YNOT Magazine, Issue Y19-01 by YNOT

CONTENTS

Planet Porn: Adult Entertainment and the Global Market Gene Zorkin

Legitimacy and Opportunity: Jahlonline Studio Seeks A Balance Amber Gold

What’s Up with Colombian Cam? FFN’s Scott Thompson Explains

Amber Gold

Why Colombia? Factors Driving Growth of the Country’s Camming Sector

Gene Zorkin

Webcam Win-Win: AJ Studios Seeks Success for Success

Amber Gold

Studio20: An International Network with Outlets in Cali, Bogata and More

Amber Gold

Colombian Cam: A Window of Opportunity in a Challenging Economy

Amber Gold

PAGE

Featured Article

Planet Porn: Adult Entertainment and the Global Market By Gene Zorkin

As an American, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of markets outside your own. The U.S. is home to the world’s largest economy after all, clocking in at a projected $20.4 trillion for 2018, according to the International Monetary Fund. (The second largest, China, still lags well behind the U.S., at $14 trillion.) While it may be understandable for American adult businesses to focus primarily on the domestic consumer base, those who ignore the world’s other markets for adult entertainment do so to their own detriment. Nowhere is this clearer than in the webcam sector, which has seen a

dramatic expansion in the number of successful studios and performers in recent years. For American companies, there are some substantial barriers to effectively marketing to consumers outside the U.S., of course. One is language – even though English is a widely-spoken tongue, it can be difficult (or impossible) to translate colloquialisms and slang used in porn marketing into the local vernacular. None of the obstacles to marketing adult entertainment globally are insurmountable, of course, and many

American adult companies have successfully established their brands overseas. Over the last 20 years, the advent of the internet and the international adoption of social media platforms have greatly eased the process of internationally marketing your adult brands and products, despite attempts to censor and control the internet by some governments.

help to set priorities and goals which are consistent with the goal of international expansion.

In this first issue of YNOT Magazine for 2019, we look at the rapidly-expanding adult webcam market in Colombia.

Look for these articles and more in this issue of YNOT Magazine as we take a detailed look at the exciting and emerging market of Colombia.

And we talk directly with leading players from Colombia, including Juan Bustos of JuanBustos.com, studio head Julian Herrera of Jahlonline and Anthony Rivera from AJ Studios/LALEXPO.

We talk with Scott Thompson of Friend Finder Networks, who discusses both the current status and exciting potential of the Colombian adult webcam industry. We also talk to Studio20 CEO Mugur Frunzetti about his companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategy for growth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and why he considers his company not as a Romanian company expanding into other markets, but an international cam network with its roots in Romania. To some, this may sound like a distinction without a difference, but perspective matters in business; adopting the mindset of a transnational organization can

About the Author Gene Zorkin has been covering legal and political issues for various adult publications (and under a variety of different pen names) since 2002.

Interviews

Legitimacy and Opportunity: Jahlonline Studio Seeks A Balance By Amber Gold Webcam in Colombia is a multifaceted, diverse and developing space — one that’s poised to shake up the industry as we know it. Jahlonline Studio is based in Cali, Colombia. Over the course of the past seven years, Jahlonline has cultivated a team dedicated to providing models with “the best and most timely assistance, training and comfort.” They also seek to demystify — and, thereby, legitimize — webcam work via model professionalization and training. We corresponded with Julian Herrera, the driving force behind the studio, to learn more about the organization’s goals, its current place in the cam space and the future beyond. YNOT: Tell us about your work in the Colombian cam space. Julian Herrera: Jahonline is a professional studio dedicated to live streams for about seven years in the

