MIAMI — XBIZ Miami reached a crescendo on Day 2 amidst more action-packed educational panels and outdoor fun, climaxing with the grand finale at the 2018 XBIZ Cam Awards.
Hundreds upon hundreds of cam models, clip artists and a diverse array of web/tech players filled the Mondrian in South Beach for networking and business opportunities once again, riding high on the momentum from Day 1 and Day 0. This was, as Streamate's highly visible tagline so aptly put it on all manner of swag and branded displays throughout the week, all about "Serious Fucking Business."
Lovense got everyone buzzing with good vibes in the morning, by presenting an intriguing workshop dubbed, “A Cammer’s Toy Box,” revealing how models can use the newest generation of interactive sex toys and profit in the process, with a highly anticipated giveaway of top pleasure products tech.
Another favorite session among cam models was the Chaturbate “Wish List” Workshop, featuring COO Shirley Lara and her right-hand associate, Ramona Flour. Amidst all the bubbly champagne glasses and sagely advice, attendees got an insider’s look at making the most from camming, with tips on using Chaturbate’s wish-list platform.
“Your fans want to help you, so if you have a goal and you let them know, they’ll work hard to help you get that,” Flour said. “There’s a difference between ‘please give me money,’ and letting them know exactly where their money is going.”
She then noted that Amazon, which offers a popular wish list service, is not an adult-friendly platform. “There’s been many instances of cam models’ accounts being terminated, when they find out she’s exchanging videos for items on their site,” Flour noted. That being said, Lara says their wish list feature is modeled after the e-tail giant.
Both of the Chaturbate mavens commented on the importance of learning basic HTML to truly harness all that cam networks and modeling can offer. “In the broadcaster guide on Chaturbate, we touch upon basic HTML and how to add basic pics and links to your site,” Lara shared, while Flour recalled, “I was the generation of MySpace, so I learned all my HTML coding from my old MySpace profile, but just Google to find basic HTML coding.”
Next, they previewed a few upcoming additions to the Chaturbate platform. “We’re going to keep the hourly contests and video submissions going,” Lara stated. “We enjoy seeing people’s personalities and are always blown away at their creativity. And we did another round of ‘tell us why you love Chaturbate.’ We are also going to up the cash value to $10,000 and have these contests about every four months, so there are at least three or four of those a year.” Applause broke out at the generous prize, and attendees left the session with an extra bounce in their step — and a pleasant buzz from the champagne.
For those who couldn’t get enough of the glorious South Beach sunshine, poolside networking accelerated into high gear, while for those performers interested in personal finance, Vicky Vette joined forces with Brian Sanders of Sanders & Associates, who presented two informative workshops to help them make the most of their money: “Business Is Business — No Matter What” and “Budgeting for Individuals.”
These sessions detailed the fundamentals of having a well-run business, such as whether to incorporate or not, how to organize records, computer programs that will help and the tax liabilities that can be expected, as well as tips on how to make ends meet and have something left over for fun and the future.
“Handling money, especially a lot of money, is never easy,” Vette pointed out. “The first thing we do when we make a lot of money is buy coach purses and $3,000 hair extensions.”
She then remarked upon the challenges sex workers of every kind would face, no matter how good the money is rolling in.
“This is a sexually dysfunctional country and if you think you’re not a sex worker, think again,” Vette emphasized. “They put us under the same umbrella as criminals. Just because you can Google my name and find out I did a gangbang, I might not be able to rent an apartment, buy a house or get a bank account. But the girl who’s sleeping with every Tom, Dick and Harry at night, looks down on me. And some girl who’s cheating on her husband looks down her nose at me.” These last statements inspired vocal agreement from the audience.
