Scott Masters (1934?-2020) was an American gay pornographic film

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and studio owner active in adult film since the mid-1960s. Masters used the pseudonym "Robert Walters" when he directed his early films, which include ''Greek Lightning.'' when he founded

Nova Studios Nova Studios was a gay pornographic film studio established by Scott Masters in 1977. It closed in 1986.Hardesty, "Nova Studios, Part One: The Pre-Sound Years," ''Manshots,'' July 1997. Genesis of the studio In 1969, Masters (then using the pseud ...

. He later shuttered Nova Studio and became head of production at Catalina Video. In 1992, he co-founded gay adult film studio Studio 2000. In 2006, Masters sold Studio 2000 to former

Falcon Entertainment Falcon Entertainment (also known as Falcon Studios), a United States company based in San Francisco, California, is one of the world's largest producers of gay pornography. Founded in 1971 by Chuck Holmes, Archived by web.archive.org. the comp ...

consultant David McKay.

Early years

Masters grew up in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, and later attended college.Douglas, "Behind the Camera: Scott Masters, Part 2," ''Manshots,'' November 1997. Masters came to

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1966. Many of the bookstores (including

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and adult bookstores) which he visited were openly selling gay pornography. He established a small business purchasing gay

pornographic magazine Pornographic magazines or erotic magazines, sometimes known as adult, sex or top-shelf magazines, are magazines that contain content of an explicitly sexual nature. Publications of this kind may contain images of attractive naked subjects, as is ...

s for area booksellers. He began selling nude

male Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...

photosets from such notable photographers of the male nude as

Bruce Bellas Bruce Harry Bellas (July 7, 1909 – July 1974) was an American photographer. He was influential in his work with male physiques and nudes. Bellas was well known under the pseudonym Bruce of Los Angeles. History and influence Bruce Harry Bellas ...

("Bruce of L.A."), as well as softcore nude films from Athletic Model Guild.Douglas, "Behind the Camera: Scott Masters, Part 1," ''Manshots,'' November 1997. In late 1967, he formed a partnership with

Reuben Sturman Reuben Sturman (August 16, 1924 – October 27, 1997), sometimes referred as the "Walt Disney of Porn", was an American pornographer and businessman from Ohio, who co-founded sex toys company Doc Johnson. He was featured as a subject in Eric Sch ...

to print and distribute one-off magazines featuring the work of Kundzicz. The first magazine was ''Champions All,'' published in the spring of 1968. Moving full-time to San Francisco from Chicago, Masters took up work as a full-time bookkeeper at a printing company. He began taking photographs of nude men on the side to supply his magazines with images. Although the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

had ruled that images of the male nude were not

obscene An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be us ...

in ''

MANual Enterprises v. Day ''MANual Enterprises, Inc. v. Day'', 370 U.S. 478 (1962), is a decision by the United States Supreme Court which held that magazines consisting largely of photographs of nude or near-nude male models are not obscene within the meaning of . It was ...

'' 370 U.S. 478 in 1962, U.S. postal inspectors still considered the tumescent and

erect penis An erection (clinically: penile erection or penile tumescence) is a Physiology, physiological phenomenon in which the penis becomes firm, engorged, and enlarged. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, ...

obscene under then-current interpretations of American federal postal and obscenity law and court rulings.Waugh, ''Hard to Imagine,'' 1996; Barron and Dienes, ''First Amendment Law,'' 1993. Nevertheless, Masters took

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

as well as softcore images, and images of solo, duo and group sex. In 1969, Masters began producing hardcore gay male nude magazines. The Supreme Court had further liberalized the standards for obscenity in ''

Redrup v. New York ''Redrup v. New York'', 386 U.S. 767 (1967), was a May 8, 1967 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, widely regarded as the end of American censorship of written fiction. Robert Redrup was a Times Square newsstand clerk who sold tw ...

'', 386 U.S. 767 (1967), and several lower-court rulings had significantly undercut the ability of state and federal authorities to seize even materials which depicted hardcore sexual activity between individuals of the same gender. The first such magazine was ''Hard?''. By the end of the year, Masters was producing as many as six magazines a month. In 1970, Masters produced his first film, ''Drilled Deep.'' It was a "loop" (an 8mm

Short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

, roughly 200 feet in length, designed to run over and over in

peep show A peep show or peepshow is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the development of the c ...

s). To distribute his hardcore films, Masters established his first adult film studio, named The Stephens Agency. Masters closed the distribution business in 1972 because it was unprofitable. That same year, Masters was prosecuted in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

for obscenity. He pleaded guilty. He received a one-year suspended sentence, three years of

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

, and a fine. After his sentencing, Masters cut back on the number of brochures, magazines and loops he produced but did not exit the adult film industry. By 1976, however, Masters had directed more than 100 loops.Hardesty, "Nova Studios, Part One: The Pre-Sound Years," ''Manshots,'' July 1997.

