Digital Playground
Encyclopedia
Digital Playground Inc. is an American pornographic movie studio, headquartered in Van Nuys, California
. It has been called one of the five biggest porn studios, and in 2006 was described by Reuters
as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry
. The studio has been at the forefront of introducing new communications technology, as it emerges, into porn.
founded the company in 1993
, originally making adult CD-ROM
computer game
s. Commenting on the transition of the pornography industry from the underground economy to mainstream corporate acceptance, the company's founder said: "I look at the porn business where Vegas and gambling was in the 70's". "Vegas was still mob-owned and they were making the transition between these small groups of people to being corporate owned". "I feel the same exact thing is going to happen with adult". The company became an innovator in making pornography available on personal computers. In 2003 DP began working with a company specializing in hologram technology, with the aim of bringing the actress "into the viewer's living room". DP began filming in high-definition
in 2005. In January 2006 the company chose Blu-ray over rival format HD DVD
because Joone felt Blu-ray was more future-proofed. DP initially had difficulty finding a company prepared to produce its films in Blu-ray, as companies that replicated DVDs were reluctant to deal with the pornography industry.
The Digital playground studios have been labeled as "trailblazers" for iPad
s, HD and three-dimension
technology for cinema
and television
into the porn industry. Digital's chief executive Samantha Lewis, who also produces and/or directs DP films, has claimed that "many technology brands [have] used the adult industry [and DP, in particular,] to test new markets" because of "the sheer scale of the [porn] industry".
Adrianna Lynn
, Alexis Texas
, Angelina Armani
, Audrey Bitoni
, Austyn Moore
, Belladonna, BiBi Jones, Brianna Love
, Carmen Luvana
, Devon, Gabriella Fox
, Gina Lynn
, Jana Cova
, Janie Summers, Janine, Jenaveve Jolie
, Jenna Haze
, Jesse Jane
, Julia Ann
, Kagney Linn Karter
, Katsuni
, Kayden Kross
, Mckenzie Lee
, Lacie Heart
, Nikki Benz
, Raven Alexis
, Riley Steele
, Rocki Roads, Sasha Grey
, Selena Rose, Shay Jordan
, Shyla Stylez
, Sophia Santi, Stoya
, Teagan Presley
, Tera Patrick
, Veronica Rayne
, and others.
genre of CD-ROMs and DVD
s, in which the viewer can "command" a famous pornographic actress
by selecting from a menu of explicit scenes. The first film in the series was released in 1998. In the series the actress looks directly at the camera, and appears to talk directly to the viewer. According to Joone, "It's the closest you'll ever get to having sex with our girls without really having sex with them". "When you're watching a regular porn movie, you're watching it in the third person". "You're basically a voyeur". "This way it's a first-person experience". "If the girl is in the missionary position, the camera is looking down at her as you would be if you were actually there with her". "You're the god of your world at that moment". Virtual Sex with Jenna Jameson
is one of the top-selling adult DVDs of all time according to adultdvdempire.com sales charts. The viewer is able to choose the camera angles, the sexual position of the selected actress and her demeanor - either "innocent" or "nasty".
In 2004, Digital Playground produced the first HD
pornographic film, Island Fever 3, shot on location in Tahiti
and Bora Bora
.
In 2005, the company released Pirates, a film that bills itself as "offering all of the production values of any Hollywood box office film" and a "monumental step towards the eminent[sic] merging of the entertainment industries". RogReviews called it "the most talked about adult movie of the year".
In 2008, the company hired industry veteran Farley Cahen to head its New Media efforts. Cahen started his career 9 years earlier at AVN and has a successful background in business development, licensing along with developing AVNads and the world's 1st Adult Domain Auction.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of porn industry awards that DP films have won:
Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Van Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.-History:Look at the two photos of Van Nuys' first year—and then listen to what the Los Angeles Times wrote on February 23, 1911, the day after the Van Nuys town lot auction--"Between dawn and dusk, in the...
