It was ten year’s ago that the original and best site for lovers of hot men in suits, MenatPlay, hit the interweb. To celebrate, we sent former MenatPlay assistant and current QX Deputy Editor Lee Dalloway to chat with the men behind those executive pleasures, Andy Thomas and Adrian Wilkie…
Picture it. London. July 2002. A young couple armed with little more than a digital pocket camera began photographing suited fellas in the hope of earning some extra cash to supplement their graphic design company, not realizing that a decade later they would have one of the most successful niche adult websites in the world.
“When we started MenatPlay there was barely anything on the web that catered for people like me who like guys in suits, apart from a few Yahoo groups,” says Andy. “It turns out that there were thousands of guys out there into the same thing and we had an amazing response. It grew so quickly we had to give up our day jobs to run the site.”
Under the pseudonyms Matt Jordan and Rico, Andy and Adrian began shooting themselves, erm, ‘in action’, occasionally inviting friends and other actors to appear in photoshoots and films. “We had no idea what we were doing,” confesses Adrian, “We pretty much learnt how to make and edit movies as we went along.”
“I look back at some of those really early films and cringe,” chips in Andy. “I can’t imagine what some of the models must have thought watching these two guys fumbling with a digital camera in the bedroom of our flat,” as they both collapse into giggles.
Now simply business partners rather than life partners, Andy and Adrian have a great rapport, and a hugely successful working relationship, thanks to the combination of Andy’s love of suited fellas, top filmmaking/editing skills and a drive for high production values, coupled with Adrian’s shrewd business brain, a keen knowledge of what guys want from their porn and a broader love of all things men! It’s this combination that has helped the company stay successful at a time when a number of studios in the adult entertainment industry are struggling to keep amidst a plethora of free porn.
The company had already been running for five years when I joined as a Production Assistant in 2007, and the three things that surprised me were, firstly, how far and wide the subscribers came from. A large chunk were from the USA, but the site has dedicated followers from all over Europe, Australia, Indonesia, India and plenty of countries I’d never even heard of! The second was how and long the filmmaking process was – it takes hours of stop/start filming and editing/re-editing to create the quality MenatPlay movies you know and love. Third, was how hardcore some of the suit lovers could be. Shirts had to be ironed and crisp, suits had to be top quality, shoes polished – yeah, guess who had to do all that!
“There are now two types of MenatPlay subscribers,” says Andy. “The ones who are there purely for the suits and complain when the models take off the clothes too quickly. Then there are those who have wider tastes and just want a good movie – they want us to get on with the action! It can be a really delicate balance to please both sides”.
The years since I left Menatplay have also seen a huge number of advances in technology. “Ten years ago, I thought no-one would want to watch porn on their mobile phone,” says Adrian, “But now, mobile porn has exploded, and it’s important to stay on top of changing technology. You’re going to see some real steps forward from us on that front, such as relaunching the website with iPad and Android compatible streaming and downloads, and we’ll also be expanding MenatPlay in ways we think people will really respond to.”
Professionally it’s been a triumph for the boys, but has working in porn with lots of gorgeous models had a negative affect on their personal lives? “Yes!” they both reply in unison. “Working in gay porn isn’t always the best career when you’re trying to have a relationship,” says Andy. “Partners have been jealous that my job revolves around naked men having sex, but when you’re looking at it day in day out, it becomes very much like work, not sexy or glamorous.”
“I’ve had the same thing,” adds Adrian. ‘Thankfully, I’m now in a relationship with someone who’s really cool about what I do. In fact, he actually loves telling people that I run Menatplay, which I’m really thankful for.”
With the tenth birthday rapidly approaching, there’s not much time to sit around getting sentimental. The guys are currently planning a scorching hot show at this year’s HustlaBall, featuring a raft of MenatPlay superstars! But from everyone at QX, congratulations on ten great years, and here’s to many more.
• Log on to www.menatplay.com for plenty of hot, suited action. This year’s HustlaBall takes place on 7th July, see www.hustlaball.com for more information.
