American Sex Podcast Episode 48: Paul Fishbein - AVN and Beyond
Looking at Paul Fishbein you'd never guess he's "the porn guy." Fresh out of college in the early '80s, Paul was working at a video store when he spotted an unaddressed need in the adult movie industry. He went on to found AVN -- the magazine, organization, and awards show otherwise known as "The Oscars of Porn." Paul shares stories from the heyday of x-rated movie-making, and the personal tragedy that prompted his exit from that world. He also gives us a peek into his new career producing mainstream TV and film -- what it was like to feature Whoopi Goldberg in a documentary about porn, why Jeff Goldblum is a dream interview, the scoop on behind-the-scenes turbulence on the set of Sex with Sunny Megatron and more.
Ken and Sunny answer a listener question about DDLG relationships plus Sunny discovers a disturbing Facebook loophole that enables dick pic senders.
Guest Bio
Paul Fishbein, creator of the internationally broadcast AVN Awards Show, is known for the documentaries X-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All-Time, The Sex Awards, and the original series Sex with Sunny Megatron (with the Jay & Tony Show), all broadcast on Showtime Networks.
Plausible Films first scripted series, Submission premiered in May 2016 on Showtime. In addition, late 2016 saw the release of The Greatest Adult Stars of All-Time, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Soderbergh, Jenna Jameson, Rob Zombie, and many more.
In production now is Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time, which traces the history of the cult films from midnight screenings through the streaming revolution.
Upcoming projects include Sporting Guide, based on the book by Liz Goldwyn, the documentary series Prejudice, and an untitled TV comedy series very loosely based on Fishbein's early life. The company also optioned the book Time on My Hands, by Peter Delacorte, for a potential series or limited series.
Previously, Fishbein was the founder of the AVN Media Network, which included the adult industry's leading trade publication and the annual AVN Awards Show in Las Vegas.
Notable Credits
2018 Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time (Executive Producer) 6 Episodes In Production
2016 Submission (Executive Producer, Co-Creator) 6 Episodes Showtime
2016 X-Rated 2: The Greatest Adult Stars of All-Time (Executive Producer, Co-Writer) Showtime
2015-2016 Mr. Skin's Year in Film
Mr. Skin's Year in Television (Executive Producer) Playboy TV
2015 X-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All-Time (Executive Producer, Co-Writer) Showtime
2014 Sex with Sunny Megatron (Executive Producer) 8 Episodes Showtime
2013 The Sex Awards (Executive Producer) Showtime
1998-2011 AVN Awards Show (Executive Producer) Showtime