Please comment on our new PSA

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Originally Posted by A_DeAngelo

I strongly urge you to work with local community groups and resources in San Francisco to develop your message and define the audience it is to reach

there is ample research, data and staff available for the purpose of effectively educating people on HIV and AIDS - you may even receive their endorsement

by doing so, the message will be credible and believable and should achieve your goals...

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That's an excellent idea... and I think that Jesse will probably make some connections in Toronto for the same purpose. We are actually closer to Sacramento, where there are some very innovative and well-funded prevention programs.

We have also been looking at a longer (30-60 minute) video on HIV among gay youth, ideally including young guys in the industry who are positive and willing to speak about their experiences, which would be done in cooperation with a community group, and which we would distribute free to gay youth centers around the US... the catch so far is the lack of willingness of most of the guys we've approached to speak publicly about their status.

Well here I am. I just have to say this.
Your PSA is an AD and nothing else.
He lets the whole world know that he is your latest exclusive and that he works for you.

As a man that has HIV for half of my life, I have never seen a more uneducated spokesman to get your point across. Jesse may have good intentions but he just sounds like he started working in hiv/aids field last week.

Also what you have in this "PSA" is a kid saying to other guys his age not to buy something that is "bad to see"
We have seen time and time again that if you tell people that you should not buy this or that because it is wrong to do that. people come looking to see what they are missing!! I cant understand why you would do that unless you own a bareback line too.
And what about the BI men out there. Most all straight and Bi videos are really "BAREBACK" films too. Should they not buy those as well??
You may want to say instead of "dont buy this" is "buying condom videos will help promote a safer sex lifestyle.

That said I am all for PSA's. We have one at the start of all of our videos.
but you should make it a real PSA about the health and well being of your audience. because in the real world there is just as much chance of people not using protection while seeing any video. Yours or mine.
I hope this is helpful.

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Originally Posted by gaybucks_chip

We have also been looking at a longer (30-60 minute) video on HIV among gay youth, ideally including young guys in the industry who are positive and willing to speak about their experiences, which would be done in cooperation with a community group, and which we would distribute free to gay youth centers around the US... the catch so far is the lack of willingness of most of the guys we've approached to speak publicly about their status.

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I see a possible collaborative effort here. We have been working on a major project (privately) for over a year....

Well I think the effort and good intentions speak just fine.

Try adding some musical accompanyment to the background. It could be something classical....something snappy, not flowery, like a march.

Steve

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Originally Posted by Matt 26z

An estimated 20-25% of all HIV+ men don't even know they are positive. So go and just "talk about it" with one of these men and see where that gets you.

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Talking about it will get you the information that this guy hasn't been tested. That's important information to have. While you might be inclined to bareback with a known-negative guy in a moment of heated passion, knowing that the guy has never been tested (or hasn't been tested recently) is good information to have. And even if you're never going to bareback, if a condom breaks, it's still very good information to have ... there is such a thing as the morning after cocktail.

Any information is better than none.

Michael

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Originally Posted by Dzinerbear

What the fuck are you trying to say? That 25 years ago, before we knew that AIDS existed, before we knew that men needed to use condoms, that I made a bad decision by letting some guy fuck me without a condom?

I sure hope that's not what you're saying, but I'll wait for your response before I rip you a new asshole.

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People like you are obviously the truly innocent victims of HIV.

However I still think that if a message is effective and it doesn't increase the social stigma of the HIV+, then it shouldn't be taken off the table just because some feelings might be hurt.

You know, Matt, you just haven't got a clue.

People become infected for all kinds of reasons: broken condoms, infected blood, they were stupid, they didn't know any better, they were raped, they were conned, they thought it would never happen to them, they didn't have enough self esteem to say "no", they were drunk, they were high, they're macho husband wouldn't wear a condom and they couldn't say no ...

Your insensitive comment is unbelievable, cruel, and judgemental. I sure hope you're never sitting on the other side of the fence.

Wow! The stupid things people say.
Michael

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Originally Posted by Dzinerbear

You know, Matt, you just haven't got a clue.

People become infected for all kinds of reasons: broken condoms, infected blood, they were stupid, they didn't know any better, they were raped, they were conned, they thought it would never happen to them, they didn't have enough self esteem to say "no", they were drunk, they were high, they're macho husband wouldn't wear a condom and they couldn't say no ...

Your insensitive comment is unbelievable, cruel, and judgemental. I sure hope you're never sitting on the other side of the fence.

Wow! The stupid things people say.
Michael

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If an anti HIV campaign was conceived that was wildly successful, you wouldn't want it put out if it was insensitive to those who are already HIV positive????

Just thinking off the top of my head here...

Guys sitting around a poker table talking about all ways to die like a real man. One guy says wrestling a shark. They all yell YEAH! and shake their fists. So we see video of a man about to have his head bit off. The next guy says jumping the Grand Canyon on my Harley. WOO HOO! High five! We are shown a man driving off a ramp into the Canyon. Then they get to the next guy and he says AIDS! That doesn't get quite the same reaction. The final clip is actual video of a man with AIDS just before he dies and a message at the end.

