BLISS MALE MAG, HOT OFF THE PRESSES ISSUE #13…. Edited exerpt from introduction to an Interview with Turk done this week: The Importance of Being Frank BLISS was created solely as a labor of love with the purpose of getting to know more about many of the photographers whom I had long standing admiration for. These were the artists that fueled my own dreams of honing my craft and improving with the hopes that my own work would eventually gain some semblance of recognition within the community of male image admirers. It was during the conceptual phase that I realized that my inspiration extended also to the models and that many of them had yet to be seen on a broader scale. I felt that if others could view these images it would not only increase visibility but also the same sense of wonder and appreciation that I get when I view their photographs. I started with a wish list of who I wanted to feature and what each of these artists and models represented in my eyes. I was enamored with model J. Phoenix and believed that he had just the right balance of classic beauty mixed with a modern twist, along with a raw sensuality that would interest potential viewers. He became the first cover model and interview. When I was gathering images to accompany his feature, I was instantly taken with a duo image that he did with another model – Turk Mason. There was something familiar about him but I was unable to place where I had seen his face before. Some quick research revealed that Turk Mason the model was also Turk Mason/Turk Melrose the porn star. There was no question that I wanted to feature him, but his superstar status left me in doubt about how agreeable he would be regarding an interview in a little known blogazine… In a moment of nerve, I contacted Turk and told him that I wanted to do a feature on him, but my original concept had evolved into doing a full issue devoted solely to three facets of his life. It was the longest interview I have done to date and covered the man, the model and the porn star. I have been fortunate in that every person who has been profiled was extremely gracious, but Turk still manages to come out as being the most involved and generous. He is highly intelligent, detail oriented and professional. He took the time out of his very busy schedule to work with me, including the editing process, to produce what marked the turning point for BLISS. Turk’s issue was posted in November of 2009 and it instantly garnered recognition for the magazine. The number of visits to the BLISS site for his post was 5 times higher than the entire prior month’s total. And the readers kept coming. It is now almost 2 years later and his feature remains in the top 3 of all time views, and was number 1 this past month. That is called staying power… Since it was the character of Turk and the words of Frank that pushed BLISS to a higher level, I thought it only fitting to revisit Frank and talk about this new chapter in his life. Once again, I got in touch with him to pitch my idea, and once again he replied with the same grace and humility as he did the first time I asked to profile him. There is no doubt that his multitude of fans will greatly miss Turk, but I have no doubt that they will embrace Frank with the same outpouring of love and support. Here’s to you, Frank. (Thanks to Sean Dibble for the kind words and support ) For the FULL INTERVIEW please go to … http://blissmalemag.blogspot.com …and please bookmark BLISS and visit there often. It’s a class act of good people.
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BLISS-FULL