. It has been called one of the five biggest porn studios, and in 2006 was described by Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry
Pornography in the United States
In the United States, there have been several notable court decisions relating to the definition of pornography and obscenity, personal possession, and its relation to prostitution. The total market value of pornography in the U.S. is estimated between $2-$13 billion per year...
. The studio has been at the forefront of introducing new communications technology, as it emerges, into porn.
History
Adult director JooneJoone (director)
Ali Joone is the founder and half-owner of the American pornographic movie studio Digital Playground.-Career:Joone founded the Digital Playground company in 1993, initially making adult CD-ROM computer games....
founded the company in 1993
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
, originally making adult CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
s. Commenting on the transition of the pornography industry from the underground economy to mainstream corporate acceptance, the company's founder said: "I look at the porn business where Vegas and gambling was in the 70's". "Vegas was still mob-owned and they were making the transition between these small groups of people to being corporate owned". "I feel the same exact thing is going to happen with adult". The company became an innovator in making pornography available on personal computers. In 2003 DP began working with a company specializing in hologram technology, with the aim of bringing the actress "into the viewer's living room". DP began filming in high-definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
in 2005. In January 2006 the company chose Blu-ray over rival format HD DVD
HD DVD
HD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
because Joone felt Blu-ray was more future-proofed. DP initially had difficulty finding a company prepared to produce its films in Blu-ray, as companies that replicated DVDs were reluctant to deal with the pornography industry.
The Digital playground studios have been labeled as "trailblazers" for iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
s, HD and three-dimension
Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
technology for cinema
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and television
3D television
A 3D television is a television set that employs techniques of 3D presentation, such as stereoscopic capture, multi-view capture, or 2D-plus-depth, and a 3D display – a special viewing device to project a television program into a realistic three-dimensional field.- History :In the late-1890's,...
into the porn industry. Digital's chief executive Samantha Lewis, who also produces and/or directs DP films, has claimed that "many technology brands [have] used the adult industry [and DP, in particular,] to test new markets" because of "the sheer scale of the [porn] industry".
Current Stars
The following is a non-exhaustive list of DP's current stars:Adrianna Lynn
Adrianna Lynn
Adrianna Lynn, aka Adrenalynn, is a pornographic actress.As a child she modelled for the J. C. Penney catalogue and later on she attended and graduated from Plano East Senior High...
, Alexis Texas
Alexis Texas
Alexis Texas is an American pornographic model and adult film actress. She began her career in pornography in 2007 at the age of 21.-Biography:...
, Angelina Armani
Angelina Armani
Angelina Armani is an American pornographic actress and adult model.After appearing in a small number of releases, Armani signed with Digital Playground in October 2008...
, Audrey Bitoni
Audrey Bitoni
Audrey Bitoni is an American pornographic actress and model. She was nominated for the 2008 AVN Best New Starlet Award.-Biography:Audrey Bitoni was born on August 16, 1986 in Pasadena, California to an Italian/German/Spanish family...
, Austyn Moore
Austyn Moore
Austyn Moore is the stage name of a pornographic actress.- Awards :*2006 FAME Award finalist – Rookie Starlet of the Year*2007 AVN Award nominee – Best Actress in a Video - Partial filmography :...
, Belladonna, BiBi Jones, Brianna Love
Brianna Love
Brianna Love is an American pornographic actress.Brianna Love started her adult career stripping in Missouri. She soon moved to Las Vegas, and quickly shifted from stripping to porn. She worked exclusively for Red Light District Video for two years before becoming a free agent...
, Carmen Luvana
Carmen Luvana
Carmen Luvana is the stage name of a former American pornographic actress.- Biography :Born in Brooklyn, New York on 23 August 1981, Luvana's family moved to Puerto Rico when she was five. She moved to Miami, Florida, at the age of 18 and got her start as a dancer in Miami strip clubs.Luvana...