“Half of us can’t even get a PayPal account, so we … more than anybody else … really have to have our shit together,” Vette bluntly declared. “It’s an incredible business and you can make a ton of money, but at some point in the future, the gravy train is going to slow down or come to a complete stop. Have in mind, ‘I want to make X amount of money.’ Be in the business for ‘X amount of years.’ Also, having a good accountant or a good lawyer is critical. Now, I’ll be turning over the microphone to Brian Sanders, the accountant who’s not ashamed to say he loves porn!”
The charismatic Sanders, sporting fashionable summer attire, said, “I was amazed at the response we got last year, it was very humbling to me, so it’s an honor to be here for the second year in a row.” Then, he got down to business.
“You have to have a strategy,” he said. “Identify your product and the service you’re providing. Most importantly, you need to have a tax plan. In my opinion, what we all have to do, is identify whether you’re primarily a cam model, a porn star or a website provider and such, even if you do several things, pick which one is your core … what you do best. My father taught me years ago to do what you do best.
“Then, you can find those additional revenue streams available to you. Don’t look down on it, if it’s only $300 a month extra, because that adds up. Business changes over time and we’re constantly reinventing ourselves. I’ve been in practice 27 years and my practice is not the same it was 27 years ago. I’m not the same professional I was 27 years ago.”
Everyone listened closely, taking notes and absorbing every bit of Sanders’ wisdom. “Don’t be afraid of your competition,” he added. “Figure out what they do right, so that you can adapt it to your business. Many of you have not done well with accounting if I’m being frank … your record keeping is atrocious. Unfortunately, right now, we’re in the worst environment for having the IRS coming after you, because of all the identify theft.
“Most of you are operating as sole proprietors,” Sanders observed. “Instead, you should create an S corporation. You can be an LLC and taxed as an S corporation. It’s also the lowest audited area by the IRS, whereas the highest is when you’re not operating as a small business corporation. And right now, they are targeting all these individuals and they are looking for tax fraud.
“A lot of the things we spend money on can be classified as personal are not,” he elaborated. “You go to L.A., get your hair done for a shoot, and you genuinely need it for a shoot. If you don’t document that properly, they’re going to throw that right out, so all of a sudden the $100 you spent now cost you $128, because you lose the tax benefit. As an S corp, you have to take a salary, a reasonable wage, from your corporation. It’s not enough to just use your credit card statement anymore, you have to take pictures and prove what you used something for.”
Elsewhere at the Mondrian, tackling one of the industry’s most pressing issues, Free Speech Coalition Executive Director Eric Leue presented “SESTA/FOSTA & You,” focusing his passion on the recently enacted anti-sex-trafficking legislation and its consequences for industry players across the board. He discussed the shifting nature of the opposition to porn and the evolution of this threat from its roots as Morality in Media, touching on the false notions of porn as a public health crisis and the incorrect tarring of the industry as “sex traffickers,” which supplanted the failed battle against obscenity, punctuated by moves by Miller, Meese and beyond.
Leue also dismantled the propaganda that “pornography increases the acceptance of coercion in sex and is detrimental to the family unit,” noting that “the narrative is repetitive, with the same storyline since the 1960s, and these points can easily be debunked.”
Following this historical outline of the various attempts to kill the legitimate adult entertainment industry, including the long-fought battle over 18 U.S.C. § 2257, and more recent assaults such as California’s Measure B and Proposition 60, which have all brought out united opposition from industry stakeholders, Leue turned to the nuances of SESTA/FOSTA.
During his engaging discussion, Leue noted “the chilling effect of sites being proactively pulled even before the legislation was passed” and advised those affected to engage #SurvivorsAgainstSESTA (SurvivorsAgainstSESTA.org) and other groups fighting for the rights of sex workers and other at-risk populations.
Another hot topic was the use of financial restrictions to target legitimate performers, swept up in initiatives such as the End Banking for Human Trafficking Act.
Declaring “we must be nuanced in our approach to challenging legislation,” Leue told the audience that FSC is focused on changing the narrative, concluding, “It’s important to find the middle ground between hysteria and facts.”
