Nova Studios

Nova Studios was a gay pornographic film studio established by Scott Masters in 1977. It closed in 1986.

In 1969, Masters (then using the pseudonym "Robert Walters") began producing hardcore gay male nude magazines. By the end of the year, he was producing as many as six magazines a month.

In 1970, Masters produced his first film, Drilled Deep. It was a "loop" (an 8mm short film, roughly 200 feet in length, designed to run over and over in peep shows), and starred Jim Cassidy—at the time a popular underground hardcore gay porn star. To distribute his films, Masters established his first adult film business, The Stephens Agency. While Masters directed and produced films on a contract basis for distributors, he retained the right to sell the loops via direct mail. The Stephens Agency was his direct mail operation. Masters closed the distribution business in 1972 because it was unprofitable. However, he continued to direct loops, working alongside former Hollywood lighting technician and cinematographer Jim Randall.

Despite a conviction in Texas in 1970 for obscenity, by 1976 Masters had directed more than 100 loops.

In 1973, Masters directed his first feature-length hardcore gay adult film. The film was Greek Lightning, produced for Jaguar Productions and starring gay porn star Jimmy Hughes.

In late 1973, Masters founded In Touch (now known as In Touch for Men), a softcore gay porn magazine. But after two years, Masters turned over management of the magazine to a third party (while retaining ownership).

In 1976, Masters (still using the name Robert Walters) founded Nova Studios. The inspiration for the company came from a competitor's success. In 1972, Falcon Studios had opened its doors in San Francisco. Distributing its films through direct mail as well as adult bookstores, the studio was able to charge high prices. This improved the budget for Falcon's loops, leading to higher-quality films. Realizing that direct mail might be profitable again, Masters spent most of 1976 raising capital to form Nova Studios.

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