Nearly two years ago, Nick Fitt was briefly thrust into the media spotlight at the XBIZ Awards when he joined five other men clad only in jock straps — all of them notable performers from gay adult — as they carried host Stormy Daniels into the audience atop a glittering golden palanquin. Photos and video clips of the moment traveled around the internet for several days. Fitt is still dazzled by the experience. “It was a lot heavier than it looked,” he says with a laugh. “But, yes, I can say I helped carry Stormy Daniels into the XBIZ Awards. Thank you for that!”
Fitt recently signed a contract with Icon Male to serve as an exclusive performer and brand ambassador with a broader, more comprehensive reach than one might expect. With the encouragement of Jon Blitt, VP of Icon Male parent company Mile High Media, Fitt has also stepped into a behind-the-scenes role and now assists in all aspects of production from budgeting and casting to marketing and post-shoot follow-ups with their performers.
I think the straight girls have it down. It’s business, business, business, business. Everyone’s LLC’ed up... I think the gay boys sometimes lack a little bit of direction.
Fitt returned to adult a few years ago, after an absence of more than a decade, and quickly transitioned to working as a production manager for Chi Chi LaRue. His personal sense of responsibility and eye for detail made the gig — no pun intended — a good fit and brought him to the attention of Jon Blitt, who welcomed his ideas about how to fine-tune certain aspects of the production process for Mile High (“I was on the phone with Jon this morning and I told him I’d say nice things about him,” Fitt quips.)
Fitt neatly exemplifies the modern adult star who deftly balances studio shoots and self-produced fare with social media engagement and entrepreneurship: Fitt also co-owns a company that helps homeowners shift to solar energy. In fact, their business exploded during the coronavirus lockdown this past year as homeowners sought to trim expenditures; the company is now prepping an expansion from Southern California to Nevada.
And that job is not even Fitt’s first run at managing a company: he also steered a nonprofit dedicated to sexual health and wellness, with a focus on educating his community about Truvada and pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.
“I want to help people,” he tells XBIZ. “I had a neighbor who got solar and they were saving $600 a month. I thought, ‘We can help people. It’s better for people, it’s better for the planet. It’s better for everybody.’ So I started a company from the ground-up and we have been pretty successful. It’s not just rich people in the Hollywood Hills who are counting their money. It’s people who were behind in their mortgage because of COVID and now they can start getting caught up. We do everything from the sales to the install, permitting, we do it all. And it's helping average, everyday people. That’s a good feeling.”
XBIZ sat down with Fitt to discuss his recent achievements and future goals, in these unprecedented times.
XBIZ: I understand your role as an exclusive and brand ambassador for Icon Male is more comprehensive than it appears. Can you give me some details?
Fitt: Aside from being exclusive, the role that I’m playing is to elevate production [like] making better casting decisions. Not only are we casting people who are popular, but people who are a positive influence in the industry, who are career- and goal-oriented, who are looking to do something with this [career]. And we’re looking for ways to continue educating and spread the word on PrEP and end stigma with HIV within the industry. That’s our major objective.
XBIZ: Okay, we could probably talk for an hour just about one of these things…
Fitt: [Laughs]
XBIZ: The HIV thing —
Fitt: HIV [in the industry] is like this election that just happened. There’s half on one side and half on the other side and there’s no middle ground. Yeah, it’s a lot. But what we’re doing is working to bring that to an end through continued education.
XBIZ: Let’s talk about the casting improvements you mentioned.
Fitt: Jon is using me on the production side for casting. Not only top talent, but career-minded people.
XBIZ: What does that mean in this context?
Fitt: They’re trying to hire like-minded individuals or career-oriented individuals who see the potential adult has, apart from just being a [paycheck]. People who actually want to learn how to write, learn how to direct, learn how to be a production assistant or do something else behind the camera as well as [perform]. That’s part of my role; to help integrate people who want to learn.
XBIZ: How did this fall into your lap?
Fitt: I started doing this because Chi Chi LaRue asked me to stay after a shoot and fold T-shirts. I never thought I was going to become the production manager. I must have folded those T-shirts really well! It just grew into more and more responsibilities. Now I work with directors on budgeting; I help with marketing. It’s an all-inclusive behind-the-scenes role. But our idea is to help people in front of and behind the camera essentially reach their goals and their full potential. And then to be [online] helping them maximize their OnlyFans. Do they need that help? Is there something we can do to help cross-promote? I think the straight girls have it down. It’s business, business, business, business. Everyone’s LLC’ed up. They know what they’re doing. It’s about getting to the next level. I think the gay boys [sometimes] lack a little bit of direction. We’re trying to offer some clarity and direction, not only with sexual health, but how to comfortably make this a long-term career without having to have multiple jobs.