Next up, Leue moved to the moderator’s chair for XBIZ Miami’s Legal Update, “The Year in Review, the Road Ahead,” where trending topics such as the rollout of mandatory age verification in U.K. as well as new rules governing 2257, advertising, banking, privacy and more, came into focus as a very experienced group of top First Amendment, adult industry and intellectual property attorneys including Larry Walters, Corey Silverstein, Paul Cambria, J.D. Obenberger, Karen Tynan and Maxine Lynn provided thoughtful insights.
“2257 has essentially been gutted by the judge,” Walters told the audience, noting the judge finds the labeling and record-keeping violations are unconstitutional, and adding, “you shouldn’t face jail time for paperwork errors.”
Tynan was quick to point out that while the victory for the industry is significant, this is not the end of the line.
“Hold off a bit longer,” she said, “don’t start tossing out your paperwork just yet.”
Tynan also discussed the major revamp of California laws covering independent contractors that will impact nearly every adult company operating in the state as well as models and other industry workers residing there.
For his part, Cambria is currently involved in the storied Backpage case and warns of heavy-handed governmental overreach.
“Backpage has basically been assaulted by state and federal governments as well as private suits, and is facing civil and criminal charges,” Cambria explained, detailing how masked FBI agents with weapons drawn conducted raids using overly broad search warrants, including the seizure of “evidence of wealth,” such as paintings, jewelry and more.
Commenting on the overall tone and trend of recent enforcement actions, Cambria said, “This is a siege. There’s no doubt about it.”
Obenberger noted Backpage is not about FOSTA/SESTA but was pursued under the Travel Act and discussed the distinction between trafficking and consensual sex work, citing “sex workers who work for themselves with pride.”
“The real battle ought to be about legalizing prostitution,” Obenberger said of the resistance to FOSTA/SESTA, warning the audience that “the ‘consensual’ argument is not going down well with the general public.”
Tynan confided that in response to the new law, some of her clients have taken down forums and comment areas within their paysites.
Walters commented that the tangible threats to the industry from the corporate world are equally as problematic as governmental ones.
“Private censorship is not about the law’s specifics,” he said, “but about risk management.”
Walters discussed how careful companies are taking an overly broad swath of actions to avoid any liability, like banks closing the accounts of adult companies and performers to avoid any “guilt by association.”
Another of XBIZ Miami’s “worth attending for this alone” moments came with the discussion of the industry’s (indeed, all of the internet’s) most current hot topic — the enaction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — a topic worthy of several days of seminars and intense workshops.
Among the many pitfalls of the new law, which Silverstein characterizes as being “virtually impossible to comply with,” are private lawsuits being filed by attorneys seeking to monetize the GDPR.
“GDPR is not a simple situation where you can just change your privacy policy and be done,” Silverstein warned.
Lynn offered a word regarding patents: They are great offensively for deterring competition. “Watch out for other people’s patents while looking out for your own,” she said.
Maxine concluded by reminding attendees that sexually explicit trademarks are now allowed and advising serious players to “get up to speed on registration.”
Reflecting XBIZ’s commitment to the burgeoning market for clip artists and their fans, XBIZ Miami 2018’s final educational session targeted “Clip Sites: Content Creation, Marketing & More,” guiding independent models, producers, and micro-studios to a new wave of opportunity.
Neil from Clips4Sale and performer Becky LeSabre; James Power from iWantEmpire and star performer Allie Eve Knox; along with Brett from PornHub on hand to discuss the company’s new ModelHub initiative, joined XBIZ’s Alejandro Freixes for one of the show's best-attended sessions — a popularity that demonstrated the current interest in this fast-growing market segment.
Laying down a solid foundation, Power pointed to the wide range of help available to get content creators up to speed.
“If you are a new artist, you have many communities to provide resources,” Power explained. “If you have a question about camera equipment or lighting, etc., we can help you with that.”
All of the panelists agreed that worrying about the process and tools shouldn’t get in the way of giving it a go.
