WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — [from www.xbiz.com]- Adam & Eve founder Phil Harvey served as keynote speaker at the annual Free Speech Coalition Members Luncheon on Wednesday at the XBIZ State of the Industry Conference.
Following welcoming announcements and a 2008 wrap-up from FSC Executive Director Diane Duke, Harvey spoke about several topics of interest for adult industry professionals, including DVD sales and obscenity prosecution under the Obama administration.
He also discussed his experiences with Adam & Eve, as well as the future of sex.
Overall, Harvey painted an optimistic picture of the immediate future of the industry, calling the industry “recession-proof” and citing Obama’s nomination of David Ogden for deputy U.S. attorney general as a good sign.
“It looks to me like we’re recession proof,” Harvey said. “Last year and early this year, sales are not booming, and they’re not growing. But they don’t really appear to be impacted by the economy at all, so I think we should be grateful. For businesses that are in trouble, I think we should be looking to other causes than the economy.”
Harvey also gave his thoughts on industry concerns regarding DVD and Blu-ray.
“We’ve got five, six, seven or eight years of both DVD and Blu-ray sales,” he said. “A lot of folks think Blu-ray will be dominant, but that’s not something I have a sense on. That gives us time to respond and react, and we will.”
And on the subject of the future of sex, Harvey called it “generally pretty good,” and discussed the perception of sexuality in general.
“My company, as well as many others, make a big deal about how human sexuality is a beautiful part of meaningful relationships, but deep down we know it’s dirty,” he said. “When Woody Allen was asked whether he thought sex was dirty, he answered, ‘Only if it’s done right.’ I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that, and I think we understand that as an industry. I think and I hope that we will be able to help millions of people bring back just a little of that nasty thrill in their lives in the coming years.”
Harvey’s speech was met with several standing ovations from the audience.
Among the other speakers at the luncheon were FSC Membership Director Joanne Cachapero, Board Chairman Jeffrey Douglas and Board President Jim Everett. They spoke briefly about new member benefits, the latest changes to §2257 and several new member benefits.