Gonzo, I have been with FSC for three years. During that time, Bill Margold has not worked for FSC. Bill has an important voice in our industry, but he speaks representing PAWS and not FSC.
When you refer to “Joan,” I assume you are speaking of Joan Irvine, the ED of ASACP, who contributes a great deal to the industry as well. She works tirelessly to separate the industry from the stigma of child pornography that right-wing fundamentalist often brand onto adult entertainment. ASACP and FSC are two different organizations; FSC is the adult entertainment industry’s trade association. The two organizations are not mutually exclusive, but rather compliment each other to serve the industry and ward off unwarranted government intervention.
Yes, Gonzo, FSC does take credit for blocking .XXX. We take credit for it because we (myself and Jeffrey Douglas) were the only ones there in Portugal, literally sitting outside meeting rooms with pictures of ICANN Board members to grab them and plead our case as they left their meeting rooms. I bribed the concierge to slip notes under Board members doors. We made such an impression that ICANN gave us 20 minutes of their Board meeting time to plead our case. One hundred and fifty countries were vying for time on that board agenda and we got 20 minutes--unheard of. In the end, we, the adult entertainment industry prevailed.
Similar stories exist about 2257, tax on adult entertainment, piracy, OSHA, production insurance, member benefits and so much more. You say you don’t know me and that is true. I believe that FSC’s greatest shortcoming is lack of communication. We do a great deal for the industry but you hear about very little. We spend more time working on the issues than talking about them. I do not believe that that is a good thing in that it keeps people like you from being involved in, and communicating about the important issues that we are tackling. Our staff--Keah, Kim and Joanne and I--do all that we have spoken of with a budget of just a little over $500K. To put that in perspective, MPAA, mainstream entertainment’s trade association, has a budget of $120 million.
We have a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors who support our efforts and give a great deal of their personal time and resources to further the work of FSC.
I love my job and am humbled and honored to be a part of this incredible and dynamic industry. I appreciate you providing me with the opportunity to answer your very valid concerns.