“I started with a webcam and a simple light bulb,” Knox confided. “Now I use a full studio and spend hours editing, but it’s not necessary.”
Brett concurred, saying “a lot of models invest in expensive equipment but then go back to just using their smartphone.”
On the promotional front, as in camming, many clip artists rely on social media, such as Twitter, for promotion, with Knox advising attendees to stay away from using hashtags or anything that could get them banned, while also exploring old-school methods for building a fan base and providing fresh, new content.
“I love to do content trades,” Knox confided. “I shot 29 videos in two days at XBIZ Miami.”
Neil said Clips4Sale buys a tremendous amount of traffic, allowing the platform to provide a stream of customers for its content creators.
“When you come in and add a clip,” Neil explained, “you should make money right away.”
There was lots of discussion of promotional methods including the value of forums, plus Twitter strategies surrounding auto-tweets, avoiding so-called shadow bans and more.
“When you’re on the tube sites and customers comment on your clip, say ‘Hi!’” LeSabre offered. “Engagement is the key.”
Adding to the community-centric advice, Brett says the ModelHub community is incredibly supportive, with performers commenting positively on other model’s clips and finding other ways to cross-promote themselves.
“The girls and other producers in this industry will be your best friends,” LeSabre added. “Having these girls by your side is important.”
Power agreed on the importance of building a sense of community through content and other means.
“We provide branded clothing that artists can shoot selfies with during their travels and use for their own promotion,” Power revealed, adding, “Own your content, own your future.”
For his part, Neil likes to meet people face to face, noting the company tries to bring everyone together at conventions, but he dislikes the impersonal nature and often confrontational aspects of forums and other online venues.
“I wish all the models would get along with each other,” Neil said. “Be nice to one another and treat everyone with respect.”
Power left attendees no illusions of easy money, saying “there’s a lot of work involved, but you’re building a residual income business,” and noted that many people in the room (and others lounging poolside) were making money today from what they did yesterday.
“You don’t have to be great to start,” Power concluded, “but you have to start to be great.”
Leaving the educational tracks on a high note, attendees migrated poolside for the inaugural XBIZ Summer Olympics, sponsored by Chaturbate and hosted by cam star Melody Kush, where teams of models tackled fun-filled obstacles in an entertaining competition.
Activities ranged from inflating colorful balloons as fast as possible using a penis pump nestled in the lap of a teammate, to pushing balls along the ground with … well … balls, as lengthy scrotum-like sacks swayed hilariously from the anxious grips of shouting teammates.
The antics got wet and wild, replete with ring tossing onto slick dildos, beer pong-style shenanigans that left more than a few competitors teetering with as much adrenaline as liquor-fueled giddiness, sexy limbo (where topless cam models and clip artists let it all hang out), fierce swimming in the pool and balloon-popping stomping that would have made any foot fetish aficionado swoon. Hell, there was even a unicorn piñata that surely made all the threesome-loving third-wheelers flinch each time the horny beast was struck.
Sunset soon began to loom, as the XBIZ Cam Awards Warm-Up Happy Hour provided a relaxing interlude, where cool cocktails balanced the sizzling anticipation over the scintillating red-carpet evening ahead, with XBIZ Miami’s final boozy evening setting the stage for the 2018 XBIZ Cam Awards Show, presented by premier cam network MyFreeCams at LIV, in the opulent Fontainebleau Hotel. This unparalleled extravaganza recognized adult entertainment’s most-prominent personalities, professional performers and content creators, as XBIZ once again honored outstanding achievement and excellence.
It was a fitting end for this year’s summer event, and a foreshadowing of the awesomeness to come at XBIZ Miami 2019.
For a full write-up of the 2018 XBIZ Cam Awards, stay tuned to XBIZ.com tomorrow afternoon. Also, keep an eye out for details surrounding XBIZ’s next industry event, XBIZ Berlin, set for Sept. 9-12 in the German capital.
