LOS ANGELES — With an atmosphere of camaraderie and positive encouragement, this week Chaturbate celebrated the accomplishments and skills of its broadcasters and the community around them with an unprecedented 10th anniversary event called "A Decade With Chaturbate.”
The event encompassed a summit with panels on how to optimize the Chaturbate broadcasting experience — featuring some of the most successful models on the platform — and also a glitzy awards show hosted by noted broadcasters Mary Moody and Mya Malone and featuring performances by multitalented models KaileeShy and Amber LaRay.
The program also included two special performances closing the Wednesday and Thursday livecasts of "A Decade With Chaturbate,” courtesy of trans entertainer and "RuPaul's Drag Race" breakout star Peppermint, and pop singer and model Brooke Candy, respectively.
Wednesday’s schedule included four panels, covering tips and tricks for camming success and subjects such as 4K streaming, capturing traffic from other platforms, LGBTQ inclusivity and how to take full advantage of the many distinctive features offered by Chaturbate.
After a round of movie theater-style true-or-false trivia questions — such as, “#Shaved is also the top search in Idaho and Michigan” — Wednesday’s event began with Chaturbate COO Shirley Lara welcoming the models and fans who could be seen rapidly interacting with each other via chat.
“It’s a great honor to celebrate a decade with Chaturbate with you all, and here’s to the next 10 years!” Lara said.
Streaming for Success in 4K
Lara also moderated the first panel, “Streaming for Success in 4K,” with presenters Ro, representing broadcaster WhippedCreamy; Kai for HannahJames710; and Zoe (CanBeBought).
The panelists displayed an awe-inducing knowledge of gear and technique, and an impressive willingness to share their skills with the community, including what Kai — who provides crucial behind-the-scenes support to award-winning model HannahJames710 — referred to as “tech geekery.”
The panel’s emphasis was on how broadcasters at different points — and price points — in their careers could most effectively stream in 4K. “We all start somewhere with our equipment,” reassured Lara, before asking the now-pro-level panelists to share what their equipment was when they first started.
Zoe confessed that her earliest streaming experience had been with her Macbook’s default camera and mic, but immediately after she upgraded to a Logitech C922 camera and a Yeti Nano microphone and didn’t look back. “That’s all we needed to succeed,” she added.
The broadcasters then shared their current, high-end equipment; Kai endorsed the Sony A7S3 full-frame, mirrorless camera body — which he deemed “the gold standard of broadcasting” — with a Sony G-Master 16-35mm wide-angle zoom lens. Zoe explained she alternates between a Sony AX53 camcorder and a Logi Brio 4K webcam.
Ro, from popular account WhippedCreamy, proved the MVP of the panel and the conference by not only sharing his current gear — Sony A73 with a Sigma 24-70mm lens — but also setting up a comprehensive “buyer’s list” available online to Chaturbate broadcasters with his recommendations for camera equipment and other gear for all price points.
Kai also recommended an equipment upgrade as soon as economically possible to avoid having to play catch-up. “If you’re serious about this and you want to make this your profession,” Kai added, “do your research, spend your money well.”
Pushing Traffic to Your Chaturbate Cam Room
The second panel, “Pushing Traffic to Your Chaturbate Cam Room,” was hosted by Lily LaBeau, star of Chaturbate’s web series “Cam_Girlfriend,” and featured broadcasters Mary Moody, Love_Raquel_xo, and Callum & Cole.
Panelists discussed how they market themselves in order to increase their brand awareness, and how to most efficiently leverage their online presence on platforms such as Twitter, OnlyFans, Snapchat and others to drive traffic back to their cam rooms for monetization.
LaBeau introduced the panelists and also confided that Moody is “an internet crush of mine." She then asked them about their “best practices” to drive traffic into their cam rooms.
“Every time we go live, we post our social media,” noted Callum & Cole, who also encouraged broadcasters to “give people a preview, show your personality so they can connect with you and stay active and consistent.”
“When you go live on Chaturbate, let your followers on Twitter know,” they added.
Moody said this tactic has even worked for her on Instagram, even though the Facebook-owned network shadowbans and outright deletes people for mentioning sex-positive platforms.
“I type, 'I'm live! Figure out where!’” said Moody, recommending that broadcasters “aggressively post on every platform every day.”
Love_Raquel_xo explained, in terms of time management, that creating content for multiple platforms and keeping up with a regular posting schedule “can be overwhelming, especially when you’re first starting out.”
She suggested “finding one or two that are your favorites” and shared that Twitter, Snapchat and OnlyFans are her current main socials.
Moody stressed the importance of keeping up with new platforms and said she was currently trying to learn how to use TikTok.
After a discussion of marketing, the panelists agreed on the tried-and-true basics: organic engagement with other models and other community people is key, quantity of posts is more important than quality (i.e., “don’t be a perfectionist — it’s only disposable social media”) and, as Moody put it, the “number-one thing is: be very consistent week-to-week and build a routine.”
