First off, my role in this biz the last few years has been a content shooter so I don't claim to know more than any of you about the traffic side. But what I do know is that while so many of you are complaining about sales and predicting gloom and doom there are others who are doing amazing. In fact I know of one smaller program that is building out there network of sites because their traffic and sales are so promising.
Again, I am no expert but I in my opinion the difference between them and so many other programs is their content and their close relationship with the people who are shooting "with" them. I use the word "with" instead of "for" because they actually give the shooter some sort of interest in the overall program. I am not talking about a huge interest, but they give a small percentage so that the shooter has a reason to not cut corners in order to survive. They put their arms around their shooters and make them them part of the team instead of treating the cold and impersonal like it is an honor to work "for" them. This all results in content that other people just do not have regardless of how many people were on set that day standing around making money with their fingers up their asses.
If you detect some bitterness then you are right. I have been hired to shoot the front few pages of some sites just to lure the surfer in. Once the program owner has 10 to 20 scenes in the can they turn to the cheap filler content for updates. Some of the sites I have shot have made me very little money because I put so much of myself into each production hoping that the results would prompt the program owner would make me part of their team. It is very difficult to make money as a shooter if you are putting 150% into every production. Putting 150% of yourself into a production can often mean buidling a set, scouting for a perfect location, shopping for the perfect wardrobe, and taking the time and care to book talent who actually want to have red hot money sex with each other.
Not everything I have produced I have been proud of and that is mainly due to the fact that I cut corners because I was thinking more about the money than the quality of the production.
So any program owners out there who can bring themselves to take a bit of advice from me is to stop treating your shooters like they are expendable and instead throw your arms around someone who is highly passionate and wants to help build your company. Anytime I have been highly passionate about creating a great scene it has usually resulted in content that converts much better than the "cranked out" versions.
Again, I am no expert but I in my opinion the difference between them and so many other programs is their content and their close relationship with the people who are shooting "with" them. I use the word "with" instead of "for" because they actually give the shooter some sort of interest in the overall program. I am not talking about a huge interest, but they give a small percentage so that the shooter has a reason to not cut corners in order to survive. They put their arms around their shooters and make them them part of the team instead of treating the cold and impersonal like it is an honor to work "for" them. This all results in content that other people just do not have regardless of how many people were on set that day standing around making money with their fingers up their asses.
If you detect some bitterness then you are right. I have been hired to shoot the front few pages of some sites just to lure the surfer in. Once the program owner has 10 to 20 scenes in the can they turn to the cheap filler content for updates. Some of the sites I have shot have made me very little money because I put so much of myself into each production hoping that the results would prompt the program owner would make me part of their team. It is very difficult to make money as a shooter if you are putting 150% into every production. Putting 150% of yourself into a production can often mean buidling a set, scouting for a perfect location, shopping for the perfect wardrobe, and taking the time and care to book talent who actually want to have red hot money sex with each other.
Not everything I have produced I have been proud of and that is mainly due to the fact that I cut corners because I was thinking more about the money than the quality of the production.
So any program owners out there who can bring themselves to take a bit of advice from me is to stop treating your shooters like they are expendable and instead throw your arms around someone who is highly passionate and wants to help build your company. Anytime I have been highly passionate about creating a great scene it has usually resulted in content that converts much better than the "cranked out" versions.
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