corbin-Fisher-Release-First-Collaborative-Scene-351730.html | accessdate = 2009-12-06 }} The deal also included cross-platform marketing and distribution, with "feature scenes drawn from each other's extensive back catalogs" shown weekly on both sites.{{cite news | last =Adams | first =JC | title =Bel Ami, CorbinFisher Announce Content, Marketing Partnership | work =XBIZ News | publisher =Adnet Media | date =June 16, 2009 | url =http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=109408 | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120826034116/http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=109408 | archive-date =August 26, 2012 | url-status=dead }}
In January and February 2011, Corbin Fisher launched GuysGoneBi.com along with CorbinsCoeds.com.http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=129640&mi=all {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929000751/http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=129640&mi=all |date=2012-09-29 }}; http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=130175&mi=all {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929000807/http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=130175&mi=all |date=2012-09-29 }} Guysgonebi.com featured two males and one female per scene. About half of the scenes were exclusive to the site, while the other half were also on AmericanCollegeSex.com. CorbinsCoeds.com features all heterosexual scenes of AmericanCollegeSex.com. In September 2011, Corbin Fisher launched a pay-for-download site called CFSelect.com{{Update after|2011|09|01|reason=verify site did launch and provide further description}}, which includes content from AmericanCollegeSex.com and AmericanCollegeMen.com. The clips are categorized under labels such as "Classic", "Collections" (which include scenes from their DVD releases along with top performers), and "Exclusive" (which include the site's exclusive gay clips). In October 2011, GuysGoneBi.com shut down and the Gay.xxx domain was purchased.
In October 2013, Corbin Fisher launched CorbinFisherLive.com, a live chat website for viewers to chat with the models.
Copyright lawsuits
In October 2009, Corbin Fisher settled a legal dispute with Hunkfest, a cellphone content provider.{{cite news | last =Rice | first =G. Zisk | title =Corbin Fisher, Hunkfest Settle Copyright-Infringement Lawsuit | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =October 9, 2009 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/Corbin-Fisher-Hunkfest-Settle-Copyright-Infringement-Lawsuit-362994.html | accessdate =2009-12-06}} The dispute was over a copyright infringement claim by Corbin Fisher against Hunkfest.{{cite news | last =Rodriguez | first =Ariana | title =Corbin Fisher Settles Infringement Suit With Hunkfest | work =XBIZ News | publisher =Adnet Media | date =October 9, 2009 | url =http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=113601 | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120924141700/http://www.xbiz.com/news/news_piece.php?id=113601 | archive-date =September 24, 2012 | url-status =dead }} The company attempted to settle with Hunkfest first but filed suit in United States federal court when their offer was rejected. "When we approach infringers, we usually offer a reasonable settlement. When it is rejected, my orders are to go full-bore. This company will take even the smallest infringer to court," said general counsel Randazza. Hunkfest's lawyer acknowledged that the settlement amount was significant but reasonable.
In February 2010, Corbin Fisher won a $990,000 judgment in United States federal court against an individual from Texas who had copied 66 of the company's films to DVD and sold them on eBay.{{cite news|url=http://www.xbiz.com/news/glbt/117413|accessdate=2010-10-29|work=XBiz News|publisher=Adnet Media|first=Rhett|last=Pardon|date=February 9, 2010|title=Corbin Fisher Wins $990,000 Judgment Against Alleged Pirate}} The company took over a site that had copyrighted material without permission, PornILove.net, and cooperated in conjunction with other companies in the industry in order to attempt to ascertain the identities of the people committing copyright infringement.{{cite news|url=http://www.xbiz.com/news/125146|accessdate=2010-10-29|title=Corbin Fisher Offers $1,000 Reward for PornILove Pirate|work=XBiz News|publisher=Adnet Media|date=September 14, 2010|first=Lyla|last=Katz}}
In March 2011, Fisher sued 40,000 people who they claimed committed copyright infringement. This sparked some concern in the gay community that many teenagers had downloaded the content and would be outed by the lawsuit.{{cite web|title=Will Corbin Fisher's Gay Porn Piracy Crackdown Inevitably Out Gay Teens?|url=http://www.queerty.com/will-corbin-fishers-gay-porn-piracy-crackdown-inevitably-out-gay-teens-20110211/|work=queerty.com|accessdate=August 25, 2011|author=Ryan Tedder|date=February 11, 2011}} Some{{Who|date=August 2011}} had worried that outed gay teenagers would be prone to suicide. Fisher disputed this, saying that in all their legal dealings, none had ever led to a teenage suicide.