Micah Martinez: The Master Rebrander

Micah Martinez: The Master Rebrander

On October 14th, Pride Studios will unveil a whole new look. Not only will the site get a refurbish, but the rebrand also extends to its casting and production for its 3 main brands - Extra Big Dicks, Men Over 30, and Family Creep. The mastermind behind the rebrand, with a hand in every aspect from writing and casting to directing and producing, is porn industry veteran Micah Martinez. He has not only been instrumental behind the camera, but he also has a strong presence as a performer as well. Micah will introduce a new line of faces to the Pride Studios brand to join the familiar stars who have helped establish the brand. New faces include popular industry performers like Roman Todd, Ty Roderick, Pierce Paris, Jake Waters, Eddie Patrick, Marco Napoli, Derek Kage, and many more! Micah has had the unique opportunity to put his special touch on all aspects of the rebrand, he is the master rebrander. We chatted with Micah in anticipation of the upcoming reveal about his creative process, his take on the adult industry, and more!

ASGmax Launches October Pride Studios Refresh @ASGmaxOfficial @JerBabcock @PrideStudios https://t.co/n4upGlLHM6 pic.twitter.com/Twc1JAapm4

— GayVN (@GayVN) September 24, 2024

How did you get involved in the rebranding of Pride Studios?

With Pride Studios rebranding, it happened to be a situation where the stars aligned. I had just left a company a few months prior and was directing content under ASGmax already while starting to do some more casting and set design projects when the next thing I knew, I was getting a call for some new local work that could use a different creative spin that they believed I could offer. And now, here we are!

What were the most important elements to put in place/keep in mind when rebranding the Studios’ properties?

The most important things I wanted to put in place as well as keep in mind with the Pride rebrand was that each individual property should have a bit of its own life. They all belong to the same company, but they are all their own site. ExtraBigDick’s focus needed to be exactly that: the extra big dick and it being used on a very talented bottom! Minimal story and the story that does exist is focused on a dick above 8 inches at the smallest opening up a tight lil hole. For FamilyCreep, I wanted to ensure that it wasn’t just a rehashing of other fauxcest sites we have already, especially with the storylines I came up with. Nothing wildly fanciful but not something that could be found in a quick search online. Plus, I really wanted to give the younger guys in the dynamic a bit of an opportunity to be the “aggressor” in the situation as well. From experience, I know farrrrr too many younger guys who love themselves a daddy! And last but not least is MenOverThirty, and my focus for that site was story story story! Just KNOWING that these hot guys were over the age of thirty, looking as hot as they are, having hot real-world scenario sex, and having fun doing it was beyond important to me.

How is the rebrand catering to porn audiences and adult industry trends?

The rebrand is catering to porn audiences because, luckily, I am a hugeeee fan of porn, and what’s been coming out and also what is slated to come out. Between analytics, scriptwriting ideas, and honestly, just actually watching AND performing in porn, I have more than a fine-tuned idea of what people are looking at and watching.

What part of your queer sensibilities were you able to bring to the rebrand?

A big part of rebranding in the good year of 2024 as a queer person who only really watches queer porn is knowing what other queer/gay men like watching. Not even kidding at this point, I can tell if a straight person wrote a script that comes across my desk because it's lacking that “heart” for someone writing it from the standpoint of them actually finding it hot.

Photo courtesy of KinkMen

The three main sites on Pride Studios are very genre-specific. Is that the new direction of adult content, catering to certain sub-genres?

That’s always been the way it’s gone in my observation. Even with the sub-genres not being in the name, different sites were always geared towards specific niches of content. Like “this site is for jocks”, “this site is for older guys”, or "this one is for bears”. The sub-genres were always there for sure, I’d say that these and newer sites from other companies as well are just getting in the habit of labeling them. I like it! Avoids confusion hahaha.

Part of the Pride rebrand is joining veteran adult performers along with fresh faces to the industry. What can veteran porn actors learn most from the newbies? What can the newbies learn most from the veterans?