industry. Our principle goal focuses on the standardization of the industry. For that reason, we don’t worry about investing in the facilities or the qualified personal we want to hire for the multiple areas of the company. We believe that constant counseling is vital for our models’ education. That’s the way we give all the help and the elements needed for our models to maximize their efficiency. For example, our studio has three makeup specialists and two hair stylists in charge of the image and the style of our models. We also have four photographers and a design team, which is the pride of our company. Plus this, we have eight bilingual assistants [from] the production area with a deep knowledge and tools for the websites we work with. We have two administrators and one systems engineer for all the support needed. The management has a byword, which is the guide of all the decisions we make: “Quality over quantity.” This is how we convert every one of our models to a star. That’s how

we saw with pride that our brand and our models’ names are mentioned in all the industry events. How is Colombia perfect for cam? It’s a great question. We think, given our knowledge, that we can talk about a webcam culture on our country nowadays. As mentioned before, Colombia has stepped through a big transformation in cultural and structural ways in a short period of time. That’s the moment in which we move to give a structure to our imagination about this activity. We have changed from unconformity to professionalism in a blink. New studios emerge and grow up, and the promoters start to invest seriously and appropriately in the industry. The results show up in record time. Plus this: there is something we can’t deny, and it’s the beauty of the Latin woman. The most important websites start to build projects with us, and the most remarkable sentence that I remember came from a Live Jasmin agent when we were talking about his visit to Colombia and his proposal for the involvement of this important website. He said that if we can produce huge earnings without training and guidance what will happen if someone take serious interest in us — and that was exactly what happened. That’s the reason why the webcam culture in Colombia, nowadays, it’s on a consolidation process from the promoters and on an adaptation cycle from the culture in general.

could [show] our difference but also our evolution. I want to take the opportunity to share with studios the opportunity to learn about us. The purpose is to intensify sisterhood ties and mutual cooperation and to see us with respect. What does the industry (and the world) need to know about webcam in Colombia? I believe it’s necessary to set up laws in our country that regulate the business and, in the same time, get out of anonymity and hiding this activity. It’s a common desire of the studios and models, and it will bring significant benefits for all the parties involved. Jahlonline studios is a company focused on giving quality and professionalism to the industry by promoting webcam modeling in our country, understanding the model as a woman and understanding the respect she deserves for it. From that place, we move to take advantage of this.

I’m talking about the double moral [standard] in which we have to show myths as imaginary facts and help acceptance of the business by showing the reality of the industry, its achievements and the contributions we give to Colombian society. Rumors describe Colombia as new live webcam hub. What do you think about that? I think that’s a great affirmation! Colombia, it’s the new center of webcam modeling in the world nowadays. All of us, on the way to dabble on the industry, take Romania as an example and inspiration of what is right to do. I believe that the path to perfection, however, is still a long road but we are on good directions. In a short time, we have had remarkable learning and development. In the past, we

About the Author Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, the adult industry has always been a presence in Amber Gold’s life. At an early age, she became acutely aware that narratives often take shocking creative license when she noted there was no way Daniel LaRusso could’ve made it to the beach from Reseda (and back again) so quickly. She’s been seeking out various forms of truths ever since.

Interviews

What’s Up with Colombian Cam? FFN’s Scott Thompson Explains By Amber Gold

What’s happening with webcam in Colombia? A quick Google search reveals recent results that are expected, but suspect.

Is it as booming as everyone says? As dangerous as the mainstream media claim? We spoke to Scott Thompson at Friend Finder Networks (FFN) to get some more information and insights about this emerging space.

For instance, “La industria webcam un espacio de riesgo para la esclavitud sexual, la extorsión y múltiples daños en el Quindío” (roughly: cam in the city of Quindío brings risk of sex slavery and extortion) and “En Colombia, este es el caso de una joven de apenas 21 años y trabaja únicamente media hora al día, gracias a este trabajo en solo un mes puede ganar más que un ingeniero o un médico” (In Colombia, a 21-year-old woman works 30 minutes a day on cam and earns more than an engineer or a doctor! You get the idea).

YNOT: What does FFN do within the context of Colombian webcam?

But what’s really happening in the cam space in Colombia?