LGBTQ+ Focus: Creating a Space for Yourself in the Cam World
The third panel on Wednesday was “LGBTQ+ Focus: Creating a Space for Yourself in the Cam World,” hosted by Angela Jones, PhD, and featuring nonbinary broadcaster Iwillbeyourmuse’s Muse, Jacob & Harley from pansexual duo Twinkzz101 and trans model Ruby Fiera.
All the panelists and the host emphasized the sense of inclusivity deliberately fostered by Chaturbate, particularly when compared to other platforms.
The panelists gave some personal background, with Fiera explaining that she had been in the adult industry before her transition, which she documented on Chaturbate.
Muse said they started camming as a hobby, but eventually found a supportive community there as they explored gender and sexuality. Jacob & Harley explained they started off because they liked sex, but were eventually “overwhelmed with positivity. They all find you attractive and it’s motivational,” they said. “It builds you up a lot.”
The duo added that they “felt a sense of community immediately.”
Muse said they originally “had female tags,” but when they “came out as trans, [they] felt very supported.”
“It’s a safe space to be me and accept myself for who I am,” Muse added.
The panelists were in agreement that camming helped them explore their gender and sexuality.
“We didn’t realize we were pansexual until we started communicating with other cammers,” confided Jacob & Harley, adding that they also discovered “kinks we didn’t know we had.”
Chaturbate, for them, was “exploratory, because it accelerates your sexual experience. Your sexual knowledge grows by being connected.”
Fiera agreed and added that when she “came out as trans, I hadn’t met another person who was trans. But on Chaturbate, I met other people with similar experiences.”
Muse said that on Chaturbate, “You’re in a safe space to explore your sexuality and your gender.”
Moderator Angela Jones closed the panel by highlighting that Chaturbate offers “so many benefits outside of the economics.”
“So get with your community, find your people, have some fun and make some money!” Jones concluded.
Utilizing Chaturbate Features to Your Advantage
The last panel on the Wednesday schedule, “Utilizing Chaturbate Features to Your Advantage,” was again moderated by Shirley Lara and featured pro-level broadcasters Lexi_luv, Casey Kisses, Drizzys_room’ Drizzy and Captain of The_Capt88.
The panel highlighted new updates, features, apps and bots to help broadcasters increase traffic to their room, keep followers engaged and increase tips.
The knowledgeable and resource-generous Casey Kisses — the reigning XBIZ "Trans Performer of the Year" — began by extolling the importance of bio/profile design customization, calling it “one of the most lucrative aspects of Chaturbate.”
Kisses explained that hiring a professional to design the Chaturbate bio takes “very little upkeep and it continuously generates money.”
“We took the bio and dressed it up, made it fancy, fun and interactive,” explained Kisses, adding that the bio has tip menus for different acts during the cam show and rankings for highest tippers — “people can knock each other off by tipping higher than the last person” — and a clout-building “Casey’s Crush” list, encouraging fans to pay to have their names added to it.
Captain added the importance of having a public Amazon wishlist on the bio, and to use a P.O. Box to receive packages. “I do the unwrapping live,” he explained, “adding another layer of connection.”
Drake-lookalike and fitness enthusiast Drizzy contributed that “anything in your room can be funded” by the fans. “If they have an idea, they can buy it,” he added. “They feel invested.”
“Everything I have has been bought by the fans,” said Captain. The fans, according to him, declare, “We need this [for you]” — the plural pronoun showing their investment into the community and the model-centered experience — and encourage each other to buy all kinds of items like clothes, a tabletop or camera upgrades.
“[Everything] but the laptop was bought by my people from the wish list,” he added.
The panelists also discussed the use of bots, both provided by Chaturbate and custom-made from open source code by fans.
“Some bots that are offered are underutilized,” said Lexi Luv. She recommended customizing the “muted words list” as “a bot to get rid of all the negativity” in a room by blocking words that bother the broadcaster.
Finally, Lara encouraged the panelists to try out Chaturbate’s new cam-to-cam feature available to all broadcasters, and Kisses promoted the idea of using affiliate links to generate passive income
Peppermint Performs
The Wednesday program ended with an hourlong performance by trans entertainer Peppermint, best known as a contestant on the 2017 season of “RuPaul's Drag Race.”
Peppermint — who is also a noted actress and singer and the first out trans woman to originate a lead role on Broadway — offered a live show from her home, a bawdy routine alternating storytelling and engaging with the viewers on the chat screen with preforming a combination of original and cover songs.
Hailed by an appreciative chat room audience, who kept “yasss kween!” flowing her throughout her performance, the singer took to the screen announcing, “My name is Peppermint and I’m your 'ho—stess with the mostest!" and showcased a pink platinum wig, oversized earrings and décolletage in a black bra and jacket in front of a shimmering silver curtain.
