Adult Site Broker Talk Episode 25 with Brian Gross of Brian Gross PR

0 (8s):
This is Bruce Friedman of Adult Site Broker and welcome to Adult Site Broker Talk where every week we interview one of the movers and shakers of the adult industry, and we discuss what's going on in our business. Plus, we give you a tip on buying and selling websites. This week we'll be talking to PR guru, Brian Gross of the BS public relations. Adult Site

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Broker is proud to announce Adult Site Broker Cash The first affiliate program for an adult website, brokerage With Adult Site Broker Cash. You will have the chance to earn as much as 20% of our Broker commission, referring sellers and buyers to us at Adult Site Broker check our website at Adult Site Broker Cash com for more details. First of all, today let's cover some of the news going on in our industry. Prosecutors said they have filed seven additional sexual assault counts against the Adult film act or Ron Jeremy, which together with previous charges carry a maximum sentence of more than 300 years in prison.

1 (1m 15s):
The seven new counts filed by the LA County DA's office involves six women, and go back to 1996. The prior prosecutor's office said, and a statement they add to other charges previously filed against Jeremy who his real name is Ron Jeremy Hyatt. If convicted on all of the more than 30 counts, Jeremy faces a maximum possible sentence of 330 years to life in prison. The DA's office said the new charges include three counts of forcible rape, two counts of forcible oral copulation, and one count each have sexual battery by restraint and assault with intent to commit forcible digital penetration in all prosecutors alleged that there were 23 victims in crimes from 1996 to 2020.

1 (2m 9s):
Jeremy's the attorney Stewart Goldfarb's. He said he was surprised by the additional charges. They're more of the same and why they are piling on at this juncture is strange. He said he doesn't deny being with some of these women, but it was consensual Goldfarb said the new charges, which span 17 years involve alleged victims ages 17 to 38. According to the DA's office, Jeremy is accused of having raped a 19 year old woman during a photo shoot in the San Fernando Valley area of LA. In 1996, he was also accused of having raped a woman at a party at a nightclub and a 17 year old at a home in the Woodland Hills neighborhood.

1 (2m 53s):
Jeremy was arrested and charged in June later more accounts were filed. He was held in lieu of $6.6 million bail. According to the LA County Sheriff's records, the Mitchell brothers O'Farrill theaters, San Francisco's, legendary Adult entertainment venue has permanently closed due to COVID-19 and its interior has been gutted according to the local news site, SF gate, an SF gate remembrance piece published Friday and entitled where all the lost souls came together. SF. So feral theater strip club closes after 50 years only includes a few details about the final closure decision as part of its official closure.

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Its walls had been stripped bare, and its lavish interior has been gutted. The author wrote adding that despite just celebrating its 50th anniversary, the club's Amber colored marquee, which advertised anything from wild girls to pornographic feature films will finally dim its lights

2 (3m 57s):
Due to COVID-19

1 (3m 60s):
Being a native San Franciscan. I have some fun memories,

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Oh, feral theater rest in peace.

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And the assistant attorney general of the us department of justice has written a letter to the congressional committees currently reviewing project's to repeal or a radically reformed section two 30, the so-called first amendment of the internet, arguing that the legislation should be altered or completely tossed in order to start on fresh canvas assistant ag, Steven Boyd wrote to the house and Senate judiciary and commerce committees claiming section two 30 immunity allows platforms to, and I quote act in bad faith or in a way that demotes the speech of others' based on political viewpoint. That text provides immunity only for content removed in good faith because it is obscene lewd, filthy, excessively violent harassing or otherwise objectionable, not merely because the platform operators themselves dislike or disagree with it.

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The Trump appointed assistant a G road acting on behalf of William bars entire DOJ weeks after approving an unprecedented changes to its County code in order to target sexually oriented businesses. The Cobb County board of commissioners has permanently revoked the local business license for Atlantic area Adult boutique Tokyo Valentino. Last week, the Cobb County commission voted to revoke Tokyo Valentino's business license in a hearing that it had originally been planned for last month. The Atlanta journal constitution reported the onslaught of municipal harassment against Tokyo.

