Long story short, I moved to Cali from DC in 2000. I was working in the gaming industry when the doctoms first crashed. I needed work and lived in the San Fernando Valley, i.e., porn capital.
Jake gave me my first - and ONLY - experience in life of being a black male on an even playing field. I needed money, Jake & Co. hired me to ship out movies.
1.) I got to experience what white boys get to experience: getting a shot because of external factors that have NOTHING to do with capability. I got the interview because I was from the east coast like most of the guys working there. My last name is Nigerian. It's no secret that Jake is also part Nigerian. Also, Jake is VERY pro black. He put me on.
2.) I was overqualified and didn't keep me at shipping. I was taught and entrusted with all aspects of the business, giving me a perspective and experience in running a small company not unlike what white kids get just by being somebody's son or daughter. I had to know shipping, dealing with vendors, planning productions, production, post production, art chores...EVERYTHING from top to bottom. I was allowed to be involved in the process of planning and executing where things went with the company.
3.) JSP also taught me a LOT about thinking independently. It wasn't uncommon to sit down and have discussions about money management, investment, and being self-sufficient. For example, most people don't know how Jake became successful.
In the early days when dudes were just happy to be having sex with women on camera and weren't making much, he took the little money he had, lived in his cheap car for a little while. Then he stacked his change over time, living frugally, and bought approximately 200 VHS duplication machines and rented a cheap office space. While most actors were smoking away their money, Jake set up shop in the office, and began to offer duplication services for other porn companies. At that time (late 90's - early 2000s), duplication was costly and only third parties with the equipment and space could do it.
By the time Jake decided to make his own movies, he'd already had his duplication in-house, so it was now a matter of making them and distributing them HIMSELF. He'd already begun a relationship with the bulk distributors, so at this point, people were coming to him to duplicate their movies, as well as buying HIS movies. Through it all, once he started making money, he never lived lavishly. Got a reasonable apartment, kept his success on the low, and kept grinding out movies to a small but growing fan base. By the time I came on, he was a full-fledged porn company. No need to act in Ed Powers or anybody else's movies. He created a style, starred-in, and distributed his own films by his own standards.
4.)When I shot in Brazil, I also learned what kind of dude Jake was: Brilliant.
We're in Brazil, shooting scenes, small team. VERY small. This dude is in a foreign country and he's teaching himself EVERY PORTUGUESE VERB by memorizing them on his cell phone (this is before smart phones). Every day, he's teaching himself to be more and more conversant in portuguese so he can operate. By the time we were done, he could effectively communicate with just about anyone.
Jake's advice: live below your means, don't floss, stack change smartly, work for self, set your own standards, keep family in perspective, learn the rules to break them.
I'm not getting into all of the rumors and mysteries about Jake, so please don't ask. All I will say is that Jake & J were some of the smartest dudes that I've EVER met. They always played fair, taught me a LOT about business, and treated me with a respect that allowed me to grow within a company not unlike what white boys get at a young age within an organization.
I always had to be EXCELLENT at my work, so no slacking there. They gave me a CHANCE. I was surrounded by black men trying to do things. When I recommended one/some of my friends come work when he/they needed cash, JSP *never* gave it a second thought. They *always* put them on. Shipping. Production assistant. whatever.
In white world, that hasn't been my experience. All i see are brothers struggling or nonexistent. I was just driving by Yahoo the other day and amongst the whites and asians, I'll see sprinkles of *successful* black women. Zero brothers. It breaks my heart. This isn't to say that the women are better (although they THINK that they are), but it's because everybody is so damn shook by black men that we don't get hired or re-hired.
Jake created an environment where it was okay to be a black man, learn, and grow. Yeah, it was porn. Those were the best business years of my life. I tried to follow that template with my own ventures, but I never succeeded. When i see Dame Dash, I get the same vibes I got from Jake.
That's what I mean when I say that Jake & J changed my life. He's/they're good people. I wish them the best wherever they are.