For talent, the US, Western Europe and Romania have been

Scott Thompson: We attended the first LALExpo in Colombia over five years ago, and what we saw was an exciting, emerging talent base. We’ve been doing shows and studio visits ever since. As a camming platform, if you’re going to grow, investing in Colombia now means great, long-term relationships in the future as they evolve to be a leader in the industry.

the traditional leaders in quality studios and independent models. These are markets that have been perfecting camming talent since the beginning. They are experts at what they do but have also solidified their relationships with camming platforms over the years. To expand our base, we look for areas of the world where there is still a relatively low median monthly income, higher levels of education and a high propensity for some of the

webcam, competing directly with Romania. What do you think about that? There’s definitely excitement in the potential of Colombia. Will it be the epicenter of camming? Probably not. Will they become as powerful as Romania in terms of number of models broadcasting and revenue generated? I believe so. Colombia is going through a huge expansion in new studios. As competition increases, like any market, it will consolidate down to fewer studios who deliver the highest quality and world-class management practices. I’m in the camp that believes camming now is about 10 percent of its market potential. From what we’re seeing, I think it’s an accurate estimate. The concept of a live compelling interaction with someone anywhere in the world is a new type of entertainment. Once the products mature and offer these services in a way that get attention in mainstream markets, this industry will see explosive growth. There’s room for everyone. Is the Colombian cam space facing any issues or roadblocks?

most beautiful people in the world. When these models can triple their income and work from home, it’s a life changer. Colombia is a great example of this. In the last several years, we’ve developed multiple strategic relationships with studios in Medellin, Bogota and Bucaramanga who do great with our traffic. We’ve had permanent representatives in Medellin for business development and have established several profitable traffic sources down there that intimately understand how to convert cams traffic for Colombian studios. Rumblings describe Colombia as the new center of

I don’t see it in terms of problems or roadblocks. It’s a matter of market maturity. For the stage of evolution Colombia is in right now, they’re on a great trajectory. I see a new generation of performers and business management professionals who are part of a movement to move the country’s economy forward. They are smart and prepared for the future due to the Colombian government’s focus on subsidized higher education. They have a new energy around growing Colombia’s economy that’s impressive. Improvements I see are already happening. Studios are increasing their investments in best practices training and English language training. Traffic expertise is advancing as studios learn more about social media strategies, content strategies and traffic relationships. There are also international banking regulations that can be challenging in Colombia but have solutions with more expertise and experience. Part of our investment in Colombia is to assist studios with these issues and build great relationships.

LALEXPO 2019

12Pictures courtesy Buster Brown,YNOTShootMe.com

CALI, COLOMBIA

Pictures courtesy Buster Brown,YNOTShootMe.com

Viewpoints

Why Colombia? Factors Driving Growth of the Country’s Camming Sector By Gene Zorkin When assessing what makes fertile ground for the growth of an industry sector like webcam, sometimes the contributing factors can be somewhat counterintuitive – or they can be so if one accepts certain embedded assumptions about a country or culture, at least. The same can be said of adult content consumption, which is likely why mainstream articles often have a tone of shock or disbelief to them when they report about the popularity of online porn in areas of the U.S. which are perceived to be socially-conservative. In talking to adult industry entrepreneurs about why Colombia has emerged as a hotbed of adult webcamming

talent, a sort of theme has emerged: The country’s mix of limited economic opportunity, widespread social conservatism and lack of regulation provides a strong incentive for young people to try their hands at camming. In campaigning for the presidency of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez ran in part on a platform of diversifying the country’s exports in a way which relies on the creativity and artistry of its people. While the center-right politician likely didn’t have adult webcamming in mind when he said “we are sitting on top of a treasure and don’t realize it,” the comment may apply just as accurately to the webcamming sector as to the Colombian economy at large.