, Devon, Gabriella Fox
Gabriella Fox
Gabriella Fox is an American pornographic actress from Los Angeles, California. Her career in pornographic films began at Digital Playground in 2008. Fox, who is represented by Shy Love's Adult Talent Managers, appears in a featured role in Tickle Me Pink's video, Typical. A sexually explicit...
, Gina Lynn
Gina Lynn
Gina Lynn is a Puerto Rican pornographic actress.- Biography :Lynn was born to Puerto Rican and Italian parents in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and grew up in Jackson Township, New Jersey; she currently resides and operates Gina Lynn Productions in Reading, Pennsylvania...
, Jana Cova
Jana Cova
Jana Cova , is a Czech pornographic actress and nude model of Polish descent.Born in Prague, Cova grew up in the countryside in the Czech Republic where she "had a great childhood". She initially started working as a bikini model, then started doing nude and eventually softcore modeling...
, Janie Summers, Janine, Jenaveve Jolie
Jenaveve Jolie
Jenaveve Jolie is an American pornographic actress, nude model and exotic dancer. She is also known as Jenaveve Joli or Jenevieve.She worked as a waitress at a steak house, before beginning her adult film career in around 2004...
, Jenna Haze
Jenna Haze
Jenna Haze is an American pornographic actress. She entered the adult film industry in 2001 at the age of 19. Between 2002 and 2005, she was a contract girl for the film company Jill Kelly Productions. During most of her time at the company, she performed exclusively with women, out of loyalty to...
, Jesse Jane
Jesse Jane
Jesse Jane is an American pornographic actress and model.-Early life:Jane was a military brat who grew up on various military bases in the Midwestern United States. She did extensive dance training and was a varsity cheerleader at her high school in Rose Hill, Kansas...
, Julia Ann
Julia Ann
Julia Ann is an American pornographic actress, feature dancer and former Penthouse Pet; she is a member of the AVN Hall of Fame.-Biography:Julia Ann was born Julia Tavella in Glendale, California...
, Kagney Linn Karter
Kagney Linn Karter
Kagney Linn Karter is an American pornographic actress. She was born in Harris County, Texas and raised in Saint Joseph, Missouri and Ridgway, Pennsylvania.- Biography :...
, Katsuni
Katsuni
Katsuni is a French pornographic actress.-Biography:Katsuni is of French/Vietnamese heritage. Her father is Vietnamese and her mother's family is French...
, Kayden Kross
Kayden Kross
Kayden Kross is an American pornographic actress and lobbyist for the adult entertainment industry. Kross has also modeled under the alias of Jenna Nikol.-Biography:...
, Mckenzie Lee
McKenzie Lee
McKenzie Lee is the stage name of a pornographic actress.Lee has stated that her mother was "always very sexually open" and "a nymphomaniac"...
, Lacie Heart
Lacie Heart
-Biography:Heart grew up on a ranch in Templeton, California, and studied ballet as a child. She danced at a Canoga Park strip club's amateur night at age 19 on a whim. While she was there she was recruited by and subsequently met with agent Derek Hay of L.A. Direct Models in August 2005...
, Nikki Benz
Nikki Benz
Nikki Benz is the stage name of a Canadian pornographic actress and Penthouse Pet who was selected as the 2011 Pet of the Year. Benz resides in Los Angeles, California, USA....
, Raven Alexis
Raven Alexis
Raven Alexis is the stage name of an American pornographic actress.She was a Digital Playground contract girl between 2009 and 2010....
, Riley Steele
Riley Steele
Riley Steele is an American pornographic actress.Steele grew up in Escondido, California, United States, and before starting her adult film career worked at Starbucks and at a golf course snack bar. She met porn star Jesse Jane at the signing for Pirates, where Jane advised her to get into the...
, Rocki Roads, Sasha Grey
Sasha Grey
Sasha Grey is an American former pornographic actress, who has since turned to mainstream acting, modeling and music....
