August 13, 2007 | The Biz

Chi Chi grows again

Gay porn icon, Chi Chi LaRue, is like a sparkling meteor in the adult video world. Dressed in full drag she is nothing short of imposing, but there's a brain buried beneath all that fake blond hair. Her latest conquest is the acquisition of Catalina Video, with its treasure trove of classic gay movies, for Channel 1 Releasing. Not bad for a former video store clerk.

"We acquired All Worlds last year," LaRue told Adult Video News, "and adding Catalina to the mix has now solidified the fact that Channel 1 is the world's largest gay adult video company"

There is even more significance, on a personal level, for this purchase. LaRue's first job in the industry was for Catalina. She moved to LA, knocked on Catalina's door, and was hired as a salesman...

“It was always part of the plan to be as big and in your face and famous as I could be,” she says. “From the day I walked into Catalina, I didn’t want to be a salesman. I wanted to get my foot in the door and be around all these naked boys.”

Catalina holds an important place in gay porn history. Founded in 1978 by trail blazing director William Higgins,  the company produced such classics as "Class of '84" (1980), "Pacific Coast Highway" (1981) and "Sailor in the Wild" (1983). Higgins sold the company in the mid-eighties and it hasn't been the same since. Notably, Catalina has been very slow in moving towards online distribution of its catalogue. That is sure to change with Chi Chi in charge.

"It's amazing to come full circle in the 20 years that I've been in this business," LaRue admitted to AVN. "... I'm very proud that Channel 1 has purchased something that is a huge part of the adult film legacy, whether gay or straight." This acquisition adds over 600 titles to Channel 1 Releasing's library.

All it took was an e-mail to set the ball -- balls? -- in motion. "I e-mailed (Mike West, owner of Catalina) saying how nice it was to see him, and if he ever entertained the thought of selling Catalina, to make sure to call and give us the first shot. That's how it came about. He came in, we talked about it." And the deal was done.

That's right... no scandal, no drama, no soap opera. We need more drag queens in the board rooms of America!

• Drag Queen juke box [Southern Voice]
• Chi Chi LaRue talks catalina acquisition [AVN]