Peppermint performed an event-appropriate medley of “When You’re Good to Mama, Mama’s Good to You” and Blondie’s “Call Me,” original ballad “Best Sex” and “Shady Phone,” a double-entendre blues number with the lyrics “If I can’t sell it, I’m gonna sit down on it, I’m not gonna give it away.” Other songs in the set were The Trammps’ “Disco Inferno” and uplifting original “The Chosen One."
Between numbers, the performer shared a “crazy sex story” from her days as a Big Apple nightlife fixture at The Tunnel, salaciously licked a lollipop and engaged with the online crowd (“I think I should open a Chaturbate channel — I should have been at y’all’s seminars,” she quipped).
Peppermint also praised the platform’s policy of inclusion and closed her set with the raunchy one-two punch of “Put a Dollar in My Titty” and “Stick It In.”
The 'A Decade With Chaurbate' Awards
Thursday’s finale event for “A Decade With Chaturbate” was a lavish evening awards ceremony hosted by Mary Moody and Mya Malone
Presenting 24 award categories, plus a special Hall of Fame honor, the show also made time for performances by two Chaturbate broadcasters and culminated with a surprise high-voltage two-song set by pop star Brooke Candy.
From a computer-generated virtual stage, Moody and Malone introduced Chaturbate’s Shirley Lara, who kicked off the awards presentation by thanking broadcasters for “10 amazing years of 'Chaturbating.'"
For the complete list of winners, click here.
Moody, adorned in a striking blue shoulderless full gown, and Malone, in a shiny cream number, opened the ceremony by reminding viewers that they were “practicing 'safe camming' from [their] cool virtual theater.”
The awards were announced by Moody and Malone, and received by the winners live via Zoom.
Camming aesthetics prevailed during the acceptances, with pink lights, cat ears and pro-level gaming chairs appearing as regular accoutrements.
The broadcasters emphasized the event’s themes of community, acceptance, creativity and inclusion.
“Thank you, Chaturbate, for giving me a platform for being able to be creative,” said the winner for “Cosplay of the Decade,” GoldenGoddessXXX.
An acoustic musical number from Hawaii by the winner for “Newcomer Starlet,” the multitalented KaileeShy, was given a full music-video production by Chaturbate, with visual guest spots for many signature broadcasters.
“So stoked for the connections I’ve made,” said KaileeShy upon receiving her award, a sentiment echoed in the song’s lyric “I can’t believe all the friends I’ve made in this unexpected place.”
A second performance featured Amber LaRay fire-dancing in exotic exterior locales.
Virtual model ProjektMelody won the fan-voted “Creative Cam Show Visionary” award, propelled by her remarkably active community, dubbed “The Science Team.”
A set of categories was devoted to distinctive body parts, with awards for “Bubble Butt of the Decade” (HeatherBby9), “Titties of the Decade” (show co-host MaryMoody), “Toes of the Decade” (AshlyeRoberts1) and “Python of the Decade” (CaseyKissesxoxo).
A pink-haired Kisses thanked Chaturbate for “providing a platform for the entire LGBT community to fall back on” and “[her] parents and God” for endowing her with the award-winning “python.”
“Sorry fellas, but the ladies are taking this one tonight,” she added.
Another batch of awards honored broadcasters with specific community-building skills, such as “Ticket Show Extraordinaire” (CanBeBought), “Private Show Extraordinaire” (HollyExtra), “Fan Club of the Decade” (ArtemisFit, who said the honor “reflects on the community that grew around my room”), “Cam Room Decorator of the Decade” (Madnessalise) and “Profile Design of the Decade” (Lana_Del_Bae).
Behind-the-scenes creators were also recognized by Chaturbate, with awards for “App Developer of the Decade” (Geni_xxx — Lovense Lush), “Bot Developer of the Decade” (Jeffreyvels1994 — Roll the Dice) and Moderator of the Decade (D0rkKnight).
The main broadcaster awards went to Caylin (“Female Broadcaster of the Decade”), Callum & Cole (“Male Broadcaster of the Decade”), RubyFiera (who received “Trans Broadcaster of the Decade” in a red BDSM lingerie-and-collar set in front of an impressive shoe closet) and JackandJill (“Lovers of the Decade”).
Shirley Lara then returned to present a special honor by inducting "OG broadcaster" LovelyAnne (now known as Hot_babes_live) into the Chaturbate Hall of Fame.
“LovelyAnne helped shape Chaturbate into what it became,” said Lara, stressing that the model had been with the platform “from Day One.”
After the awards, “A Decade With Chaturbate” closed with two digitally enhanced performances by Brooke Candy, “Cum” (feat. Iggy Azalea) and “My Sex” (feat. Pussy Riot).
Introduced by a cyberpunk video with futuristic images of a spinal cord with human legs and a selfie as a head walking in a corridor of camming faces, the performances featured Candy dancing with a floating vibrator.
And with that, it was a wrap on the unprecedented event celebrating Chaturbate’s 10 years of inclusive, community-building camming.
View the complete "A Decade With Chaturbate" awards ceremony on XBIZ.tv.