With the country’s economic growth slowing in 2017 and industrial production on the decline, creative and selfmotivated young people may indeed turn to an expressive, performative enterprise like camming to help make ends meet. At the same time, the general religious and social conservatism of Colombia (the population is estimated to be 79 percent Roman Catholic) make it less likely that a domestic industry for the production of “canned” adult movies will develop there than the possibility of further growth of the webcamming industry. By comparison to a traditional video production, webcamming is far easier to keep under the radar. As referenced earlier, it’s both difficult and often misleading to assess a region or country’s social outlook and culture in generalities. But given the fact the country just elected a president from the Conservative Party and the party itself identifies “unwavering fidelity to the Catholic Church” as a core principle, it’s not a stretch to say social conservatism is widespread among Colombians. Of course, professed values and actual behavior are not always perfectly aligned – and among independence-minded young people, the idea of rebelling against dominant cultural positions and norms often has a strong appeal.

Of course, arguably the most important and essential thing which drives the development of an emerging industry sector – in any line of business – is the willingness of entrepreneurs, workers and consumers to take risk. In the context of Colombian adult entertainment, the willingness to take on the risk of growing the industry is represented in part by the establishment of ASOCEA, the full Spanish name of which translates to “the Colombian Association of E-Commerce for Adults.” Far from hiding or trying to operate sub rosa, ASOCEA has endeavored to establish legitimacy in large part by encouraging adult companies in Colombia to unite, organize and self-regulate. “One of the objectives to be achieved is clear policies that facilitate the exercise and development of adult companies within formal legal parameters that guarantee both quality and respect for those who are part of it,” the organization said in a statement released earlier this year. At the first meeting of ASOCEA, members discussed their vision for the organization and set a series of goals to “promote a better business environment, in an industry that highly impacts the Colombian economy.”

Another factor which favors the growth of the cam sector in Colombia is the strength of the foreign currencies commonly used by customers, relative to the weakness of the Colombian peso (COP). With a current exchange rate of over 3000 COP to $1 USD and over 3460 COP to €1, getting paid in foreign currencies is an attractive prospect for Colombians.

All told, Colombia appears well-suited for continued growth of its camming sector and possibly a broader adult entertainment industry expansion, as well. The country is not alone in offering potentially favorable conditions for camming sector growth, of course – which is why the global adult industry is bullish on camming these days, basically everywhere you look.

About the Author Gene Zorkin has been covering legal and political issues for various adult publications (and under a variety of different pen names) since 2002.

Interviews

Webcam Win-Win: AJ Studios Seeks Success for Success By Amber Gold Anthony Rivera is a co-founder of AJ Studios. He was educated in Business Administration in both the United States and Colombia. As a young entrepreneur, Rivera put his education into practice in 2008, establishing his first webcam business. He has since opened several facilities and numerous commercial websites and has joint-ventured with some of the biggest companies in the adult industry. AJ Studios itself has grown to be one of the most significant model hubs in Latin America, with over 2,000 women and men online seven days a week, 365 days a year. “At the founding of this company, we set out to be taken

seriously and to provide best in class service. We also recognized the responsibility we have to our models and employees and have worked tirelessly on their behalf,” Rivera explained. “We are proud of the accomplishments we have made.” We corresponded with Rivera and learned a bit more about cam culture in Colombia. YNOT: What about Colombia makes it perfect for webcam? Anthony Rivera: The beauty of the Colombian woman makes perfect the business in the country. For nobody it

is secret that the foreign man has this fascination for the Latin woman. Colombia is still a country with socioeconomic difficulties. [It] has high levels of corruption and poverty and low purchasing power, so many young women see in webcam modeling the opportunity to improve their quality of life, pay for college, help their families and have financial independence.

Romania in terms of revenue, the road to match it will depend on the ability of the models to overcome the obstacles imposed by the language barrier. Overcoming this, Colombian cam girls and the market in general could become the world leader. Is the Colombian cam space facing any regionally specific issues or roadblocks?

