It may have gone over most people’s heads but Phoenix is slowly developing into the west’s new adult industry mecca. The Phoenix Forum last month was a great example, with a significant number of patrons coming from the Valley…It may have gone over most people’s heads but Phoenix is slowly developing into the west’s new adult industry mecca. The Phoenix Forum last month was a great example, with a significant number of patrons coming from the Valley… of the Sun (that’s Phoenix, for all you Los Angeles cats).
At the Phoenix Forum I met numerous professionals who either relocated to Arizona from California, or who have been here for a long time already. Without name dropping (and potentially making people uncomfortable), the owners and operators of SexKey, ManSites, CCBill, LightspeedCash and many others work their magic from various locations in Phoenix. That should mean something.
Why Phoenix?
For one, it’s cheaper than L.A. At least considering housing prices, Phoenix does offer more bang for the buck. Comparatively modest utility and living expenses add value, and despite a four-month, hell-on-earth-110F-period, the climate is decent and similar to Los Angeles weather.
Since the Phoenix metro area is growing faster than your daddy’s beergut in any given month, there is also a certain amount of anonymity and seclusion many people in the industry prefer. This does come with some drawbacks, such as marketing and networking difficulties for those who are hitting the streets. Website operators, however, may not care.
But what else does growth bring along? More people. Adult content producing companies and individuals looking for fresh meat (read: willing performers for the camera) can find it here in abundance, and the outlook for the future is phenomenal. An average of 2,000 families move to the Phoenix area every month. How many girls between the ages of 18 and XX years, willing to earn some extra money can you find? ASU (Arizona State University) is notorious as a party college and we all know what that means.
While Southern California (especially San Fernando Valley and many parts of L.A., and San Diego) is about as saturated as it gets, Phoenix does offer room for growth and expansion. Video and print content producers may still have an easier time doing their dirty deeds in California, but for Webmasters it usually makes no difference whether they live in the area their content is produced or not. Overhead, living expenses and general quality of life may be more important to the computer bound Web professional.
Phoenix is not for everyone, however. As stated earlier, the weather can be brutal for about four months in the summertime, and at times it’s so bad, it may affect the way you live and work. Living expenses and housing prices are indeed rising fast and may soon match California standards. The crime rate is through the roof and there are statistics claiming Phoenix as number one in overall crime. At this point, the old puritan influence is still rather strong and the adult industry is not as integrated and accepted in some communities as we all would like it to be, but it’s getting better.
If you are contemplating relocating your business to Arizona, do your research. Talk to people and business owners here and feel free to attend seminars and networking groups whenever you can. But always keep in mind that it’s different to move somewhere to retire than it is to actually conduct business.
I can see California being the main hub for the actual production of video and print media, and Arizona the quasi-capital of e-commerce businesses, in the resale capacity. Doesn’t it make sense to shoot her T & A in L.A., but sell the content over a Phoenix-based website? From a business perspective, I think it makes good sense, because the Webmaster in Phoenix could operate with less overhead than a Webmaster in L.A., particularly if the L.A. guy is not involved in the content production aspect, and he basically could operate his Web business from anywhere.
I really would like to hear your thoughts on that!
Email me at Admin@GatesOfSin.com and let me know what you think.
Kroywen Phoenix is the CEO & Founder of Kroywen Phoenix LLC, a diversified media company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The company operates sites such as GatesOfSin.com and KroywenPhoenix.com. He can be reached via email at admin@kroywenphoenix.com or by calling 480-233-6230.