, Selena Rose, Shay Jordan
Shay Jordan
Shay Jordan , is a pornographic actress.She was born in the Philippines and later moved to Hawaii, US, where she lived with her cousins. Her cousins' father was in the Navy so the family moved frequently until settling in San Diego, California when Jordan was in her teens. She attended San Diego...
, Shyla Stylez
Shyla Stylez
Shyla Stylez is the stage name of Amanda Friedland, a Canadian pornographic actress....
, Sophia Santi, Stoya
Stoya
Stoya is an American pornographic actress and model. The stage name "Stoya" was her nickname before appearing in adult films, and is the shortened version of her family's last name....
, Teagan Presley
Teagan Presley
Teagan Presley is an American pornographic actress. Her stage name in part comes from her parents initially wanting to call her "Teagan" and in part as an homage to Lisa Marie Presley.- Career :...
, Tera Patrick
Tera Patrick
Linda Ann Hopkins, better known as Tera Patrick is a former American pornographic actress.-Early life:Tera Patrick was born Linda Ann Hopkins in Great Falls, Montana. While at Boise State, Patrick earned an AAS degree in nursing and a BS in Biology.-Career:Patrick moved to New York City and her...
, Veronica Rayne
Veronica Rayne
Veronica Rayne is a retired American pornographic actress and star of the Fox Reality Channel TV show My Bare Lady 2:Open For Business.- Biography :...
, and others.
Virtual Sex
Digital Playground pioneered the top-selling virtual sexVirtual sex
Virtual sex is a sexual act where two or more people gather together via some form of communications equipment to arouse each other by transmitting sexually explicit messages...
genre of CD-ROMs and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, in which the viewer can "command" a famous pornographic actress
Pornographic actor
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
by selecting from a menu of explicit scenes. The first film in the series was released in 1998. In the series the actress looks directly at the camera, and appears to talk directly to the viewer. According to Joone, "It's the closest you'll ever get to having sex with our girls without really having sex with them". "When you're watching a regular porn movie, you're watching it in the third person". "You're basically a voyeur". "This way it's a first-person experience". "If the girl is in the missionary position, the camera is looking down at her as you would be if you were actually there with her". "You're the god of your world at that moment". Virtual Sex with Jenna Jameson
Jenna Jameson
Jenna Jameson is an American entrepreneur and former pornographic actress, who has been called the world's most famous adult-entertainment performer and "The Queen of Porn."...
is one of the top-selling adult DVDs of all time according to adultdvdempire.com sales charts. The viewer is able to choose the camera angles, the sexual position of the selected actress and her demeanor - either "innocent" or "nasty".
In 2004, Digital Playground produced the first HD
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
pornographic film, Island Fever 3, shot on location in Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
and Bora Bora
Bora Bora
The commune of Bora-Bora is made up of the island of Bora Bora proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef, 29.3 km² in total, and of the atoll of Tupai , located north of Bora Bora...
.
In 2005, the company released Pirates, a film that bills itself as "offering all of the production values of any Hollywood box office film" and a "monumental step towards the eminent
In 2008, the company hired industry veteran Farley Cahen to head its New Media efforts. Cahen started his career 9 years earlier at AVN and has a successful background in business development, licensing along with developing AVNads and the world's 1st Adult Domain Auction.
Directors
Digital Playground's production team is led by director Robby D. and producer/directors Samantha Lewis and Joone. Joone directed the Virtual Sex series.Awards
Studio Awards- XBIZ AwardXBIZ AwardXBIZ Awards are given annually to honor "individuals, companies, performers and products that play an essential part in the growth and success of adult entertainment". Organized by the adult industry trade magazine XBIZ, the awards were first given in 2003...
: 2006 Studio of the Year - XBIZ AwardXBIZ AwardXBIZ Awards are given annually to honor "individuals, companies, performers and products that play an essential part in the growth and success of adult entertainment". Organized by the adult industry trade magazine XBIZ, the awards were first given in 2003...