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Valentino is being watched around the country as a bellwether for local moralist strategies to restrict free access to sexual expression, education and products via a regulatory and zoning that code amendments passed earlier in September reported a local newspaper East cob NUS would limit sex shops and other Adult businesses to, to industrial zoning categories. All such businesses would be required to obtain a special license and employees would have to be issued a special permit, such a regulation as the effect of forcing any business, dealing with sex, to set up an areas with the higher crime rate.

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Self-fulfilling the prophecy of the Guardian's of morality who associates sexually oriented businesses with a broad panic inducing laundry list of secondary crimes. Now lets feature on our property the week that is for sale at Adult Site Broker Cash. We are proud to offer for sale and novelty manufacturer and website with pop culture, theme, silicone products, their products, or niche yet relevant to mainstream audiences and our incredibly sharable as evidenced by the hundreds of articles written about the brand On outlets, such as Playboy, vice Buzzfeed, Mashable, penthouse, lad, Bible, Cosmo, Nerdist refinery, 29, pop sugar and more.

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They also have a diehard community have more than 40,000 social media followers. In addition to their email list of over 10,000, all traffic to the website is self-created no ads has been purchased that traffic is all organic social indirect. This company can and has been run by two people part time, or it could be scaled up or merged with a much larger company with very minimal effort. The company has incredible potential for expansion, but it also has a solid four year history of year over year growth and a huge community of dedicated fans. All manufacturing equipment is provided with everything needed to continue running the business, including all product molds and related materials also included has about $50,000 worth of product stock.

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You get all this for only 675,000 us dollars. Now time for this week's interview. My guest today on Adult Site Broker Talk is Brian Gross president of BSG public relations. Brian, thanks for being with us today on Adult Site Broker Talk thank you for having me. It's a pleasure. Now Bryan has been in the media and public relations space for over 27 years. He has been employed by a company such as deaf American recordings, Warner brothers records, reprised records, Electra entertainment, group, vivid entertainment group Brian was an executive producer for reality X, the search for Adam and Eve.

1 (8m 45s):
His background includes all facets of public and media relations working with some of the largest businesses, celebrities and music acts in the world. Brian certainly as of the go-to PR

3 (8m 56s):
People in the Adult space. So maybe you can fill us in on some of the people you're working with now.

4 (9m 5s):
Well, I mean, I have a wide assortment of clientele, both in and out of the adult industry, but a Adult wise that work with the AVN expo. I work with companies like the Vixen media group and Adult time I work with a talent like Maitland ward and Sara Andela. I work with mr. Skin. I also have novelty companies like, Oh my bod and screaming out. And I've worked with auto blow for many years and, and Brian Sloan's many different products, so, and then I've got Sherry's ranch. And so it's a, it's a wide variety of stuff. I've also worked a couple horror projects, a couple of music projects recently that have done decently well.

4 (9m 47s):
And yeah, so I mean, I'm, I always take on a wide variety of stuff that certainly challenging and, and fun.

3 (9m 54s):
I didn't know you were doing mr. Scan. I love the work you're doing for them. You, you seem to keep them on the news a lot.

4 (10m 0s):
I try. I mean, they, they, they had a documentary come out that, and I will not take credit that they had an it firm that specifically to handle that documentary did a phenomenal job around that. But working with that company and, and getting to put out really fun releases and, and getting, you know, interesting media pickups with them and, and, and just working with a great team, they have an incredible team of people there that, and I knew that, that our wonderful, I'm also doing a lot of content creator stuff just for fans and a new company called Foxy and, and stuff on that end. So that's keeping me busy as well, which, which has been incredible.

3 (10m 34s):
Fantastic. It, no one is once you take On someone like se just for fans, does that kind of keep you from taking on a competitor?

4 (10m 44s):
No, I mean it, each company is a little different, certainly if there are companies that are exactly alike, that's one thing, but I've always had companies have a couple of companies in, in whatever space it is. So, you know, back back in the two thousands, I had like three or four, five Gonzo companies and they be unique in their own way. And we get from them and in garner attention, obviously there's all kinds of talents that I've worked with over the years and still do. So, you know, I'm very transparent or try to be as much as possible when I, when I'm working with the client, I have spoken to a company that I'm discussing, you know, a negotiating working with us.