XBIZ: You want to help them see they have options.
Fitt: And you can actually do something with this. Instead of a three-year run, maybe it’s a 10-year or 15-year option for people.
XBIZ: By the way, I was a production manager for years and years. I know the work that goes into it.
Fitt: It’s not easy. I wanted to cry this morning [laughs].
XBIZ: That’s how you know you’re a real production manager.
Fitt: When you’re in a scene, and you’re also the production manager, and people come and ask you technical questions while you’re trying to — you know.
XBIZ: I know. Well, no, I don’t. Not quite like that. But I do understand.
Fitt: “Yes, I have the answer to that question, but could you just be a little more self-sufficient right now?”
XBIZ: Yeah, it’s a lot of juggling.
Fitt: I lose sleep over this stuff [laughs]. I do think it enhances my [work] as a performer. It goes hand-in-hand. I’m always open to the camera; I know what the still photographer wants. I know this-and-that. So we get through my scenes really quickly and everyone’s happy with everything. It’s stuff like that that can be taught to models, too. Little tweaks and fixes to help people become optimal and hirable, I would say. If you come in and you know what needs to happen and you do a good job, and you treat it like a business, not a hookup, companies value that. With all the studios taking a hit because of COVID, while OnlyFans and [fan sites] surge, I think it’s important for people to understand that this really is a unique opportunity to work with the studios, especially since so few people are shooting right now.
XBIZ: You’ve started to answer my next question. What is the benefit of doing all this extra work for Icon Male? It seems you’re saying that you’re looking beyond just this content you’re creating right now.
Fitt: You can quote me on this: I turned 35 this year. How many more years is this going to go on in front of the camera? [Laughs] I recognize that everything has a shelf life, and sometimes stars lose their luster a little bit. I want to be better poised for what Phase Two or Three of a career in adult looks like. It’s like any job; you find where you fit in best.
XBIZ: The best shoots are usually the ones where everyone is aware of how hard everyone else is hustling.
Fitt: Working behind the camera, it really is eye-opening as to how much work and effort and money and time goes into each production.
XBIZ: People have no idea.
Fitt: Before I was exclusive and I’d go to work for Falconor Men.com or something, I know they enjoyed me there because I understand how much money they’re spending as the minutes tick by. It gives you a better appreciation for everything that’s happening on set.
XBIZ: When you have to sit down with a director and say, “Look, we only have this mansion until 6 p.m. and it’s going to take an hour to clean up and put everything back together. You might need to reconceive how you want to shoot all of this dialogue.”
Fitt: “We need everybody right now! We need to get out of here!”
XBIZ: Fun times.
Fitt: From that to writing, to being able to work in marketing, it’s been fun and I’m very thankful that Jon has trusted me with so much and that he’s allowed me to be as involved as I am. The directors welcome it, also. I’m definitely not coming for anybody’s job. I don’t think I want to be a director.
XBIZ: I was just going to ask. It seems like a natural transition.
Fitt: I’m very fortunate to be able to work with the different directors who come in. I think sometimes they’re a little protective, but once I show all my cards and they see I have nothing to lose or gain, then they call me every day. It’s a really smooth fit. Once they realize you’re not a threat and you’re willing to do the work and to learn from other people who have been there before you, and not be a know-it-all, then you can [build] the relationship. And it just started from folding T-shirts. I just did a really good job folding T-shirts one day.
XBIZ: Clearly, you did.
Fitt: Chi Chi LaRue needed somebody after [shooting] a scene; the house was a mess. I put things back and staged the house and folded wardrobe and that turned into this [job].
XBIZ: I want you to know how much I appreciate that work. Many, many times after a 10- or 12-hour shoot day, when I just wanted to go home, I had to stay behind and help re-stage the house. I feel you.
Fitt: Absolutely. It’s not beneath me. It’s not beneath me to do that for an extra $200.
XBIZ: Right.
Fitt: I never looked at it that way. I’ve always looked at it as, “Is this a door that will lead to something else? Is this a good opportunity? If I don’t like it, I don’t ever have to do it again.” If you chase dollars it will never come to you, but if you naturally allow a progression and a flow, you can become the richest person in the world.
