After several years of directing for Hot House Entertainment, Falcon, Zeus and Can Am, Ward founded Raging Stallion in 1999 along with business partner JD Slater. While he says he enjoys gonzo, Ward has concentrated on bigger-budget features because it’s what he knows best.
“My own background is in making high-end features, and it has always been my preference [as a filmmaker],” he told XBiz, “but I do like gonzo.”
Ward said being a studio head for the past seven years is the best job he’s ever had, but credits studio partners, employees and performers as the key to his longevity in the industry.
“Several talented people came into my life and made Raging Stallion possible,” he said. “JD Slater, of course, who tricked me into starting the company against my better judgment; Kent Taylor, who really runs the whole show in addition to being the head photographer; and Michael Brandon.”
The two-disc set of “Manifesto” does not contain any special features; rather, the feature itself runs four hours in length and features the return of formerly retired performer Michael Vincenzo to the industry.
Raging Stallion exclusives Remy Delaine, Francois Sagat, Huessein and Justin Christopher also star along with Jay Black, Michael Foxx, Fred Faurtin, Derrick Hanson and Tamas Eszterhazy.
Slater provides the music for the soundtrack.
Ward said the company had a bit of a dilemma deciding how aggressively to promote the fact that “Manifesto” is his 100th movie.
“We’re still basking in the success of ‘Arabesque,’ which is the No. 1 [gay adult] movie in the country right now, so we were kind of caught in middle of how to promote ‘Manifesto’ without taking energy away from that,” he said.
The solution was to forgo print advertising in favor of printing several thousand glossy posters that will be sent to “every gay establishment in the country,” Ward added.
