It’s no small miracle that Bryan Ockert even has time to talk about his passion. For all intents, ChaosMen is a one-man band that has its creator working 16-hour days, seven days a week. Multiply that by nearly 10 years, and you have an idea of how very tired the president/producer must be.
“I’m not sure when I had vacation last, maybe three years ago?” Ockert muses. “My parents help out with accounting and bookkeeping. I have a friend who helps retouch images and clean up around the house/office/studio. He also is a great package designer, so DVDs and the site re-vamp have a professional touch to them. I have someone part time to help edit the videos, and Ransom — one of my longest working models — is now helping out on full-interactive shoots, manning a second camera and helping me get models from point A to B. But I still pretty much do it all, from scheduling flights, picking models up at the airport/hotel, shooting, editing and even doing the laundry.”
I went with ‘themes’ where I could control the environment around me, make sure I have the best audio and lighting, and then concentrated on the vibe and energy of each video.
And over the years, Ockert has been responsible for dirtying a lot of laundry — both in his 5,000-square-foot studio in Texas, and in the homes of the legion of fans that have kept the studio thriving for nearly a decade or more, depending on when you start counting. Ockert began an online journal in 1998 (starting with photosets), the name shifting from ChaosMeninAustin to its current moniker in 2005 when he added video to the site (“I started with a solo of myself, likely one of the first selfie vids on the net!”). He broke through in 2008, when the first installment in his “Edge” series won Best Amateur Video at the GAYVN Awards — repeating the honor with Vol. 2 in 2009, when he also won Best Amateur Site. Over the years he has gone from posting one new video a week to three or four.
He’s been doing something right. ChaosMen recently signed a content deal with Sureflix Digital Distribution Inc. “I am hoping the added exposure will perk some interest and get guys to come shop at my little boutique porn site,” Ockert says. “Sureflix is a great match-up to get some of my DVDs new life, and also draws attention to ChaosMen.”
He also recently completed a two-year project of overhauling the site, re-mastering many of the 1,400 videos and their photosets. He also amped up the features to make the site more personable, like a queue along with “watch” and “favorites” lists. The site is now designed in “responsive” HTML, allowing it to adapt by giving viewers a full-featured site no matter their device. 1080p should soon be showing up soon, and Ockert hasn’t ruled out straight or bi-themed shoots — a frequent request from many of his models (“The new version of ChaosMen is about finished, so it is time to think about other markets I could be reaching”) — nor as he ruled out exploring his surroundings.
“I have a lot of respect for studios that can go on location, often in foreign lands, or even having access to a multi-million dollar mansion. Some are shot beautifully, but you can tell they are struggling with all the things that can go wrong at an ‘on location’ shoot: It’s too hot, the sun is setting, the wind is blowing out the mics, a model can’t stay hard, mosquitoes, no place to use a bathroom or someone gets hungry. I like those shoots though if they are simple and no plot,” Ockert says. “Plot videos are my least favorite. Bad acting and implausible scenarios turn me off, so I likely will never produce something like that. But a simple location shoot would be fun to try.”
Instead, he has found a happy medium: “I went with ‘themes’ where I could control the environment around me, make sure I have the best audio and lighting, and then concentrated on the vibe and energy of each video. Keep it simple. A dude getting serviced while watching straight porn, or a massage table setting or even bathroom glory hole all lend itself to creating the ambience but not having to skip through plot. I think many viewers, particularly mobile viewers, still have slow video connections, and having to scrub through a lot of plot is frustrating. Having a video that still has a theme but gets right down to business is the sweet spot for me.”
In addition to the oral heavy “Edge,” “Serviced” and “G:hOle” themes, Ockert also has a “Shear Chaos” theme with fucking to accompany the solos and newer “Rubbed” offerings — appearing himself in front of the camera in many of the “Edge” scenes, where he brings studs to the brink with his own mouth and cock.
“I definitely have control issues. I like the idea of having a guy by the balls… well…dick, and making them squirm and stay on the edge of coming. It’s satisfying also because they never seem to expect that they will even get hard, yet they end up having a powerful orgasm. Full sex is fun, but there is something uniquely challenging about making a guy cum from oral — like finding that one technique that has them squirming and squirting,” Ockert says, quickly stressing that he is surprised by his success with finding guys who want to get sucked off by him.
“I always have models that say they want to do a scene with me, which I find bewildering. At first I thought it was just money they wanted, but there are guys who like the silver daddy type. I have really limited the full-interactive videos to just be with the guys that are truly into it, and I think it makes for the best chemistry,” he says. “I do understand that perhaps the paying audience is mature like me, and they like seeing the older ‘dawg’ take on the young pup. But I definitely limit these scenes to just be an occasional ‘bossy’ theme on the site. Plus, it is much harder to maintain an acceptable weight as I near 50. Commenters on blogs don’t pull any punches!”
He adds that the “Edge” videos have changed somewhat, but he doesn’t do many because there are only so many surprises he can pull for the fantasy elements. “They used to be just a fancy ‘Serviced’ video of a guy getting head. But now I can integrate full sex, and push some of the fetish activity found in most. I have more guys who can professionally give head, so I can bow out and let them take charge of the guys tied up in the chair,” he says, noting that he usually only does one oral scene a month and roughly one fucking scene a year — with October seeing the release of his pairing with Cooper Reed.
“We definitely have some mutual chemistry, so it was very intense to do. He has always had to jerk himself off in order to cum in a scene. I am pretty sure I am the only guy that has made him cum using on my own skills, all while fucking him. That’s a power trip!”
While Ockert says the more ripped models are usually more popular, he doesn’t stick to that look — preferring the men be as natural as possible. “Natural body hair is very popular, and tattoos are always a tougher sell, but its becoming virtually impossible to find a guy with a blank canvas. I am always looking for the sexy ‘attainable’ type of guy. The super-hot muscle guys are great to have, but sometimes it can be hard to relate to them as you might think they would never give you the time of day in the real world. So I like guys that have a sexiness about them that I think that — given a little serendipity — you might actually end up having a sex with.”
Ockert says the most rewarding part of his job (and the industry) is helping some of the men who are struggling financially or have some sort of emergency get out of tight spots and back on their feet (even if the money isn’t as good as it was a few years ago).
“Some have legal problems, like DUI and weed charges, and that makes it nearly impossible for them to maintain a job; while others are hard workers, holding down several jobs. And then we have the college guys who are trying to get through school, only wanting to work now and then so they can focus on their studies. ChaosMen pretty much put Vander and others through undergrad school, and he is now going for his master’s,” Ockert shares, adding that the vast majority come from referrals by other models.
“They have a good time, enjoy traveling, find the video work to not be ‘work’ after all, and generally have an unexpected exciting adventure,” he continues. “I really can’t compare myself to the models. I am pretty good at giving head and making guys nut, so it was a skill I could utilize. Plus, I am cheap labor, so it made economic sense. I have done three or four full-interactive videos. I enjoy doing them, but I don’t enjoy editing the vids. It’s like listening to your own recorded voice and cringing. Every flaw is apparent! As for guys contacting me to get head, I think that has happened a dozen times over the years. What is more likely to happen is the guy will come in only to do a solo, then gets comfortable with me and asks that I do it with them. Jury is still out on why this happens. Is it because they just feel comfortable with me and don’t want to meet another guy, or that there is some genuine sexual interest?”
If the growing model and fan base is any indication, we’re guessing the interest is genuine.
