BERLIN — Riding high on the bustling buzz and business deals forged during day one, attendees of adult’s biggest digital media EU trade show filled the halls, lounges and eateries that hummed with enlightening connections on day two of XBIZ Berlin. As a crescendo to the climactic second annual XBIZ Europa Awards, presented by ManyVids, there was much wisdom to be mined before the gala co-hosted by Rocco Siffredi and Misha Cross ignited the Umspannwerk Alexanderplatz at night.
After the Breakfast Networking Buffet, which combined the abundance and variety of German morning meals with the hospitality and savoir vivre of the modern, stylish Spanish hotel chain Catalonia, attendees took advantage of the informative panels of day two.
While the Pineapple Support team discussed performers’ mental health for their Putting Performers First seminar in Konferenz I, sponsored by Pineapple Support, Europe-based performer and producer Dan Leal, who is American, chaired a panel on Content Monetization Today from the producers’ standpoint in Konferenz II, sponsored by his XBIZ Award-winning site ImmoralLive.com.
Featuring fellow hyphenate (and bona fide superstar on pretty much every platform) Sara Jay, Romero from Defeated Girls and Cel from HeavyOnHotties.com, the latter panel, on the crucial topic of how to turn fame, clout and productions into money in the bank, obviously attracted a large crowd. Producers from all niches of the industry, including enfant terrible of German indie art porn, Paulita Pappel, found much of value in the lessons imparted by Leal and the other pros on how to hedge in order to find success less elusive in the current adult landscape.
“There are many varied revenue streams one should use when maximizing earnings from content, ranging from clips to live-streamed BTS of a shoot, to having fans sponsor videos, to VOD, to working with the premium tubes,” listed Leal, always willing to share his lessons from the trenches. “Long gone are the days when companies could make a profit with just anything. The key is shooting quality content with top models that is unique and makes people want to pay to watch it.”
Then, as Konferenz I was transformed into a place of confidential healing for Pineapple Support Therapy the rest of the afternoon, attendees took a break to savor the personal and professional connections — not to mention the sizzling meats, nutritious salads and sumptuous snacks — of the Luncheon Networking Buffet.
Sated and energized, dozens soon filed into Konferenz II for the informative, and at times spirited, Age Verification Update: Q&A With British Board of Film Classification Policy Director Murray Perkins. Moderated by XBIZ News Editor Gustavo Turner, the panel sought to provide up-to-the-minute information about one the most pressing issues facing adult website owners, with Perkins presenting an exclusive update on the expected rollout of mandatory age verification in the United Kingdom.
Given its ramifications for an ever-watchful global cadre of governmental institutions ever-ready to ape regulatory crackdowns on the adult biz, be they from the West, East or Middle East, the import of such a conversation was of interest to players from every corner of the world.
The session also included extra time for a Q&A segment with the audience, which was occasionally peppered with passionate bluntness from stakeholders in production and attendees like public porn scholar and Vice Germany journalist Madita Oeming, but was conducted with utmost civility in service of public discourse.
As far as enforcement powers, Perkins said, “We have under the legislation a specific set of powers that the government has given us, which allows us to enforce on services like ad networks, hosting companies. And with payment services, we have one of the bigger sticks the government has given us, where we can notify them they are non-compliant and potentially cut off payment altogether. We can also go to internet service providers and ask them to block access to those services.”
No one in the audience questioned the necessity of protecting children from adult content. In fact, this underlying intent was generally held as sacrosanct no matter which side of the fence players found themselves on. What seemed to concern people was the execution, which could potentially accomplish minimal good while manacling unwitting creators (figuratively and literally), given the ubiquity of tech-savvy underage internet users equipped with the know-how and tools to bypass IP address tracking with such methods as VPNs, proxies, encrypted programs and the like.
After the room cleared out and these thought-provoking debates migrated outside to the rambunctious lounge, a new procession of eager attendees jostled into Konferenz II for FSC & TTS Present: Talent Testing Today, also moderated by XBIZ’s Turner.