{{cite web|title=Corbin Fisher suing 40,000 people|url=http://www.afterelton.com/node/38963|work=AfterElton.com|accessdate=August 25, 2011|format=Forum posting|date=February 25, 2011}}{{cite web|last=Pardon |first=Rhett |url=http://newswire.xbiz.com/view.php?id=132263 |title=Corbin Fisher Suit Describes Day in Life of a Pirated Movie - XBIZ Newswire |publisher=Newswire.xbiz.com |date=2011-03-29 |accessdate=2012-02-10}}{{cite web|url=http://www.queerty.com/corbin-fisher-saying-our-lawsuits-will-snag-closeted-teens-is-like-saying-gay-marriage-leads-to-incest-20110318/ |title=Corbin Fisher: Saying Our Lawsuits Will Snag Closeted Teens Is Like Saying Gay Marriage Leads To Incestuous Marriage / Queerty |publisher=Queerty.com |date= 18 March 2011|accessdate=2012-02-10}} Initially, Fisher offered amnesty to Internet users who came forward and admitted they downloaded content illegally. They could settle with Fisher by paying a one-time $1000 fee.{{cite web|last=Pardon |first=Rhett |url=http://newswire.xbiz.com/view.php?id=129918 |title=Corbin Fisher Offers $1K Amnesty to BitTorrent Users - XBIZ Newswire |publisher=Newswire.xbiz.com |date=2011-01-25 |accessdate=2012-02-10}} Fisher described the people who downloaded the content as thieves. The suit also claims that any reasonable Internet user would secure their router, and those who did not and allowed content to be downloaded through their IP address were also guilty of copyright infringement. Fisher also sued a Swedish man who wrote a satirical email to them, admitting he had downloaded Fisher's content but told him the money would be paid out of a pot of gold he received from a leprechaun at the end of the rainbow. Fisher sued the man and subpoenaed his Google gmail account information, including his IP address.{{cite web|title=Movie Studio Goes After Self-Proclaimed Pirate, His Unicorn and Leprechaun|url=http://torrentfreak.com/movie-studio-goes-after-self-proclaimed-pirate-his-unicorn-and-leprechaun-110310/|work=torrentfreak.com|accessdate=August 25, 2011|date=March 10, 2011}}
Commentary
In September 2005, RealLiveGuys.com marketing director Eddie K characterized Corbin Fisher as one of the "new hit gay porn sites that specialize in straight guys."{{cite news | last =Lewis | first =Todd | title =RealLiveGuys.com the Latest For Hot Gay Video Chat | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =September 30, 2005 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/RealLiveGuys-com-the-Latest-For-Hot-Gay-Video-Chat-45917.html | accessdate = 2009-12-06 }} In July 2008, Falcon Entertainment CEO Todd Montgomery said he admired the company and its development, "I've always had a lot of professional and personal admiration for [Corbin Fisher] because they really defined a new space in gay adult entertainment that didn't exist prior to the real broad adoption of the Internet."{{cite news | last =Jansen | first =Brady | title =Internet Profile - FalconStr8Men.com | work =Adult Video News | publisher =AVN Media Network | date =July 2, 2008 | url =http://business.avn.com/articles/Internet-Profile-FalconStr8Men-com-53540.html | accessdate = 2009-12-06 }} In August 2008, Gary Blumenthal, manager of a different pornographic site, OnTheHunt.com, commented on the focus of Corbin Fisher and Sean Cody, "Both http://www.SeanCody.com and http://www.CorbinFisher.com are niche-specific Web sites focusing on all-American jock-type guys, many of whom are 'gay for pay.'"{{cite news | last =Knipp | first =Michael A. | title =Manhunt spin-off shoots - you score | work =PrideSource | publisher =Issue 1635 - Between The Lines News | date =August 28, 2008 | url =http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=31681 | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110727151122/http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=31681 | archive-date =July 27, 2011 | url-status=dead }}
In December 2007, Dylan Fox of Gaywired.com noted that Corbin Fisher had become successful; "gay man's obsession with straight guys has created a booming Internet business that is raking in the cash."{{cite news | last =Fox | first =Dylan | title =Gay 4 Pay: Gay Obsession with Straight Guys in Porn | work =Gaywired.com | publisher =EDGE Publications, Inc. | date =December 14, 2007 | url =http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=culture&sc2=features&sc3=&id=53645 | accessdate =2009-12-06 }} The Spanish language media site ENewspaper also commented on this phenomenon, observing that Corbin Fisher had successfully capitalized on appealing to those that appreciate videos where supposedly heterosexual men act in gay film.{{cite news | last =Sentido G | title =¿Por qué nos gustan los heteros en el porno gay? | work =ENewspaper |language =Spanish | publisher =Gay Info Media | date =August 7, 2008 }}
Ernie Alderete of Bay Area Reporter reviewed the color photo collection Corbin Fisher's Amateur College Men distributed by Bruno Gmunder, and described it as "a collection of exciting color photos of college-age athletes in sexual poses progressing from soft-core to fully erect and stiff hard-core".{{cite news | last =Alderete | first =Ernie | title =Student bodies | work =Bay Area Reporter | publisher =Bay Area Reporter, a division of Benro Enterprises, Inc. | date =August 21, 2008 | url =http://www.ebar.com/arts/art_article.php?sec=books&article=396 | accessdate =2009-12-06 | archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20120224052220/http://www.ebar.com/arts/art_article.php?sec=books&article=396 | archivedate =2012-02-24}} Alderete criticized the focus of pictures in the book and the book's size, "But several factors prevent Amateur College Men from achieving greatness. Inexplicably, several of the photographs are out of focus." His review concluded, "Despite its flaws, this book is packed with interesting faces and nice bodies, the stuff many dreams could be made of. And it certainly lives up to its name: it delivers tons of absolutely fresh, USDA prime meat!"