4 (11m 24s):
And certainly there are companies in their space, but they all tend to work together as well. So it sort of synergies and relationships as far as that goes.

3 (11m 34s):
Yeah. Especially as an adult. Now tell us about your upbringing.

4 (11m 39s):
So, I mean, I'm born and raised in Southern California, born in Hollywood. I grew up in Newbury park, California up in Ventura County, you know, straight suburbs, pretty much a straight forward eighties kid. And a few sort of found my calling my senior year of high school. I entered at a record label and, you know, I would spend three days a week driving from a Newbury park to Burbank to spend days where I'd, you know, one day I'd meet Henry Rollins. One day of the band flipper, a North Cal punk group would be there one day having lunch. And I'm 17, an ogre from skinny puppy sits down next to me and we have an hour conversation. The people that work at the label, obviously the label is deaf American owned by Rick Rubin.

4 (12m 22s):
The people at the label are all incredibly talented and still very much involved in the music industry in one way, one way or another. And it was a really crash course education on, on the industry and on public relations. So I got that really early, you know, went away to school for a little bit, but came back, worked on the wall of Palooza tour in 94, and then just started working my way up, taking internships, taking an assistant jobs, working on my way to a regional. And I'm a regional and tour publicity gig at Electra. And then in 99, I was offered the head of PR and marketing at vivid and, you know, made a, made a turn into the Adult industry and a guy that was that.

4 (13m 2s):
So he was there almost two years, started my company in 2001.

3 (13m 7s):
Fantastic. Now, how did you start, I guess you kind of answered the question a, how you started your career in media relations and PR you want to explain it

4 (13m 18s):
And on that at all in, in regards to, in general in PR. Oh yeah. So I mean, it, I mean, it's a funny story where it's literally the person who answered the phone at deaf American, what they would do is when the receptionist would go to lunch, the last hire would answer the phones. And I called in and said, Hey, I want an internship. And I had called major record labels. And they said, you had to be in college in order to enter, which was fine. It was, it, it was in high school. So the person who answers the phone is in the public eye, you know, a publicity department at a deaf American. And I go, Hey, I want an internship. And she literally goes, well, come in tomorrow and interview. And I went, Oh shit.

4 (13m 58s):
You know, and just sorta, it caught me off guard because I was used to just being rejected, left and right. So I should put on a shirt and tie showed up. And the first thing she said is you're never gonna wear that again. Okay. And before I was going to,

3 (14m 12s):
I was, I was going to say at a record label. Yeah.

4 (14m 15s):
Well, you just did it. I mean, I'm 17 going for an interview. You know what I mean? That I can talk about it crash course. And no one there that you might have one or two discussions of interviews and in a high school class a about that. So, so she brought me on, you know, obviously it's an unpaid internship, but I was given concert tickets. And at the time I know this sounds funny, but CDs and, and just spending time with these incredible people and learning so much in such a short period of time, I entered their for roughly about eight months, right before I left for college. So it was like, say a crash course education in public relations with some of the finest people in the music industry who have either stayed on or have gone to other industries as well.

4 (15m 2s):
So it was a phone call. It was literally if the person who had answered the phone was in radio or in a and R my life's, it takes a completely different turn. That's what

5 (15m 13s):
Wild. Now what was working in the record industry? Like it was a,

4 (15m 19s):
And it was unbelievable. It was everyday was a, an experience every day that I went in there, I was like I said, meeting new bands, new artists, new people, making new friendships that I still have to this day. But we, you know, gleaming on to my mentors who I still consider mentors of mine. And as I worked my way up, it just, the challenge has increased. And so, you know, by the time I was at Electra, again, a tour in regional publicist, and I'm not making a lot of money mind you. I mean, you didn't get into those gigs to get rid of it. You got into them because you worked in an industry unlike any other in the world. So, you know, one of the things that, you know, is something that I take to heart is that I'm on, you know, a first name basis with some of the members of the Metallica.

