Missing Mr. Flynt: LFP Navigates New Era With Liz Flynt at Helm

Behind the curtain of LFP Inc. as it adjusts to business (and life) without Larry

Excerpt from a story by Tom Hymes on AVN.com – Full article is here

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—When Larry Flynt died suddenly this February, he did not leave behind a once iconic adult brand on the decline, but a tightly run galaxy of wildly successful businesses staffed with skilled executives and overseen by a handpicked successor, Liz Flynt, his wife of many years and a close confidant.

larry flynt

A private company, LFP Inc. is under no obligation to divulge numbers related to business dealings, and in keeping with that right to privacy, Mr. Flynt cultivated a no-numbers philosophy within the company that exists to this day. But, in response to a query from AVN extended not long after Mr. Flynt’s passing, the company not only permitted me to speak with several top executives (and a longtime, irreplaceable advisor) over the course of a few weeks, it even set aside time for me to come to the Wilshire offices to interview Mrs. Flynt in person about what it has been like taking over a growing, multifaceted company after such a sudden and incalculable loss. It was a consideration she did not have to extend, especially since so little time had passed since the loss of her husband, but she did agree to meet, and to me, her willingness to submit herself to questions she had not previewed—which is something her husband also did—speaks volumes about her, the company she now runs, and the legacy of the man who built it.

That does not mean I was given the keys to the kingdom. I was not. LFP Inc. remains Fortress Flynt in many regards, and I believe that is precisely how its founder wanted it to remain forever. I know nearly as statistically little about the company now as I did before I spent hours talking to people, a testament to the loyalty and discipline Flynt successfully inculcated in his employees. When I reminded Mrs. Flynt that I would be speaking with the executives, she assured me they could say whatever they wanted, with one exception. “This is a private company,” she said. “We don’t divulge numbers or financials. That’s it. They all knew Larry well.”

larry flynt

Whether unencumbered by any pressure to divulge numbers or not, the executives I spoke with were all too willing to wax eloquent about working with Larry, as though doing so would help alleviate the grief they were still carrying. Working there, and especially working there in the hushed halls of 8484 Wilshire, the spirit of Larry Flynt remains a tangible force to be reckoned with for these people, who seemed to delight in being able to regale me with anecdotes about their peerless boss. This held particularly true for the man perhaps closest to Larry Flynt for the most years, his personal lawyer, advisor, and friend, Paul Cambria, who went over our allotted time to share his rare insights into an American original the likes of which we will not see again.