: 2007 Studio of the Year - XBIZ AwardXBIZ AwardXBIZ Awards are given annually to honor "individuals, companies, performers and products that play an essential part in the growth and success of adult entertainment". Organized by the adult industry trade magazine XBIZ, the awards were first given in 2003...
: 2009 Studio of the Year - XBIZ AwardXBIZ AwardXBIZ Awards are given annually to honor "individuals, companies, performers and products that play an essential part in the growth and success of adult entertainment". Organized by the adult industry trade magazine XBIZ, the awards were first given in 2003...
: 2011 Studio of the Year
The following is a non-exhaustive list of porn industry awards that DP films have won:
- 2001 AVN Award - 'Best Interactive DVD' for Virtual Sex With Tera PatrickTera PatrickLinda Ann Hopkins, better known as Tera Patrick is a former American pornographic actress.-Early life:Tera Patrick was born Linda Ann Hopkins in Great Falls, Montana. While at Boise State, Patrick earned an AAS degree in nursing and a BS in Biology.-Career:Patrick moved to New York City and her...
- 2002 NightMoves - 'Best Adult Production Company'
- 2002 AVN Award - 'Best Interactive DVD' for Virtual Sex with Devon
- 2002 AVN Award - 'Top Renting Release of the Year' for Island Fever
- 2003 AVN Award - 'Best Interactive DVD' for Virtual Sex with Janine
- 2004 NightMoves - 'Best Adult Production Company'
- 2005 AVN Award - 'Best Gonzo Series' for Jack's Playground
- 2005 NightMoves - Best Adult Production Company
- 2005 NightMoves - 'First Choice Award' Pirates
- 2006 AVN Award - 'Best DVD' for Pirates
- 2006 AVN Award - 'Best Video Feature' for Pirates
- 2007 NightMoves - 'Best Adult production Company'
- 2007 AVN Award - 'Best POVPoint of view pornographyPoint of view pornography , also known as , is adult entertainment that is filmed as if the watcher had experienced the sex-acts themselves....
Series' for Jack's POV - 2007 AVN Award - 'Best Renting Title of the Year' for Pirates
- 2007 AVN Award - 'Best Selling Title of the Year' for Pirates
- 2007 AVN Award - 'Best Vignette Series' for Jack's Playground
- 2008 NightMoves - 'Best Adult Production Company'
- 2008 NightMoves - 'Best Feature Production' Cheerleaders
- 2008 AVN Award - 'Best Specialty Series, Other Genre' for Jack's Leg Show
- 2008 AVN Award - 'Best Vignette Release' for Babysitters
- 2008 AVN Award - 'Top Selling Title of the Year – 2007' for Pirates
- 2009 NightMoves - Pirates II 'Best Adult Film'
- 2009 AVN Award - 'Best High-Definition Production' for Pirates II: Stagnetti's RevengePirates II: Stagnetti's RevengePirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge is the 2008 American sequel to the 2005 pornographic film Pirates.Again written and directed by Joone, it stars Belladonna, Sasha Grey, Jenna Haze, and Ben English, as well as Tommy Gunn, Jesse Jane, Steven St. Croix, and Evan Stone, who reprise their roles from the...
- 2009 AVN Award - 'Best POV Release' for Jack's POV 9
- 2009 AVN Award - 'Top Renting and Selling Release' for CheerleadersCheerleaders (2008 film)Cheerleaders is an American pornographic film, released in 2008 by Digital Playground. It won 4 AVN awards and was nominated for 5 others.-Cast:* Jesse Jane Jesse, head cheerleader* Adrianna Lynn Adrianna, cheerleader #2...
- 2009 AVN Award - 'Best Video Feature' for Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge
- 2009 AVN Award - 'Best Vignette Release' for Cheerleaders
- 2010 NightMoves - 'Best Adult Production Company'