Feature film career

In 1973, Master directed his first feature-length hardcore gay adult film which starred zarni warry. The film was ''Greek Lightning,'' produced for Jaguar Productions and starring gay porn star Jimmy Hughes. Using

guerrilla filmmaking Guerrilla filmmaking refers to a form of independent filmmaking characterized by ultra-low micro budgets, skeleton crews, and limited props using whatever resources, locations and equipment is available. Often scenes are shot quickly in real loc ...

techniques, Masters produced one of the best-selling gay adult films of the 1970s: :We did some rather audacious things. We shot on top of a train in Train Town in Griffith Park without a permit, while one of us was given one of the guards money and another of us was talking to another guard, just so we could get the shots finished. We knew we couldn't be there long. All we had to do was do our legerdemain for five or ten minutes and be out of there. And we certainly couldn't pay for it. Masters heartily disliked that sort of filmmaking process. Jaguar Productions later heavily edited the film, angering Masters so much that he vowed not to make another film. In late 1973, Masters founded ''In Touch'' (now known as '' In Touch for Men''), a softcore gay porn magazine. But after two years, Masters turned over management of the magazine to a third party (while retaining ownership).

Nova Studios

In 1976, Masters (still using the name Robert Walters) founded Nova Studios, distributing films through

direct mail Advertising mail, also known as direct mail (by its senders), junk mail (by its recipients), mailshot or admail (North America), letterbox drop or letterboxing (Australia) is the delivery of advertising material to recipients of postal mail. The d ...

as well as adult bookstores. The studio's first production was ''Tubtricks.'' Masters doubled the length of Nova Studios' loops to more than 400 feet, extending each film's running time to nearly 20 minutes. Masters followed up with a series of long loops: ''Kept After School,'' ''Beached,'' ''Tricking,'' ''Hot Lunch,'' ''Jocks,'' ''That Boy Next Door'' and ''Down on the Farm.'' Masters attempted to keep Nova Studios afloat by finally producing

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

s. In 1981, Masters bowed to public demand for sound film and financial pressures and produced ''It's the Life.'' Filming went so poorly that Masters eventually shot most of the film without sound. Masters would not finally produce a sound film until 1983. But in the intervening two years, Nova Studios lost critical market share.Hardesty, "Nova Studios, Part Two: The Final Years," ''Manshots,'' August 1997 Masters began

dubbing Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production sou ...

older silent loops in 1981 as well. He added music, some narration, and asynchronous sexual sounds to the films and began re-releasing these to make money. In 1984, Masters hired Chet Thomas as an editor, and Thomas worked on several of Nova Studios' final films. Nova Studios ceased to make gay adult films in late 1986.

Catalina years

In 1987, Masters was hired as head of production for Catalina Video. William Higgins had founded Catalina in 1978. Catalina Video had been distributing Nova Studios' films to adult bookstores and video stores since about 1982. With Nova Studios in financial distress, Higgins and Masters struck a deal: Catalina would purchase the rights to the unreleased ''Boys Town.'' Masters would be free to sell the rights to all his other films to another vendor. Catalina would also hire Masters as its head of production, where he would also be free to write and direct films on an occasional basis. Masters sold the rights to nearly all of Nova Studios' films to L.A. Video. Unfortunately, L.A. Video would go

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

a few years later, leaving the rights to all of Nova Studios' products in legal limbo. Given the transition in his life, the director stopped using the name "Robert Walters" and adopted his new stage name, Scott Masters. Masters' first film for Catalina was ''The Bigger They Come'' (1987). For the first time, Masters made a film on a set in a studio rather than on location. He followed it up with ''Down for the Count,'' a film which featured the debut of popular star Jon Vincent. Once at Catalina, Masters also hired Chet Thomas, his former editor at Nova Studios. During his time at Catalina, Masters also became good friends with director John Travis. Travis had been working for Brentwood Studios and Falcon Studios since the early 1970s. In 1988, Masters hired him away from Falcon. The first film Travis helmed under Masters' supervision was ''My Best Buddy'' (1988). Masters is also partly responsible for the career of gay adult film director

Chi Chi LaRue Larry David Paciotti (born November 8, 1959) is an American director of pornographic films. He appears as the drag- diva persona Chi Chi LaRue (), and has been credited as director under the names "Lawrence David" and "Taylor Hudson". Caree ...

