SAN DIEGO, CA. – Moderated by YNOT’s LAJ, the brand new Webmaster Psychology seminar was the last seminar of day 1 of Cybernet Expo, and was considered a success by attendees and panelists alike. The panel was comprised of six members of the industry that have grown to become familiar faces over the past several years: Aly Drummond from AVN, Julius aka JFK from FubarWebmasters.com, Lori Z of The Adult Broker, Rochard from Lightspeed, Dan from CamZ.com and Mitch Farber from NetBilling.Jay started off the seminar by commenting on something all the panelists have in common: They are all high-profile personalities in the industry who work hard for successful programs and/or businesses.
Jay went on to observe that to survive in the industry, one needs to maintain several things: their health and good family relations, their finances, their work life and their fun/social life, which for many people in the industry often end up being one and the same.
The first question Jay asked of the panelists was whether they were here because they wanted to be here, or because they have to be here?
The panelists generally agreed that there were certain benefits (the parties and friends, the social aspect, the traveling and the fun) as well as drawbacks (long hours, responsibilities, hectic travel schedules and lack of quality family time).
Aly said, “For now, it’s a means to an end, to pay the bills and whatnot. But I love it, I’m here because I want to be.”
Dan answered, “For me, the answer is both. What we didn’t know is how this business would consume us. I love to come to shows and party, and see all my friends, but I also have to be here for business. I’m responsible for the livelihood of two hundred people, so I have to be serious about business, but the problem is, I don’t like to be serious, I like to party! So, it’s a constant balancing act between the two.”
“We’ve been fortunate that we’ve always been successful and we’re looking at the brightness of what’s coming tomorrow,” answered Mitch. “The travel is hard, though. But I love going to shows.”
JFK’s situation exemplifies the balancing act that’s necessary for his business and lifestyle. “I started going to the shows and taking pictures for fun, just for myself. A couple of years ago, I decided to put the collection online at fubarwebmasters and now my pictures are the industry standards. They’re used in AVN and other magazines and all across the internet to represent the industry. So what started out as something I did just for fun turned into obligations, now. I go to all the shows and cover the events, and I travel about 30 times a year. But let me tell you, by 2 or 3 in the morning after I’ve been taking pictures all day and night and I’m exhausted, the parties are not so much fun anymore, you know?”
As a single mother, Lori Z works hard at balancing her family life with her work life. “I love the freedom of it and the financial rewards, but the continuous pace is hard to keep up with.”
Rochard added, “Sometimes the traveling gets to be too much to handle, especially with a job like mine, which is more like working two full-time jobs.”
The next question put to the panelists concerned whether they, as parents, were comfortable revealing to their friends and neighbors what they do and being open about their involvement in adult entertainment.
Rochard was succinct: “No.”
Once again, the panelists agreed that discretion was the better tactic with regards to their involvement in the adult business. Each voiced concern over potential confusion, or stigma from their neighbors as the reason for needing to maintain a low profile.
“When the time is right, when my daughter is old enough to know and understand these things, she’ll know what I do,” said Lori Z. “And she’ll know that I do my work with pride, and I do it well.”
Perhaps an indication that the adult industry is growing and maturing is the fact that this seminar was created in the first place. From the audience, Jack Mardack of ProfitLab voiced his appreciation of the seminar’s topic, and commented on the changes in the industry and the people that had brought about this first-of-a-kind seminar.
Also from the audience, Halcyon of FlashCash shared a personal story about how the industry had affected his family. Representing a segment of the industry without children, but with families nonetheless, Halcyon told briefly of the potential damage his career in adult may have on a family member’s legal career. Regardless of the type of family relationship, Halcyon’s point was painfully clear: the families of those who work in adult may be subject to the same stigma of adult entertainment (i.e. pornography) simply by association.