Given how paramount it is to protect the health of the performer pool in the adult entertainment industry, the acting heads of the Free Speech Coalition and Talent Testing Services (Ian Timothy O’Brien and Sixto Pacheco, respectively) came together with performer/producers Dan Leal and Sara Jay for a close look at the latest in screening practices and what the future holds for testing protocols and outbreak response within the European production community.
Leal and Jay zeroed in on their firsthand insights into staying disease-free with safe sex (on and off set), while O’Brien and Pacheco examined more of the bird’s-eye-view considerations.
“I’ve been an active performer for 20 years, in over 2,000 scenes, and I want to share my experiences in what to do to avoid catching an STI,” Leal stated. “Obviously you’re going to work with people who have STIs, but even if you do, what can you do to minimize your risk?”
He made many recommendations which Jay likewise reinforced, as she underscored, “The chance of me catching something is very high. Even though you can take precautions, you have to take the best tests available, reducing the risk by being tested frequently and keeping that consistent. As a performer, I get tested every 10 to 14 days, which may sound like a lot, but I’m very active. I’m always concerned about my health and those I work with.”
O’Brien noted that the FSC ensures its Performer Availability Screening Services (PASS) program is as robust as possible, so producers and performers can track STI statuses.
“PASS is a testing protocol which keeps track of tests for STIs such as syphilis, HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, hepatitis B and such,” he said. “With this standardized format, using a single testing standard throughout the U.S., we can be certain results are consistent. We’re realizing, given the prevalence of clips and cam sites, that a centralized system isn’t necessarily effective, particularly in Europe. One of our aims is to develop an adaptive method for the region and industry that works.”
Key in that effort is Talent Testing Services President and CEO Sixto Pacheco, who revealed he is trying to standardize the testing modules that TTS already has, bringing the platform used in the U.S. to Europe.
He observed, “There is a uniformity across the pond. Our system provides an online system that talent can check to make sure they’re cleared for work, that all the testing markers are there. Agents can see whoever their talent is and production companies can see results, with privacy nonetheless protected beyond that scope. What we want to see is a standardized approach in Europe formed. We’re very, very close. The next 30 to 45 days, we’ll become operational.”
An equally illuminating discussion followed the testing panel, as Legal Outlook: On the Horizon in Europe, sponsored by the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) and the FSC, brought back FSC's O’Brien along with outspoken pro-industry libertarian-conservative attorney J.D. Obenberger to explore a variety of topics.
Entering the second half of 2019, the rollout of mandatory age verification in the U.K. is once again in flux, as was discussed earlier on day two of the show, while new rules governing advertising, banking and privacy are coming into play. Uncovering the pitfalls and revealing safe paths forward to 2020 through this shifting landscape, Obenberger and O’Brien discussed such critical angles as content ownership, the intricacies of setting up a corporation, ensuring performers are 18-plus years of age and copyright law protections.
This was balanced with very practical advice on checking every box as a content creator, whether as a big-time studio producer or a more casual clip artist. “Save every text message and anticipate, before going into that shoot, that someday the talent may turn around and sue for whatever reason,” Obenberger offered. “Be sure to have every piece of evidence ready, ducks lined in a row, to be fully covered."
“The reality is that when girls are first contacted by would-be producers, they will assume the motivations are more personal than professional,” he continued. “So be transparent and have a good reputation, while also doing your own homework to run a background check on the talent you’re shooting with.”
Chiming in, O’Brien added that the FSC is very “focused on ensuring records are being kept, even by secondary producers,” so that everything is aboveboard.
Thus armed with an afternoon’s worth of sobering knowledge about legalities, government regulations, STI testing best practices and monetization strategies, it was time for attendees to get decidedly less sober, with the Pre-Awards Happy Hour, sponsored by Segpay. As bubbly concoctions swirled in wine and beer glasses, the courtyard chatter faded slowly as celebrants raced to their rooms, either at the sold-out Catalonia or in nearby establishments, to get ready for the red-carpet extravagance of the XBIZ Europa Awards.
For coverage of the awards, stay tuned to XBIZ.com, and to see photos from XBIZ Berlin, click here.