Is Colombia on course to become the global hub of webcam?

In Colombia, the industry faces several challenges, starting with the absence of legislation that regulates the activities of this industry. This leaves in limbo those who are part of it and, in turn, leaves the country without receiving the corresponding taxes as a result of the commercial exercise.

The growth of the webcam industry will continue for many years to come. For Colombia, which remains behind

The lack of a regulation not only affects the Colombian government. It also puts at a disadvantage the men and

In addition to this, the currency exchange makes the webcam business attractive for both entrepreneurs and models.

Juan Carlos and I, as owners and operators, believe that everyone in the day-to-day operations are valuable in the success of the business. That is why today we have studios all over Colombia, employ over 2,000 people and are constantly expanding. We have won awards and work with the top people and companies in the industry, but what stays a constant is AJ Studios always stays humble. [We] know that if you take care of your employees, they will be loyal and work to take care of the business that takes care of them. Webcam models can be more than just pretty faces. AJ Studios has taken the lead to promote and support a variety of charitable causes through its Fundación Liam, a non-profit social entity focused on assistance to contribute to the improvement and development of the quality of life of different types of populations in Colombia. women who work daily and who do not have the protection and benefits enjoyed by a common employee — medical benefits, justifications for applying for a loan in a financial institution or employment recommendation letters. In view of a mostly moralistic society, which in many cases mistakenly associates the webcam business with illegal activities, the Colombian Association of E-Commerce for Adults (ASOECA) was created, with the mission of generating better opportunities for companies in the industry. The association aims at sustainable development and an adequate business environment to improve the competitiveness of companies, with the aim of achieving an organized industry framed in the law, with the best quality standards. What is one thing others in the industry need to know about AJ Studios? At AJ Studios we have a “win-win” philosophy. This is the number one reason that we have had so many successes and have become the largest webcam company in all of South America, while being recognized for our professionalism and business innovation globally.

Featured Article

Colombian Cam: A Window of Opportunity in a Challenging Economy By Amber Gold We at YNOT have been paying attention to Juan Bustos and his work in the Colombian webcam space for a long time now. Case in point: YNOT Cam took a peek at his webcam university program all the way back in 2016. As luck would have it, we recently had the opportunity to speak with Bustos about cam, education and occupational opportunity and the state of the Colombian industry. YNOT: Can you tell us a bit about the history of cam in Colombia? Juan Bustos: Webcam modeling in Colombia is an

industry that flourishes. The models are women of age who transmit in front of a webcam on a page of tokens or private to an audience with whom they chat and who provide entertainment. In recent years, lalexpo, one of the largest [industry] events with two thousand people attending from all over the world, has strengthened the industry and the good name of webcam modeling and adult entertainment in the country. In the country, at least twenty years ago the industry was born, however, it is not until now when people talk about it. The taboo that you can see around it is due to the strong moralistic and religious influence of the country, which in

many cases also consumes this type of entertainment. What do you do in the context of Colombian webcam? In my case, I knew about the industry when I was studying philosophy and psychoanalysis at Antioquia University. I was a friend of a model that worked on one of these pages, and I was very interested because I saw the opportunity to create a microenterprise in Medellin. When I started working, I understood that this job was not easy, so I began to investigate and realize that the most professional models made money in ways that were not only sexual. I began to fall in love with work and, as I studied philosophy, I invented the academic strategies that would allow me to explain to the models how to work. We created a university to teach Colombian models to do better. We started two years ago with classes every Thursday at 2 pm in a virtual way. We gave courses on seduction, psychology of a chat room, how to handle the angles of the camera, the best lighting for a room and more related to this type of webcam activity. After a year, we decided to celebrate the anniversary by launching a physical university, developed with Linda Suarez who is a professional in eroticism and seduction, in addition to

