Local Article on Sweet Entertainment Group: BETTER COVERAGE THEN MOST MEDIA
You be the judge of the coverage of this particular article. Comments from both former "talent" and local "webmasters"....
It's a good article and reflects accurately the mood of webmasters and talent in this town towards SWEET.
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Police seized 100 Internet servers containing millions of frames of pornographic images from Sweet Entertainment's Downtown Eastside production studio. Photo by Dan Toulgoet.
Obscenity charges laid
By David Carrigg-Staff writer
City police want to talk to women used in the production of low-budget porn videos alleged to breach obscenity laws.
Sgt. Doug Lang, of the Vancouver Police Department's vice squad, said at least 100 girls have been recruited by a Downtown Eastside studio run by Sweet Entertainment Group. Lang is spearheading a year-long investigation into the company that recently culminated in obscenity charges being laid against four people.
"We are interviewing women weekly to try and help them. Some of them are telling us they were surprised by what they were requested to do. They were not acting against their will, but most people would be appalled by the material."
The porn recruitment, production and Internet distribution company formed in 1998 and includes a Beatty Street-based recruitment agency called Diverse Talents and a warehouse and production facility at 1624 Franklin St., in the heart of the Downtown Eastside's prostitution stroll. Many of the women were recruited from the area.
The company is hugely successful, with several thousand customers worldwide, and has been credited with creating "gonzo porn," where only the girl is on screen and is filmed by the male participant using a hand-held digital video camera.
Lang said the investigation was triggered by an Internet user in England, who was appalled at Sweet's pornographic productions and complained to Vancouver Police.
On March 13, police raided the Franklin Street studio and seized 60 Internet servers, though no criminal charges were laid. On Nov. 7, police again raided the studio and seized 100 Internet servers containing millions of frames of pornographic images.
Charges of possession of obscene videos for the purpose of distribution have been laid against Randy Price (aka Steve Sweet), Reyfemel Damasco, Stephen Lyons and Geoff Baker.
"We have about 100 computers and thousands of tapes and digital material that depicts various types of pornography, some of which we believe to be significantly obscene as defined by the criminal code," said Lang, adding police will try and get the city to revoke the business licence for Diverse Talents.
That agency bills itself as "supplying the adult industry with open-minded, energetic and interested models." It claims to be the largest Canadian porn-industry agency and offers a first contract worth $5,000.
One former model interviewed by the Courier, however, said she was paid only $150 to do an oral sex scene and that she would never work for Sweet Entertainment Group again. "I don't like being called a slut," said the young woman, who did not want to be identified.
Lang said that while pornography is legal in Canada, there are limits to how far a pornographer can go and what can be depicted. For example, in Canada, it is illegal to make pornography that combines bondage and intercourse.
Lang would not reveal the nature of the degrading scenes, however, an informed source said some of the scenes considered illegal include girls being urinated upon, having fists inserted in their vaginas and having weights attached to their labias.
"The principals behind the business are pushing the limits. I've seen the footage and the girls are not enjoying it. It is demeaning and degrading," Lang said.
Anthony Quinn is co-founder of Firm Productions, a porn production outfit that competes with Sweet and is located nearby on Pender Street.
"We often get girls after they have been through Sweet and they have a lot of ugly stories to tell," said Quinn, who believes fisting and urination videos are OK. "The biggest issue is the degradation to the girls. That's what we hear anyway."
Price, Damasco, Lyons and Baker will appear in court next month. A Sweet spokesperson was not available to comment at the Courier's press time.
Lang said anyone involved in the production of a Sweet video can contact him at 604-717-2586.
It's a good article and reflects accurately the mood of webmasters and talent in this town towards SWEET.
*******************
Police seized 100 Internet servers containing millions of frames of pornographic images from Sweet Entertainment's Downtown Eastside production studio. Photo by Dan Toulgoet.
Obscenity charges laid
By David Carrigg-Staff writer
City police want to talk to women used in the production of low-budget porn videos alleged to breach obscenity laws.
Sgt. Doug Lang, of the Vancouver Police Department's vice squad, said at least 100 girls have been recruited by a Downtown Eastside studio run by Sweet Entertainment Group. Lang is spearheading a year-long investigation into the company that recently culminated in obscenity charges being laid against four people.
"We are interviewing women weekly to try and help them. Some of them are telling us they were surprised by what they were requested to do. They were not acting against their will, but most people would be appalled by the material."
The porn recruitment, production and Internet distribution company formed in 1998 and includes a Beatty Street-based recruitment agency called Diverse Talents and a warehouse and production facility at 1624 Franklin St., in the heart of the Downtown Eastside's prostitution stroll. Many of the women were recruited from the area.
The company is hugely successful, with several thousand customers worldwide, and has been credited with creating "gonzo porn," where only the girl is on screen and is filmed by the male participant using a hand-held digital video camera.
Lang said the investigation was triggered by an Internet user in England, who was appalled at Sweet's pornographic productions and complained to Vancouver Police.
On March 13, police raided the Franklin Street studio and seized 60 Internet servers, though no criminal charges were laid. On Nov. 7, police again raided the studio and seized 100 Internet servers containing millions of frames of pornographic images.
Charges of possession of obscene videos for the purpose of distribution have been laid against Randy Price (aka Steve Sweet), Reyfemel Damasco, Stephen Lyons and Geoff Baker.
"We have about 100 computers and thousands of tapes and digital material that depicts various types of pornography, some of which we believe to be significantly obscene as defined by the criminal code," said Lang, adding police will try and get the city to revoke the business licence for Diverse Talents.
That agency bills itself as "supplying the adult industry with open-minded, energetic and interested models." It claims to be the largest Canadian porn-industry agency and offers a first contract worth $5,000.
One former model interviewed by the Courier, however, said she was paid only $150 to do an oral sex scene and that she would never work for Sweet Entertainment Group again. "I don't like being called a slut," said the young woman, who did not want to be identified.
Lang said that while pornography is legal in Canada, there are limits to how far a pornographer can go and what can be depicted. For example, in Canada, it is illegal to make pornography that combines bondage and intercourse.
Lang would not reveal the nature of the degrading scenes, however, an informed source said some of the scenes considered illegal include girls being urinated upon, having fists inserted in their vaginas and having weights attached to their labias.
"The principals behind the business are pushing the limits. I've seen the footage and the girls are not enjoying it. It is demeaning and degrading," Lang said.
Anthony Quinn is co-founder of Firm Productions, a porn production outfit that competes with Sweet and is located nearby on Pender Street.
"We often get girls after they have been through Sweet and they have a lot of ugly stories to tell," said Quinn, who believes fisting and urination videos are OK. "The biggest issue is the degradation to the girls. That's what we hear anyway."
Price, Damasco, Lyons and Baker will appear in court next month. A Sweet spokesperson was not available to comment at the Courier's press time.
Lang said anyone involved in the production of a Sweet video can contact him at 604-717-2586.
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