Jake Deckard Interviewed

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I had a chance to sit down with Raging Stallion's Man of The Year, Jake Deckard, to talk about his life as the top model in Gay Porn today. Jake has so much going on that I can hardly keep up with him! So here goes!

CW:
So 2007 has been quite a year for you. You are at the top of the game now. Is it everything you hoped it would be?

Jake:
It's a whole lot more than I thought it was going to be. I'm very aware that I don't fit the classic porn star mold. From the beginning I was more interested in doing stuff I would like to see, and that people that I liked would think was hot. It makes it just that much sweeter that the response has been so strong, even from people I thought would have not even noticed. The best parts of doing all this are on the creative end, being able to make cool images and perform. I love being able to step into something outside of myself. Having some success makes it easier to get opportunities. I've worked with some great people and made a few images that may actually stand the test of time. I couldn't ask for anything more than that.


CW:
How’s life treating you in San Francisco? Is it home for you yet?


Jake:
Ok, so I fucking love this little town. FUCKING love it. See, I'm a New Yorker living in San Francisco. And I'm finally getting settled in. This is home, and I miss it now when I'm away for too long. There is nothing like flying down Market Street on my motorcycle on a warm sunny afternoon toward Twin Peaks. I just got back from an extended trip to New York. When I arrived I was being trampled at the airport. Apparently I've slowed down a little. Too fast for San Francisco, too slow for NYC. I was afraid I wasn't going to be fit to live anywhere! So I decided home is where my bike is. And right now it's parked in the Castro on a quaint little block at the base of a hill. And it's perfect for us.

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CW:
You just had your directorial debut and you've started a production company. You've also been working as an editor here at Raging Stallion. Is this going to be something you would like to pursue?

Jake:
I just want to produce fun, hot sexy porn. I don't feel the need to produce my magnum opus in the form of pornography though. I just want to capture hot guys having hot sex so other guys can jerk off watching them. It's all pretty succinct. I have a few stylistic ideas I'd like to explore, and anything I produce is coming from my point of view. There're a lot of decisions that go into the production. It's not just about picking actors and pulling out the camera. You have location and sets, lighting, music, gear, plot, editing, etc. and all of these play an important role in the outcome of the project. So the porn that I produce will be as unique as I am and the people I have working with me. I just want to produce something that I would like to watch myself. Hopefully there is an audience for it. I believe there is. Each of the scenes I directed for "Ink Storm" are little experiments in style. I also left a few things in that are edited out usually, like Tober Brandt frantically trying to get his shoes off so he could get it on with Cory Koons. It was a sweet funny moment and I didn't want to edit it. I feel that sex should be fun, and hot. You'll probably never see me go down the road of high drama or cruelty in one of my videos. I also believe that porn is usually meant to be played on televisions, which gives you a lot of freedom with the edit. There are some specific rules that have to be followed, namely that the objective is to get the viewer to cum. So the longer the cut the better, if it's really hot, and you can be as flashy as you want as long as it's not a distraction from the fucking.

I've been part of the production process at Stallion for the last year. As far as production, I could eventually be a one-man show and get away with that for a while. The marketing and distribution is a whole other thing and I'm fortunate enough to have Raging Stallion backing me up on all of this. I couldn't do it without them. My first directing job was as co-director with the great JD Slater for "Roid Rage". I love doing this stuff. It's become a major part of my life now. It's not always easy for people on the production side of things to accept a performer doing the same job they are doing, but I'm going to be around for a while. I've actually been kicking around going to film school as well. Or I should say I've already decided to go and now I just need to figure out how in the hell I'm going to pay for it. Hollywood is full of production people that started in the porn business. It's one of the few parts of the entertainment industry that doesn't hold a porn past against you. It's a toss up between Art Institute in SF or NYU Film School.

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CW:
How is being involved in production different from being a performer?

Jake:
I'm doing both right now, and I actually like being able to star in my own videos. I'll probably have to do that for a while because every scene I star in is one less actor that has to be paid. And like anything, the bottom line is everything. If you can't bring a production in on budget, it's worthless. As a model, that's something I would never even care about! I like being able to choose my own co-stars! In "Ink Storm" I had been talking to Logan McCree for a year online. I was fascinated by him. So he was the first person I called when I was given a go-ahead for this project. We had so much fun doing that scene! He had some specific requests about how he would be portrayed before he would step in front of a camera, and I really liked having the control to say yes to those requests so I could get him on film. We did a sort of 1920's horror love scene. IN A BED! Can you believe that? Who gets to fuck in a bed in gay porn? I've fucked in piles of rocks, but never a bed. But I was able to make that decision as a director and we got a really cool bed from Dungeon Beds.



CW:
You recently returned from an extended shoot for my military porn epic, "GRUNTS". Your performance was pretty over the top. Tell us about the shoot.


Jake:
Oh man, I don't even know where to begin! It was an incredible experience and I'm still amazed I was able to be part of it. Between the 30 guys on the set, the huge military camp, the 2 shoots a day for nearly 3 weeks, the logistics, and then the ability to take the character I was playing as far as I did…I loved it. There's only one award that I've ever been really interested in winning, and that’s "Best Actor" because it means I actually did something. Most of the others are really arbitrary. But I haven't seen anyone pull it out like I did on that shoot, not this year anyway.


CW:
You spent a large amount of time doing shows and live appearances this year. How are those for you? Do you like meeting your fans?


Jake:
The shows and appearances are the best part of doing this. I get to do my thing, and it's MY thing. I get a kick out of how surprised people are when the meet me. They are always expecting this big nasty guy with an attitude. But I'm just a goofy guy that likes to hang out and drink and fuck around and flirt. That's not to say that what you are watching is not there, you just need to get lucky in order to see it in action...