Valleywag: Penthouse

Andrew Conru denies church-lady romance, but not Adult FriendFinder exit

Owen Thomas — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:20:00 PDT

There goes a perfectly entertaining rumor: Adult FriendFinder founder Andrew Conru has written in to deny that he's involved with a woman named Lois, as commenter rumourone had claimed. Amusingly, rumourone had gone to some trouble in constructing the fantasy, picking up factual bits like Conru's interest in fish farming. The part that Conru didn't confirm or deny: That he's planning to leave Adult FriendFinder, now owned by Penthouse, very soon.

Penthouse CEO Marc Bell calls lawsuit threat "blackmail"

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:20:00 PDT

While Richard Bottoms's sexual discrimination case against Penthouse Media Group continues, the Palo Alto man angry with his dismissal from the company tells us he's now planing a new round of suits against the company, seeking $1 in damages. In an email to Penthouse management announcing his plans to sue, Bottoms alleged that company developers were instructed to copy eHarmony.com when building sites Alt.com and Bondage.com.

"The templates created for FriendFinder that generate the pages have Harmony in their file names," Bottoms wrote. In a reply-to-all email, Penthouse Media Group CEO Marc Bell called his threats "blackmail."

Will someone please contact the local office of the FBI and make this idiot go away. The last time I checked blackmail is illegal. Thanks!

Naturally, Bottoms responded by taking a trip to the local FBI office. He called us after his visit. "I'm leaving the FBI building now, and they said ha ha!" Stay with Valleywag for more on this developing story — and, we promise, no jokes about Bottoms's name. (We have to leave the commenters something to do.)

Fired employee plots discrimination lawsuit against Penthouse site

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:00:00 PDT

Despite such perks as "all the porn you can watch if you've a mind to," a former employee of Adult FriendFinder, the user-generated porn site now owned by Penthouse, plans to sue the company. He says the company fired him because of "his activism on behalf of gay, lesbian, and other alternative lifestyle folk." The ex-employee says he isn't gay himself, but that he "pissed off" FriendFinder president Rob Brackett by criticizing the company for not serving the needs of "the alternative lifestyle community." Also, he says FriendFinder's office isn't wheelchair accessible. So there. For more such rants, this ex-employee has set up a blog called 445shermanesque, titled for FriendFinder's street address in Palo Alto. Until Craigslist took it down, he'd also posted an ad soliciting stories from other ex-employees who had been "Rode Hard and Put Away Wet." A screenshot of the pulled ad is below, in case you'd like to participate in the fun.

Porn millionaire Andrew Conru reportedly engaged to church lady

Owen Thomas — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:40:06 PDT

Whatever happened to Andrew Conru, the porn baron of Palo Alto? After selling Various Inc., the parent company of X-rated singles site Adult FriendFinder, to Penthouse for $500 million in December, he's getting his personal life in order, commenter rumourone informs us. He's reportedly still working at Various, but planning his departure. (Will Penthouse disclose this fact when it files to go public, largely on the strength of Conru's Web businesses?) Also, he's engaged to a "devout Lutheran" named Lois. Ironic, given his porn profiteering? Hardly. Conru also launched — and sold along with FriendFinder — a religious social network, BigChurch.com, where he supposedly met Lois. Update: Conru has written in to deny the Lois story. The full Conru tale from rumourone follows:

Andrew is doing well. He feels a little tramatized by the adult industry-imagine the hours he has worked and imagine the effect those images have had on his mental state.
He is spending time evaluating his new life, its new phase, and enjoying the simple things he once enjoyed. He is rediscovering a normal life. All the while, he is still working Various, and planning his permanant departure.

Andrew is very interested in aquaculture, he has purchased a small boat, and is somewhere in the Pacific ocean at this very moment, accompanied by his fiance-a devout Lutheran. Lois is a woman of high moral reproach that he met at bigchurch.com. She is not very attractive, but he likes her for her innerds.

They are building a treehouse in the forest. He is chopping wood for the winter, and she is canning jams and beans. Although they are starting late in life, they are planning a family of 16-some of the children are from her 4 previous marriages.

Andrew reports that he has found his "quintessential great find", and is very happy.

