Metro Interactive has announced that it will reclaim all of its productions and operations following a default on obligations by Zeist Technologies, an Amsterdam-based adult content provider. Lesley Rich, General Counsel for Metro Interactive, stated that Rick Porras will continue in his role as VP of Operations and Sales at Metro Interactive’s new Northridge, CA location as the company restructures.

Metro Interactive Reclaims Operations

Metro Interactive has taken back all of its productions and operations after Zeist Technologies, an Amsterdam-based adult content provider, defaulted on its obligations. Lesley Rich, General Counsel for Metro Interactive, confirmed the move. Rich also stated that Rick Porras will remain as VP of Operations and Sales at Metro Interactive’s new Northridge, CA location. The company is currently restructuring and revamping its future plans.

Background on Zeist Technologies and Ben Jelloun

Zeist Technologies, the Amsterdam-based adult content provider that defaulted on its obligations to Metro Interactive, is headed by Ben Jelloun. While the provided information does not detail Ben Jelloun's specific role or history within the adult industry, the name "Ben Jelloun" is associated with Tahar Ben Jelloun, a prominent Moroccan writer. Tahar Ben Jelloun was born in Fez and emigrated to France in 1961. He has been a resident in Paris since 1971. He writes in French rather than Arabic, though he frequently returns to Morocco. His novel, Sacred Night, won France's Prix Goncourt in 1987, making him the first North African to receive the award. He also wrote The Sand Child in 1985. Tahar Ben Jelloun has written poetry, fiction, plays, and essays, and contributes to publications such as France's Le Monde, Italy's La Repubblica, and Spain's El País.

Tahar Ben Jelloun's early life was marked by significant experiences in Morocco. In 1966, at the age of 21, he was arrested for participating in student demonstrations in Casablanca and was interned in an army camp for 18 months. This period, which he describes as discovering "repression and injustice," was pivotal in shaping his writing. He composed his first poems in French during this time. His experience in captivity, where he was fascinated by James Joyce's Ulysses, influenced his perspective on liberty. He sought exile in Paris in 1971. His work often portrays the experience of the North African dispossessed and is frequently set in Morocco, with Tangier serving as a main inspiration, described as "more a memory than a city."

Tahar Ben Jelloun's novel, Corruption, published by The New Press in 1995, explores themes of integrity in the face of widespread corruption, particularly in the Third World, but also as a metaphor for business and politics in other societies. He has spoken out against religious fanaticism in North Africa, particularly in Algeria, where the Algiers-based Armed Islamic Group (GIA) claimed responsibility for bombing attacks in Paris. His first-person account of his 18-month ordeal in the army camp, titled The Punishment, translated from French by Linda Coverdale, details a period of "sophisticated brutality" and "surreal hell" where prisoners were held without trial. He considers writers to be "witnesses of history" and took fifty years to "find the words" for this experience, relying on a "faithful" memory.

Key Facts

  • Metro Interactive is taking back all of its productions and operations.
  • This action follows a default on obligations by Zeist Technologies.
  • Zeist Technologies is an Amsterdam-based adult content provider.
  • Ben Jelloun heads Zeist Technologies.
  • Lesley Rich is the General Counsel for Metro Interactive.
  • Rick Porras will continue as VP of Operations and Sales at Metro Interactive.
  • Metro Interactive's new location is in Northridge, CA.