by Rich Moreland, February 2020
Photos by Kevin Sayers.
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“Rolling your own” sounds very personal, and, in fact, it is. However, this Adult Entertainment Expo seminar was not about indulging in a recreational activity. Rather, what’s personal here is film making; in this case, controlling content, building an image, and branding a name.
The panel featured four empowered women who talked about being your own boss, especially when dealing with cyberspace and porn.
Ready to take their seats. L to R: Violet Doll, Jada Kai, Mz. Kim, Madelyn Marlowe
The panelists were Mz. Kim, a domme who teaches classes on market strategies and owning content; Asian performer Jada Kai; Madelyn Marlowe, whose industry footprint was branded by Kink.com; and Violet Doll, online dominatrix and industry veteran.
A couple of quick takes before we begin
A New Age
Moderator Glenn King of Mean Bitches Productions reminded the audience that the old days of talent agencies maintaining a hold on a girl are over. It’s a “new age in adult entertainment,” he proclaimed, emphasizing the “dramatic shift in the business” now taking place.
Referencing the participants, Glenn pointed out that each of them started out with webcam content.
Violet Doll stated she is an online model who shoots her own content. At the very least, she offered, today’s online atmosphere allows for solo modeling via a cell phone.
As a cammer, Madelyn Marlowe posts her shoots on Clips4Sale and has “come back to being independent,” she said. Taking online content beyond just camming, Madelyn’s work is often plot oriented. It’s like “making up a soap opera,” a sort of “reality tv,” she said. But she never loses sight of the fan in all of her activities, especially camming.
“My opener is a question,” Madelyn pointed out, before she gets them to “tell me all about your kinks and fetishes.” It’s important to “know who my audience is,” she commented.
Jada Kai is also active with webcam, making her own clips and putting them on Pornhub and Manyvids. Like Madelyn Marlowe, Jada believes fan preferences must come first. Always ask the customer, “What are your fetishes?” She makes her own content every day and “keeps that amateur feel” so popular with fans.
As a result of her fifteen years in the business, Mz. Kim brought up two objectives every online porn girl should consider. First, record content for a bigger audience beyond online and use skype sessions. “Talking to people” gets her “into the customer’s heads,” she believes. Madelyn Marlowe firmly added, “say people’s names” when dealing with the customers. Personalization is the name of the game.
Glenn summarized the conversations about satisfying customers as “learning to read the clues they’re giving.”
The final two topics centered on pricing and content trade.
Start at an Average Rate
“I am my own crew,” Madelyn Marlowe stated, and it’s the costliest issue she deals with. For her, “pay per view” is the way to go, emphasizing “some charges can go as high as $100.”
Violet Doll said that $1 per minute plus ninety-nine cents for clips is standard in the industry with charging more for specific acts somewhat the norm. Considering that, however, she advised, it’s “always better to start at an average rate.”
Mz. Kim’s pricing is $5.99 to $1500. She will up the price when “targeting specific people” who are interested in her product. Her forte is interacting with men. Ask what they are looking for, provide it, then charge, she suggested, because success is “about getting to know them more.” She did, however, mention that updating can be overwhelming. Update regularly, but not as often, was her advice.
Jada Kai pointed out, “my strength is making clips.” As a result, the advantage of charging higher membership fees reinforced Mz. Kim’s point. Jada doesn’t update as often as others. Nevertheless, “I think of my fans as a premium store,” she said. They “give you the feel you’re there for them every day.” The result? They will tip more.
Pricing should reflect “people’s budgets,” Jada insisted, with a reminder that Pornhub “will pay you” for videos. Not bad since some people won’t pay for their porn at all.
The content trade issue was thorny. “Perilous” was how Glenn framed it. Madelyn warned everyone to be diligent with the paperwork. You must know who is going to update and when, she said. Violet, who does not engage in content trade, said get content to the other party ASAP to show good faith.
Be Disciplined
When asked for their best advice, here’s a sample of what was rendered.
Talk to your customers and connect with people on social media.
Trust yourself and know your target audience. Stay with what makes you comfortable.
Above all, be disciplined, “it’s a work skill, it’s a job. Structure your time,” Mz. Kim said.
Glenn King agreed. Discipline is the key. “Stick with it” and don’t get discouraged. “Growth is not linear,” he concluded.
Before the seminar began.