. LaRue had come to California in 1987 and gotten a job in Catalina's sales department. He had been promoted to the promotions department, and sought a directing job. Masters, however, refused to give him one. LaRue left Catalina in 1989, moving to InHand Productions and Vivid Video. Catalina president Mike Merrick left and new studio head Christian Mann took over. Mann rehired LaRue, and put him to work on his first film, ''Billboard'' (starring

Joey Stefano Joey Stefano (born Nicholas Anthony Iacona Jr.; January 1, 1968 – November 21, 1994) was an American pornographic actor who appeared in gay pornographic films. Career Born Nicholas Anthony Iacona Jr., Stefano grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania. ...

). LaRue credits Masters with forcing him to learn more about directing, which led to his eventual directorial career. The change in management at Catalina led Masters to significantly cut back on his duties. While he still managed productions, he became far less involved in casting decisions. When Merrick eventually purchased Catalina from Higgins, Masters decided to leave the studio.

Studio 2000

In 1992, Masters left Catalina. John Travis, too, had left Catalina after a contract dispute and began using the name "John Trennel." The two directors co-founded Studio 2000 in late 1992. Masters announced his retirement in 1999. But he quickly returned to making adult film. He and John Travis found and hired Czech photographer Jan Novak to produce Studio 2000 International line with European talents. During the 14 years in which Masters co-owned Studio 2000, the studio won numerous awards at the Grabbys,

Gay Erotic Video Awards The following are awards for gay pornography including ones that are no longer given. The list is organized by award and by year for each award. GayVN Awards The GAYVN Awards are presented annually to honor work done in the gay pornography i ...

, and

GayVN Awards The GayVN Awards are film awards presented annually to honor work done in the gay pornographic industry. The awards were sponsored by ''AVN Magazine'', the parent publication of ''GAYVN Magazine'', and continue the recognition for gay pornograp ...

. In April 2006, Masters and Travis sold Studio 2000 to former Falcon Entertainment consultant David McKay. Masters continued with the studio as a consultant until October 2006.

Death

In mid-autumn 2020, Masters died in an assisted-living facility in Bloomington, Illinois at the age of 86.

Notes

References

* ''Adam Film World 1993 Directory to Gay Adult Video.'' John W. Rowberry, ed. Los Angeles: Knight Publishing. ''Adam Film World.'' 14:11 (February 1993). * Barron, Jerome A. and Dienes, C. Thomas. ''First Amendment Law.'' St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing Co., 1993. * Douglas, Jerry. "Behind the Camera: Scott Masters, Part 1." ''Manshots.'' November 1997. * Douglas, Jerry. "Behind the Camera: Scott Masters, Part 2." ''Manshots.'' November 1997. * Douglas, Jerry. "Gay Film Heritage: Jaguar Productions, Part 1." ''Manshots.'' June 1996. * Douglas, Jerry. "Gay Film Heritage: Jaguar Productions, Part 2." ''Manshots.'' August 1996. * Hardesty, Rex. "Nova Studios, Part One: The Pre-Sound Years." ''Manshots.'' July 1997. * Hardesty, Rex. "Nova Studios, Part Two: The Final Years." ''Manshots.'' August 1997. * LaRue, Chi Chi, with John Erich. ''Making It Big: Sex Stars, Porn Films, and Me.'' Los Angeles: Alyson Books, 1997. * Lawrence, Doug. "J.C. Adams New Production Chief at Studio 2000." ''Adult Video News.'' July 2006. * Waugh, Thomas. ''Hard to Imagine.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. * William C. Grabb and James Walter Smith. "Grabb and Smith's Guide to Celebrity Plastic Surgery Myths." May 2001

External links

* *
Short biography about Scott Masters
by Martin Pozsgai (in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Masters, Scott Year of birth missing 2020 deaths Date of death missing Gay Jews LGBT film directors LGBT film producers LGBT people from Illinois American pornographic film directors American pornographic film producers Businesspeople from Chicago Directors of gay pornographic films Producers of gay pornographic films