Penthouse plans $250 million public offering

Nicholas Carlson — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:20:14 PST

Financier and CEO Marc Bell plans to take Penthouse Media Group public in a $250 million IPO. If investors take the bait, it'll likely be on the strength of Adult FriendFinder and the rest of the Web properties Penthouse bought from Andrew Conru last December for $500 million. After the acquisition, Penthouse projected its 2007 revenues would reach $340 million — most of that from Adult FriendFinder. Some of the proceeds from the IPO, if it succeeds, will go to pay off debt from the acquisition.

Adult FriendFinder looking for multiple partners?

Nicholas Carlson — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:20:37 PST

Right before Penthouse acquired Andrew Conru's Adult FriendFinder for $500 million, a rumor spread that FriendFinder was making offers itself to buy smaller porn sites. Sources told Adult Entertainment Today AFF made offers on two sites that might not have large profits but "have attracted media attention and large numbers of regular visitors." Will the rollup strategy continue under Penthouse, or bring FriendFinder's nascent buying spree to an end? Let us know if Conru has made you an offer you can't refuse.

Penthouse buys Adult FriendFinder

Owen Thomas — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:29:27 PST

Congratulations, Andrew Conru: Danni Ashe is now your coworker. As the porn-magazine business quietly biodegrades in the ashbin of history, the founder of Adult FriendFinder has sold his company, Various Inc., to Penthouse for $500 million. This despite his earlier denials. The price actually seems low, considering Various's projected revenues this year of $340 million. But the porn business has always suffered from a market discount, as distaste thins the ranks of willing investors. FriendFinder's troubles with the Federal Trade Commission, settled one day before the sale was closed last Friday, can't have helped. What's next for Adult FriendFinder's new owner?

A Penthouse IPO, promised by CEO Marc Bell last year to happen sometime in 2008. We hear he's shooting for April, now that he has a bigger Internet business to flog, one with the requisite buzzwords like "social networking" One thing he'll now have to disclose to investors: Besides Danni.com, Penthouse owns Christian dating site BigChurch.com.

Adult FriendFinder sale to Penthouse now just "sweet"

Mary Jane Irwin — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:19:03 PST

"It would be sweet if it were true," demurred porn baron Andrew Conru, when we asked if the Palo Alto porn baron had sold FriendFinder Inc., the parent company of porn-laden classifieds site Adult FriendFinder. Sweet indeed, then. Multiple sources have told us Various was sold on Friday, and one confirms that Penthouse is the buyer. A tipster says that there's an all-hands meeting today at 2 p.m. to inform employees of "exciting times ahead for all." Anyone want to head down to the Cinemark theater in Palo Alto to find out and tell us? After the jump, the email to employees.

There are exciting times ahead for all of us here at FriendFinder, Inc. In order to share the news and updates with staff all at the same time, we have booked a theatre for tomorrow at 2:00 pm. We are requesting that all staff be present except for the swing/grave shift staff or staff who are normally off on Tuesdays. They are welcome to attend on their own accord or their managers can brief them in the evening or following day. Below is the address of the theatre, which is on the corner of El Camino and Page Mill. We look forwarding to seeing all the staff and sharing our plans for 2008.
Cinemark Palo Alto Cinearts 2
3000 El Camino Real Blvd.., #6
Palo Alto, Ca 94306
Auditorium 1

Natalie Cedeno

Director of Human Resources
FriendFinder, Inc., Medley.com, Inc.
STREAMray, Inc, Fast Cupid.com, Inc.
and Various, Inc.
(650) [REDACTED] Direct Line
(650) [REDACTED] Fax Line

Adult FriendFinder sale: "Sweet if it were true"

Megan McCarthy — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:33:54 PST

Andrew Conru, the porn baron of Palo Alto, is denying rumors that he has sold either his company, Various Inc., or its best-known property, Adult FriendFinder. "We haven't sold anything," he said. "It would be sweet if it were true." Conru has never raised outside money for his site and still owns 90 percent of Various. That means that any sale is really his call. But then there's this. "We're focusing on the growth of the company," Conru said. Here's a tip: Whenever you hear a CEO saying something as anodyne and meaningless like that, expect a sale any minute. TechCrunch now says Penthouse might be the buyer, for $500 million. Heard anything more? Let us know.