being a professional pole dancer. The first thing I had, however, was a webcam studio. How would you describe the webcam culture in Colombia today? Colombia is the Latin American leader in the webcam industry and the second in the world. The country had a vertiginous growth in the sector, and this is due to several factors, [including] the beauty of the Colombian woman, who makes her a reference in the world, for her voluptuousness and warmth with the users. They have the necessary discipline to compete in the adult entertainment environment. They are women who prepare physically and professionally to speak other languages and perform professional shows. Also, the media has played a significant role in making the industry known outside the borders. This gave firsthand knowledge of the life of the models, how is the work of the industry, as well as its benefits, which helped to change the perception of the career. But this is not all. There is a socioeconomic reality that the country is experiencing. The labor field for traditional professions is overwhelmed and leaves out a large

population of men and women who see in modeling an opportunity to achieve economic independence and better quality of life for themselves and their families. In fact, it is estimated that the industry in the country has grown by 400 percent compared to 2015, and nowadays the Colombian market represents more or less 25 percent of the world market share. By cities and regions, Medellin has a 30 percent share, Cali 25 percent, Bogotá 15 percent, Eje Cafetalero 10 percent and Costa 10 percent. 90 percent are women, 5 percent couples, 3 percent men and 2 percent transsexuals. A model could earn about $300 per week according to the performance and time spent on a webcam page — salary well above what a professional with experience in another industry in the country could earn. Some describe Colombia as the up-and-coming center of cam, competing directly with Romania. What do you think about that? The webcam industry has managed to develop exponentially in recent years, and, although now it remains second in webcam models worldwide after Romania, there are still some challenges. The main one for the models is the language barrier, but for the industry in general it is the recognition by the Colombian State. Overcoming these obstacles could perhaps speak of a true hegemony on the part of Colombia. We still have a long way to go. The sector has substantially improved its tools — not only with significant technological capacity, but also with professional work teams and a trajectory that dictates the direction we must travel to ensure the quality and positioning of Colombia in the world. What are some specific challenges the Colombian cam space faces? The main challenge currently facing webcam modeling in Colombia is the lack of regulations on the trade. I mean, there is no legislation that regulates the activities of the sector. This puts those who work in the industry at

a disadvantage, as they do not have the protection and benefits that a common worker could enjoy. Lack of a rule affects not only workers, but also the state. The state [does not] receive the corresponding taxes of the business year, which differentiates us from countries like Romania where there are regulations and webcam modeling is a commercial activity like any other that pays taxes and is respectable. What do others in the industry need to know about your work overall? We have JuanBustos.com, a news center developed so that the models can obtain information, advice, tips and even audiovisual material that allows them to keep updated on the news of the sector or, if they are not [already models], they can obtain accurate information about the webcam industry. Thanks to this initiative and in view of the professionalization of webcam modeling, we managed to create the first university for webcam models, a place where specific classes and workshops are provided to develop the capabilities of the models. Some of them work sensuality, creativity, psychology, persuasion and corporal expression by the hand of a team of professionals. The intention of this university is that women and men who opt for a career in the industry get the necessary tools to compete in this hard-fought labor field. Thanks to the reception we received with the webcam university, and with the support of representatives of the webcam industry, Camgirl magazine was born. It is the only magazine in Latin America dedicated to take a deep look at webcam modeling. In its pages, we gather the best stories, anecdotes and information from the hand of specialists to make it an informative and entertaining space. Everything is a continuous effort to change the paradigm that people have about the profession and make others understand that webcam modeling is a dignified and respectable career that can be done with professionalism.

PREMIUM

TRAFFIC

DAILY, WEEKLY & MONTHLY

BONUSES 100% MEMBER BONUS

PROGRAM 24-HOUR SUPPORT

EXCLUSIVE

FLIRT SUMMIT FOLLOW US ON :

@FLIRT4FREE

@FLIRT4FREEGUYS @FLIRT4FREEGIRLS

@FLIRT4FREE

SIGNUP@FLIRT4FREE.COM