a hilarious blow by blow account of what goes on behind the scenes of X-rated movie production
Credits
About the Author
Stuart Canterbury is a veteran producer-director in the adult movie industry, with over 300 major feature films to his credit. With a string of awards and nominations, he has produced and directed titles for studios such as Penthouse, Hustler, Brazzers, Adam & Eve, Arrow, Video Marc Dorcel, and many others. He was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in video in 2017.
Excerpts
Excerpt 1 - What Happens in Vegas
If anyone were watching Travis Lazar, one crisp January morning in Las Vegas, where the illustrious producer was attending the largest adult entertainment convention in the world, any observer would have been mystified. Dressed impeccably in a dark designer suit, with a burgundy tie swelled at the throat in a Windsor knot, Travis weaved his way down the crowded aisles lined with a phantasmagoria of stands, displays, banners and enormous advertisements to promote the brands, studios, stars and movies which comprised the billion-dollar, global X-rated industry.
Excerpt 2 - Afterparty
They had sampled everything. Every sexual scenario or fantasy that had crossed through the imagination of some filmmaker had been realized by the performers. They had been angels with feathery wings fluttering under wind machines; demons in red body paint with horns and tails; mermaids dripping from the surf of spray bottles; superheroes defying gravity on a painted green screen; cheerleaders with pink pom-poms; college roommates with the same pink pom-poms; prisoners in lesbian jails where standards of cleanliness were so high that the inmates showered multiple times a day; cheating housewives with homes in such constant need of household repairs that a stream of plumbers, pool-boys and handymen were always ringing the bell; and more pizza delivery men than there were tomatoes in California.
Excerpt 3 - Heads Up
The culmination of the project was the all-girl orgy for High Risqué Part Three. Maria was allowed an assistant to help prepare six girls for the extravagant finale, and the players started prancing into the green room a good three hours beforehand to get ready. There were one or two stalwarts in the group, but they were mostly nubile newcomers who were prepared to work at a reasonable rate in a scene in which everyone wanted to participate. They all enjoyed having sex with other women. They helped one another with wardrobe, offering to share garments and shoes, so that they would all look their best. Some had brought their own vibrators and dildoes, which they were also willing to share, and they all excitedly discussed their comfort levels with different activities to perform, and items to insert. Everyone was in an upbeat mood, and they lounged around half-clothed, chatting about all the current affairs, as they each waited for their turn in the make-up chairs.
A Travis Lazar Videography (Partial)
- Hard Time
- Starlight
- Dreamboat
- High Risqué
- High Risqué Part 2
- High Risqué Part 3 (all-girl)
- Fireworks
- The Love Life of a Loser (Executive Producer)
- Cheats
Reviews and Blurbs
Goodreads 
"A five star review...revving up the excitement from page one..."
Hot Movies
"...an insightful book about pornography that is not pornographic..."
Adult Video News
"...most of it is hilarious..."
Jane Boon (Author, Edgeplay)
"In Shocking Pink, veteran porn producer/director Stuart Canterbury shows that what happens at the convergence of coitus and commerce can be more complicated behind the scenes than in front of the cameras. Through his fictional producer/director Travis Lazarus, "a decent man in an indecent business," Canterbury brings a sharp eye to the adult industry, bringing the reader into a world that is often maligned and misunderstood. The deals are explored with nuance, the characters are explored with warmth. If you've ever watched an X-rated film and wondered how it came together, Shocking Pink will turn you on."
LibraryThing
"Stuart Canterbury is the perfect person to write this book, not only does he do a great job of covering the industry within this book, he was an writer, director and producer on many movies so he knows what happens.
The book covers not just what happens in front of (or behind) the camera, but also what happens outside of "action" and "cut". You see that everyone is a person, who has their own things going on.
"For a group who made a living out of make-believe, it was all too real now; even on such a flawless day in the flux of life, nobody could ignore what ending came to all."
"The story behind the movie was always more interesting than the story on the screen. "...
The book seems to take place over the course of a year, but there aren't any exact date, which makes it a bit harder to read when periods of time seem to be skipped.
The author does include many details which helps with the book, and some places the author doesn't include any detail. For example, the author mentions that someone says thank you. The author didn't have to include that, but they did.
The industry and relationships may look good on the outside, but you don't really know what is happening. And there are many things that happen that you wouldn't see every day.
"Only does scenes with other girls. This always happens when the girls get involved in off-camera relationships with men. Very hard on the male to see her going off to work in the morning to swallow an anaconda."
Travis did not want to get into such serpentine details. "Understood. You have to respect the girl's feelings. Especially given the proportions.""
"If any neutral witness had seen what he had written, the random list on the paper would have been baffling: Pegging. Uniforms. Secretary. Brazilian. Grandma."
The author does include multiple stories within the book, and I wish they had finished one story before moving onto the next one as it was confusing at some times (and to ensure the reader doesn't forget anything).
There were times the book seemed to be in third-person, and other times it was in first-person. But it was all done in a way that allowed to reader to understand what was going on.
The author includes a major quote from someone near the end of the book, that could have been used to end the book in a really powerful way, but the author chose to end the book in a different way.
"Sometimes, you think you really know someone well. And maybe you think the worst of them. But they can surprise you. It turns out that there can be good in everyone. But as far as I am concerned he should win an award, you know, as a human being."
First of all, what is your background? Is it true that you are an adult industry insider?
I have been making adult movies from the inception of videotape until the digital age, which is almost thirty years. I have made over 300 features for companies like Penthouse, Hustler, Brazzers, Adam and Eve, Arrow, Video Marc Dorcel, Beate Uhse, and many others. Inside the industry, I am well known as a dealmaker. I have been at the helm of Bizarre Video, the biggest and oldest fetish company in the world, and worked on the distribution and marketing of thousands of titles.
How many people have seen your movies?
The movies have been released on videotape, dvd, cd-rom, blu-ray, and on the internet, hotels and television in every country of the world where adult video is legal. When you consider broadcast and internet in the total, then millions of satisfied viewers have been reached.
What inspired you to write this book?
For many years, people that I have encountered have been fascinated by the adult industry, but they only have a very superficial idea about it. I always thought how fascinating they would find it, if people knew what really went on.
For example, what are some of the surprises?
The people in the business are very colorful characters, and none of them really fit the kind of stereotype that one assumes about players in the x-rated field. For the most part, they are warm, intelligent and interesting.
What makes your book different from other books about the industry?
There have been many other books about the industry, but most of them take a view which is very dark, sensational or titillating. Shocking Pink is a book about pornography which is not pornographic. It is a comedy which reveals the outrageous situations and larger-than-life personalities that an adult movie producer has to deal with on a daily basis. It will make you laugh out loud.
So, it's a true story?
No, it is fiction. There is no doubt that some of it inspired by true events and real people, but once you start writing, situations and characters are conflated, and the story has to be shaped into a novel.
What made you think that you could write a novel? We know you as a director and producer, but what is your background as a writer?
I have written many movie scripts over the years, but before I went to film school, I studied classical literature in college, and have always been interested in storytelling.
What do you expect your readers to get out of this book?
It's very funny, entertaining and revealing, but it is a real page-turner that reads like a thriller. At the same time, it does not shy away from some of the more serious questions that surround that industry, so it is thought-provoking without taking a pedantic approach.
What has been the reaction to your book inside the industry?
People in the industry have a sense of humor about themselves. I have been privy to many confidences over the years, and by fictionalizing the circumstances, nobody gets hurt and I have been able to be more truthful than the truth.
Finally, who is Travis Lazar?
He's not me.
