Sechrest, 29, has banked a decade's worth of industry experience in a variety of capacities, from Internet radio talk show host to nonsex actor, and as a promoter for club events and publicist for gay, straight and bisexual performers.
"I'm starting with a small stable of eight performers," he said. "I don't think I would ever want to take on more than 20 at a time. It's important that I be able to focus individual attention on the performers, and not just get them work, but build them into true superstars of the genre."
Sechrest's experience as a publicist is "an added bonus… it's exciting that with DV8 Casting, performers can be afforded a big marketing machine without having to be a studio exclusive," he added.
"We have a couple of amazing agencies out there already, but I felt I could bring my PR skills to the job," Sechrest told XBIZ. "I'm the one PR rep who has been able to book a lot of gay performers on mainstream venues like ‘The Howard Stern Show.’"
He will also flack his clients via his blogs and other print and web outlets. "I want to show who they are behind the scenes so their fans can get to know them and relate to them better. All of this increases public awareness of the performer and the more popular they are, the more their movies are going to sell and the more they are going to be paid."
Sechrest will continue as a publicist for "studios and straight performers and some non-adult ventures," he said. "I don't think that will change." The initial roster includes Phillip Aubrey, Ryan Foxxx, Josh Griffin, Beau Marcus, Jason Pitt, Shane Risk, Mason Ross and Josh Vaughn. He will rep them for video and web-exclusive adult work, as well as print gigs and live appearances.
"I'm looking specifically for performers who haven't yet reached their full potential," he said. "I have turned down some performers who are at their peak right now just because I don't know where else they can go. I'm interested in helping these guys build something for themselves, creating a name and a presence for them."
Initial gigs include placing Griffin in blue movie "Tackle" for Jet Set Productions, and landing Aubrey in Rascal Video's big-budget "Take."