I think the biggest thing that the veterans in the industry can learn from the newbies, especially the ones more focused on social media and fan content sites is just how much of a different animal content creation is from studio work. I, myself, and so many others do both so we get it, but there are so many people who I have brought in who are more focused on one or the other that, honestly, it has been cool to see the newbies on all the fan sites teaching the heavy hitters who have been in the industry for years marketing stuff specific to that kind of work. And vice versa, the veterans showing the newbies how to come in and behave on set has been a fun lil mentorship program I’ve noticed. The vet will show them how to cheat open to the camera, deliver dialogue better, and how to take pictures… hell even things like setting up an LLC and finding an accountant at times. It’s been a really cool trade of knowledge.

In writing, what are the most popular storylines in today’s gay adult industry?

Things I LOVE to play with in my writing when it comes to the gay content I work with are really blurring the hell out of the lines between what is gay and straight. I’m not talking about “turning out a straight guy,” I mean those instances where a guy thought one thing about himself and all of a sudden sees that there is a wholeeee cornucopia to life outside of the norm. As a queer person, I live in the gray area. It’s my most comfortable spot. Being able to put that energy into writing has been fun for me, even cathartic in some instances.

What are the most important factors for you when writing a script?

In script writing, there are a few things I keep in mind unless it is something wild and crazy (Looking at your horror movies and horror porn that I also write haha):

1) Is it believable?

2) Is it hot?

3) Do the lines make sense?

How do you prepare for a day of directing?

To prepare for a directing day, I wake up early, play with my dog, get my own juices flowing, read over my scripts again, get heavily caffeinated, and prepare to rock it out. Once I’m to the point of shoot day, there’s little else I can do to prepare for whatever day of changes that are going to happen.

What are some of the biggest challenges for a porn studio in today’s market?

The biggest challenge honestly is that often times people are not used to a work day being an actual DAY sometimes. Like they’ll see a 7-page script and cast and crew alike and still somehow think they’ll be done in 4 hours hahaha. But aside from that, porn is an ever-changing market. Some things that have been popular for literal years, we can wake up tomorrow and suddenly everyone hates it and we have to adjust. Nature of the beast!

How do you keep your finger on the pulse of changing trends in the adult industry?

I keep my finger on the pulse of the trends of the industry by seeing what’s going on in the industry as a whole at almost all times. Who’s doing what, when is the best time for a pool scene,  what could go for a parody nowadays, etc. But also, I’m a huge numbers guy. Numbers don’t lie. So in analytics, I can literally watch the ebb and flow of what people want to see and go from there!

Diversity and representation is a hot topic in the adult industry right now. How do you incorporate those elements in the work that you do?

Being a gay person of color in a “position of power” I have always been fighting to get as much representation as possible whether in my own work or in companies I work with. Beauty standards are indeed what they are and sometimes I have to choose between fighting the people literally giving me/my company money and my own morals and I make those decisions when it comes time to do so. However, often times it is even the simpler things I can do. When I’m writing a script, recommend some POCs, and when I’m doing booking, keep in mind that other races exist and can fit the role cuz nowhere in the script does it say any specific race, and even beyond that, when I see newer talent coming up that want to do more studio work, getting them here and teaching them how to be the best model they can be so that they get hired as much as they can.

What does the future of the adult industry look like?

There’s a joke about Election Day in here somewhere, but I’ll stick to the more positive outcome. Porn is doing well, it’s looking bright, and there are many big and fun changes coming up as a whole. Nothing here is a monolith for sure and there are eternally going to be changes and alterations to the way we do things as an industry, but in terms of the points of porn that I believe “matter,” we are all going in a great direction!

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Follow Pride Studios

The Pride Studios rebrand kicks off on October 14th with  Corporate ASSet starring Roman Todd & Taylor Reign, followed by Bigger Than Mine, starring Eddie Patrick and August Alexander on 10/21. Then, Benny Fox and Marco Napoli star in Step-Son’s Surprise on 10/28. All Pride Studios content will be streaming exclusively on the ASGmax network.

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