Busted! Yes, the tie Derek wears in this promo pic for Journey to Italy is the same Jim Bentley (of Falcon fame) wore in “Matinee Idol” (with Ken Ryker). My tie, in fact. I’d long had a crush on Jim and when I landed the Production Manager gig on Matinee Idol, that tie was my not-so-subtle way to tell him. Same goes with Derek, when I cast him in “Journey”: he remains, to this very day, one of the most beautiful faces in porn (if not the most skilled at deep-throating). Don’t you think?
What went wrong?, you ask. Thom Barron fired –with no replacement. Tuscany flooded for 10 days in a row (and I mean flooded: thunderstorms, hale, you name it). All outdoor locations lost (carefully scouted in the months prior). The truck down on the freeway. Derek on the verge of a nervous breakdown and the rest of the cast/crew not far behind… More? How about newcomer Dario cumming into his condom? Or my mobile lost in the fields? “Journey” wasn’t meant to be, not in Catholic Italy. And yet we got to the finishing line (…to be continued. Pictured here Derek Cameron)
We began filming in May ’97, flew Derek Cameron from LA (our American star) and mixed a few European pros with the many Italian newcomers: Erik Kovak (on loan from BelAmi), Wolff (from Germany) and Thom Barron (the Men of Odyssey executive producer didn’t like him and sent him back home. Big mistake: Thom went on to become the Thom Barron everyone knows and one of Europe’s all time fave). Well, everything went wrong that could go wrong. Talk about a baptism by fire… (to be continued. Pictured here newcomer Davide Solari)
Compare BelAmi’s Harris Hilton and superstar Derek Cameron. From certain angles, they look like… twins. Sure, Harris is much taller (and younger). But look at nose, eyes, expression. Remarkable.
Writes Brent Blue in his review of “Gay Porn Heroes” (Bruno Gmuender): “Derek Cameron. For me, Derek Cameron has been and always will be my idea of the perfect porn star. Few men in gay porn have ever been as drop-dead gorgeous as Derek Cameron, as bodies, dicks and asses are far more valuable than faces. I had the opportunity to meet him once, and just couldn’t go up to him (he was still working in porn at the time and it was a porn event, so it wasn’t as if I were interrupting dinner). I was scared of the man I considered a porn god and knew I would go idiotically speechless if I met him. I’ve met bigger stars in and out of porn without the feeling, and damn how I regret not even shaking his hand and stammering an “I love your work.” Sparkling eyes, a body that needed nothing, a great dick (if underused) and, of course, that ass, perhaps the greatest of the 1990s.” (© mannet.com)
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Back in 1997 I fought for Derek with MenofOdyssey, who wanted Ken Ryker to star in “Journey to Italy” instead. I followed my heart (my guts?), MenofOdyssey caved in. Fast-forward to the Awards night: Derek and I at the table with Ryan Idol. But my eyes were all for Derek –who picked up his very first trophy for “Tradewinds”
Remember him in “Journey to Italy”, opposite Derek Cameron? Dario was Italy’s first gay porn star: his porn career was short-lived but he has left his mark and inspired many more Italians to follow into his steps
I had the pleasure to work with Derek back in 1997 on the set of “Journey to Italy”. The producers (Men of Odyssey) wanted a big name –such as Ken Ryker. I insisted on Derek: upon watching him in “Tradewinds”, I was taken with his good looks and, at the same time, his sexual prowess (if you’ve seen him deep throat Jeff Stryker, you know what I’m talking about). Journey was a success. In 1998, I flew Derek back to Italy for a public appearance at Milan’s MiSex and a show at the Art Club in Desenzano: the first porn star show in Italy. Ever. Here’s the picture that landed the cover of “Adam” magazine, distributed in all newsstands at the time.