In April 2009, ENewspaper classified Corbin Fisher in the world of gay pornography as among "website suppliers of videos", including Sean Cody, RandyBlue.com, CockyBoys, and StraightBoysFucking.com.{{cite news | last =Sentido G | title =Como la crisis económica afecta a la industria del porno gay | work =ENewspaper | language = Spanish | publisher =Gay Info Media | date =April 23, 2009 | url =http://www.eradio.com.mx/enews/?noticia=3618 | accessdate =2009-12-06}}
In June 2009, Jason Salzenstein of Edge Boston commented favorably of the Corbin Fisher-produced photo book Playing Hard to Get distributed by Bruno Gmunder, "In fact, one of the best things about this volume is its simplicity, and the natural beauty of the models. When 'boy next door' has come to mean Abercrombie & Fitch perfection, it's refreshing to see a book filled with guys who actually look like they could live in your neighborhood."{{cite news | last =Salzenstein | first =Jason | title =Playing Hard To Get | work =Edge Boston | publisher =EDGE Publications, Inc. | date =June 29, 2009 | url =http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=books&sc2=reviews&sc3=coffee_table&id=91017 | accessdate = 2009-12-06 }} Carsten Weidemann of the German language site Queer.de gave Playing Hard to Get a positive review, and noted that Corbin Fisher became successful quickly, calling the site "athletic, sexy".{{cite news |first=Carsten| last=Weidemann | title =Corbin Fisher: das US-Pendant zu Bel Ami | work =Queer.de | language =German | publisher =Queer Communications GmbH | date =May 13, 2009 | url =http://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=10419 | accessdate = 2009-12-06 }}
Released DVDs
- The Best Of Lucas: Volume 1 (2008)
- 3-Ways: Volume 1 (2008)
- First Times: Volume 1 (2009)
- Lucas & Dawson Down Under (2009)
- Down on the Farm (2009)
- Fraternity/Sorority Mixers (2012)
- Freshman Class: Volume 1 (2012)
- Multiplication Tables (2012)
- Pura Vida (2013)
- Magna Cum Loudly (2013)
- Hot, Ripped, & Raw (2014)
- Connor Unleashed (2014)
Awards and nominations
See also
{{Portal|Companies|Film|LGBTQ|Erotica and pornography}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
Further reading
- {{cite book | last =Sheppard | first =Simon | title =Homosex: Sixty Years of Gay Erotica | publisher =Carroll & Graf/Running Press | year =2007 | isbn =978-0-7867-1755-2 | url-access =registration | url =https://archive.org/details/homosexsixtyyear00shep }}
External links
- {{Official website|www.corbinfisher.com}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100210103311/http://business.avn.com/companies/Corbin-Fisher-58631.html AVN Industry Directory - CorbinFisher] — Adult Video News.
- [http://bananaguide.com/article/67303 Corbin Fisher ACM Review], BananaGuide
- {{IAFD studio|4500}}
{{Gay male pornographic film studios}}
{{American pornographic film studios|state=collapsed}}
Category:Adult entertainment companies
Category:American gay pornographic film studios
Category:Pornography in Nevada
Category:Companies based in the Las Vegas Valley
Category:Entertainment companies established in 2004
Category:Mass media companies established in 2004