Of course, the HIV+ people will be upset since they are told that medications will in fact keep them alive. So what are you going to do?

This is the sort of thing I'm talking about.

Why not state facts.

Things like methamphetamine use and multiple partners have been causes to infection but are not the absolute truths for awareness.

It's like an anti smoking advertisement telling me that smoking may cause my in-utero fetus to suffer complications. I'm a guy... how is this fact applicable?

Your PSA is aimed at men. Presumingly at men who watch Gay porn. (based on current PSA sample)

It's also assumed your PSA is only based on the idea of Bareback infections. again, not the absolute cause to HIV/AIDS transmissions or infections.

I think, if you keep this in mind and use the advised method of talking to organizations founded, funded and working on an already tested module you will get a better response.

Next time I come by this kettle of fish I'll think twoce about lifting the lid. LOL.

Chad, for the sake of sparing the board any more of this quaint sparring match, I’d be happy to rebut your comments in private. While I think you have good intentions, I do believe you’re too focused on fighting reality rather than accepting it and working from within that framework of acceptance.

I do have a suggestion for your PSA/ad:

You could instead have the model say. “I only support the companies that produce safer-sex videos because I believe those companies aren’t putting their performers at risk of getting HIV.” Worded this way, your model is stating an opinion rather than presenting them as facts that could invite criticism and possibly be disproved. Those viewers who respect his credentials will take what he says to heart, and those who aren’t impressed may still respect the message. Keep the message personal and positive… half-full rather than half-empty.

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While I'd be delighted to see a world where there's no demand for porn featuring unsafe sex and therefore no one produced it (as well as a world where everyone treated each other as they'd want to be treated), I would, at the same time, stand up for your right to produce it if someone tried to ban it on censorship or obscenity grounds, because as soon as we allow any sort of restriction on speech, it's a dangerous precedent.

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Howabout we put our collective creative visualization toward seeing a world where there's no HIV instead? Every time you vilify barebacking you compound the negativity that detracts from the positive goal. Barebacking videos are not the problem our society faces. HIV is. Be clear with yourself on that.

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Originally Posted by Dzinerbear

Sure, I'd love to talk to him.

Cheers
Michael

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Be sure to wear a condom. :D

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Originally Posted by Xstr8guy

Be sure to wear a condom. :D

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Please I'm nearly old enough to be his grandfather, I think a condom would be the least of my worries.

Michael

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Originally Posted by CamCruise

Well here I am. I just have to say this.
Your PSA is an AD and nothing else.
He lets the whole world know that he is your latest exclusive and that he works for you.

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Sorry you feel that way. Jesse has been our exclusive for 2-1/2 years. He hasn't shot any new content in 2 years. He visited AJ and I in December as a friend, not to shoot new content (sorry, Brian!) and we got the idea of shooting the PSA while we were tossing around ideas about how we could make a difference. That's why it's rather thrown together... little production time or planning, just a first cut at an idea.

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As a man that has HIV for half of my life, I have never seen a more uneducated spokesman to get your point across. Jesse may have good intentions but he just sounds like he started working in hiv/aids field last week.

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Thanks for your kind words. As I said above, he was working off of a script that AJ and I wrote, so we are the ignorant ones, and I completely acknowledge that the piece was not as well researched as it should have been. We weren't aiming for a professionally produced piece with this first one, but it should have been factually accurate and more considerate of positive people in its terminology.

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Also what you have in this "PSA" is a kid saying to other guys his age not to buy something that is "bad to see"
We have seen time and time again that if you tell people that you should not buy this or that because it is wrong to do that. people come looking to see what they are missing!! I cant understand why you would do that unless you own a bareback line too.

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He said that choosing safe content helps to keep models safe, and promotes healthier sexual practices. He didn't say it was "bad." Jesse is generally very careful about using neutral and positive language as a result of his counseling training.

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You may want to say instead of "dont buy this" is "buying condom videos will help promote a safer sex lifestyle.
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I think that's what he did say.

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That said I am all for PSA's. We have one at the start of all of our videos.
but you should make it a real PSA about the health and well being of your audience. because in the real world there is just as much chance of people not using protection while seeing any video. Yours or mine.
I hope this is helpful.

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Agreed, and I'm getting a lot of ideas that Pat (our filmmaker/editor) and AJ and I and Jesse will all make use of.

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Originally Posted by Dzinerbear

Please I'm nearly old enough to be his grandfather, I think a condom would be the least of my worries.

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Looks like you're venturing into the realm of being a bottom sugar daddy :develish:

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Originally Posted by Dzinerbear

Please I'm nearly old enough to be his grandfather, I think a condom would be the least of my worries.

Michael

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Yikes. If you're old enough to be his grandfather, I think I'm a little older than you, so you're scaring me :)