By Peter Berton
LAS VEGAS – Although many adult websites feel threatened by free porn, WoodRocket embraces the demon. In fact, the site creates explicit, original content that it then offers for free to anyone who wishes to view the material. In turn, fans and others support the website’s efforts by purchasing merchandise, advertising and product placement.
The concept is far from new. Mainstream broadcast television has used the free-content business model since its inception. Somehow, though, producing free content that has significant intrinsic value — as opposed to “teasers” or trailers — doesn’t sit well with the majority of the adult industry’s rampantly capitalistic masses.
Lee Roy Myers co-owns WoodRocket, which operates in a 10,000-square-foot production studio. YNOT.com chatted with him about the tribulations and rewards of bucking the status quo.
YNOT: How would you define WoodRocket?
Lee Roy Myers: WoodRocket is a leader in viral porn content. [We’re] trying to redefine “adult entertainment” by mixing porn and comedy in a way that has never been done before.
WoodRocket offers thousands of videos, including original web series, XXX parodies, scenes and sketches. Everything is produced or licensed by WoodRocket.com and is available for free.
We hard-launched January 2013, based on the idea that an adult website can offer its content for free without having to turn to piracy. And that’s what we are doing.
What kinds of free content will viewers find on your site?
We offer a lot of original web series, hardcore, nude and non-nude. We are currently in production on episodes for 15 different web series, as a matter of fact.
We have hardcore series like the spoof Game of Bones[i], [which is] based on the hit HBO series [[I]Game of Thrones], and we have Naked in Public, starring Veruca James and Damon James. They go on public sex and nudity adventures. Both are very funny, very sexy, and very popular.
For people just looking for nudity, we have such series as Topless Girls Reading Books, which is exactly what it sounds like. We also have Memes I’d Like to Fuck, which showcases porn stars re-enacting famous viral videos and [internet] memes.
If you just want to see porn stars doing interesting things aside from getting lucky, we have shows like James Deen Loves Food, which is one of our most popular series. James is a funny guy, and he’s a foodie. So, we thought combining those two things and showing someone not just eating or cooking food but also having fun with food was a really interesting concept. Viewers seem to agree.
Is there a unifying philosophy behind this diverse content offering?
We don’t want to just be a porn site. There is a whole generation of people who use their computers solely to get off and to be entertained. So, we wanted to offer them both options.
The response has been great. We attract a good crowd of loyal viewers, and we have been featured in both adult and mainstream media including Gawker, Gizmodo, Hollywood Reporter, Vice, Maxim, Comedy Central, Fleshbot and others.
How do you generate traffic?
We [employ] a marketing company, an SEO company and a publicist. When [our content] goes viral, our branding attracts new traffic. Returning traffic appreciates the quality of our programming.
What lessons have you learned that might be useful for others in the online adult industry?
New online content platforms constantly have to evolve [in order] to keep up with the way people get their content. It’s not going to stop, so don’t get too comfortable even when you’re seated on success.
What are your future plans?
New series. New movies. New sketches. New stars. We are constantly working to bring our fans new and original content that they’ll find only on WoodRocket.com.