XBIZ: Okay, so how did all of this start happening for you?
Fitt: I was on Instagram one day and I got a message from Chi Chi LaRue. I thought, “Why the hell would she message me?” There was a [production] moratorium at the time. “She said, ‘Everything’s on hold right now, but you should come work for me.’ I said, ‘Listen, I did porn when I was 18 or 19. I shot two scenes and I walked away from it.’ Doing porn is like eating chips. You can’t just have one or two, you have to eat the whole bag and then you go get another one. I said “no” five times.
XBIZ: You clearly changed your mind.
Fitt: I went and did one scene for Noir Male. It went over really well. And then Chi Chi said someone dropped out of her next movie and asked if I would shoot a second scene. This is the part where the chips analogy comes in.
XBIZ: You went and ate the chips.
Fitt: It was very smooth and went really well. And that’s when she said, “I need some extra help. Do you think you can organize some paperwork and help me put these lamps back?” And I thought, “Yeah, I can do that.” I had canceled the rest of the day because I didn’t know how long the shoot was going to go. And she kept asking me to come back and help her. I became a permanent fixture and eventually I met Jon Blitt and it continued to grow and blossom from there.
XBIZ: You just turned 35 and you did your first movies when you were 18 or 19. That’s quite a leap of time.
Fitt: Yes. I came back when I was 31 or 32. I worked for Twinks.com twice under the name “Ryan B.” We shot in Laguna Beach in this beautiful house. We did two scenes. And I was like, “You know what? This was fun, but it’s just not for me.” It was kind of disorganized and I didn’t like spending all day on the set. So I left and I never really thought about it again until Chi Chi messaged me.
XBIZ: And she just randomly found you on Instagram?
Fitt: I had made an OnlyFans with two scenes! I wasn’t even looking for extra income. It wasn’t supposed to even be a “thing.” But she found me.
XBIZ: Are you working on anything else right now you want to mention?
Fitt: I’ve been in a relationship for a year-and-a-half with Clark Davis. He’s also a personal trainer and he kicks my ass to keep me in shape.
XBIZ: I wanted to ask you about that. Choosing a name like “Nick Fitt” clearly indicates you’re setting a high bar for yourself.
Fitt: It’s a tall order.
XBIZ: And he kicks your butt.
Fitt: His idea of snacks are not my idea of snacks. His idea of healthy eating is not my idea of healthy eating. But he does kick my ass and keep me regimented. I’m a Type-A personality and it’s hard to give in and listen to somebody else. But he’s been right about everything this whole time. I need to follow everything that he says to get the results that I want. He would love to read that in print.
XBIZ: Done. So this is a very comprehensive thing you’ve got here.
Fitt: It is. And it’s a lot of stuff people wouldn’t know if we didn’t sit down and talk about it like this. You’re not going to see a lot of the changes and tweaks.
XBIZ: Right, I understand.
Fitt: But I think that we’re onto something. Jon and I have created a unique relationship where we can call each other and toss ideas around and vent about stuff. We’ve been able to problem-solve, and a lot of it is stuff you’re never going to see or hear about. And so when Jon said he wanted me as the face of Icon Male, it was with a different idea of what that face would look like.
XBIZ: It feels like an evolved version of customer service.
Fitt: Obviously we want to hire people who are popular and who sell. We’re a business and we want to make money. But now we do exit interviews. We ask everybody, “Did you like working with us? What did you like? What can we do that’s better?”
XBIZ: I am honestly surprised more studios don’t do that.
Fitt: “Do you like your scene rate? Do you know about PrEP?” It benefits me in no way financially to ask, “Do you know about this?” We’re trying to create something different. Really, there’s no guidebook to how to be an adult film star. We’re trying to show that it’s not just about coming in and fucking. There’s some humanity involved. “Did you enjoy your hotel? Do you want to stay somewhere else? How was the drive here?” I think sometimes we miss the humanity [of this work]. I think we’re being asked to do that [as an industry]. They don’t work for companies, they work for people. We want them to know they’re coming to set to work with Jon Blitt, Ricky Greenwood and Nick Fitt, not just Icon Male. These guys really care and they’re doing their best to take care of you. It’s those little, small things that make a huge difference. We’re just doing what we can to make it better for people.
Image source: IconMale.com