4 (16m 7s):
You know, someone, you don't remember my name because it is what it is, but it became very close with Lars Olrick. Lee, you know, I would set up a lot of publicity for the band. You know, I worked on many of their tours between 96 and 99. All of their West coast tour is obviously, and maintained those relationships with, you know, the band and their management. So, you know, you know, I was there, you know, for the very first moment of third eye blind. And then I had things like Motley crew and I had things like I would, you know, was one of the first people to hear that Missy Elliot out her debut album, ah, and so on. So you got to be involved and promote some of these things that have lived on in inflammation and are just incredible bodies.

5 (16m 51s):
Wow. Sounds like quite an experience. When did you make the jump into the Adult industry?

4 (16m 59s):
So the beginning of 99, I sorta saw the writing on the wall in the music industry, being Napster at all and piracy and being like this, you know, I was, you know, I was a low man on the totem pole and the satellite office have a massive label than at the time had a publicity department, both East and West coast have about 15 people, which is unheard of now. And I just was like, I better start figuring myself out here, figuring out a career move or what I'm going to do. And at the same time, a one of my very closest two of my closest friends, one was the publicist at vivid. And one was the brother of the owner of vivid and the publicist at the time, it was going to, to really move the company forward in the, you know, sort of With online and internet, everything going on in that regards into the adult industry and in the late nineties and they needed, they were gonna hire a publicist and I interviewed and was offered the job in, I want to say February or early March of a late February of, of 99.

4 (18m 8s):
And it was an option that I can recall.

3 (18m 11s):
Oh yeah, absolutely. Now you work with vivid ARG, arguably the largest Adult production company, give us some insight into those years. Right.

4 (18m 22s):
I mean, it, it, it was arguably that, and I had a, you know, the vivid contrast girls, it was about 13 of them that I work closely with and promoted. There was the company itself, there was Steven Hirsch, the owner, and it was just working the biggest, it was doing things on a big scale, being, acting and performing as if you are at the number one company and promoting it in such a way. So I was given free rein you know, a, my experience with bands, I just transferred into working Adult film stars and in this, in its own production company and doing just these incredible projects and putting incredible taking ideas and working with different companies and, you know, having the opportunity to take an idea and run with it.

4 (19m 13s):
I w I will always say Stephen was very hands off in that regard. He didn't stand over your back and see what you were doing every day. It was, he hired you to do your job and do your job. So I always appreciated the lack of micromanaging there, where I could, you know, as a young kid to just go, Hey, I want to try and do this. I want to try and do that. But there was an aspect of don't spend money. And that was meant in a way of you have all these tools, you have talent who can promote. People always want to be around the vivid girls. We have the best Adult product, use that to, to negotiate opportunities. And that certainly was very much a valuable lesson.

3 (19m 56s):
Sure now what made you go out on your own?

4 (20m 0s):
I'm in my time, there is sort of ended up the company was going in a direction and, you know, to, to be plenty sort of close to the department, gave me a severance. And I was on my own for a couple of weeks, which was, you know, it took a couple of weeks just to chill out. I had worked nonstop, you know, right when I came back from college and started on Lollapalooza back in 94. So, you know, it took a couple of interviews and then I had about three different people, call me and say, Hey, we want you to represent us. And before I knew it, I had three clients paying me X amount. That just when I did the numbers, I went, maybe I just do my own thing. And I converted the house I was living in.

4 (20m 42s):
I converted one of the rooms into an office. And before I knew it, I had my company and I started at officially January 1st, 2001. And, you know, you honestly don't look back. It was, it was just get up and go from that point, three clients turned into six, turned into nine. Clients came and went, projects came and went. And I just took as many of the opportunities is that I could and sorta ran with it. And I would probably say, I've had a few hundred clients over a, you know, over a 20 year period. It may be 300. I mean, I've never been counted and they have the file and that I've looked at it. And every once in a while, I just sort of love to look back and open a folder and try and remember what, what I was doing and in that time.

4 (21m 29s):
So, umm, you know, I think you know this as well as any one, once you started working for yourself, that's it, that's the end game. And it just brings so much opportunity. It gives you so much freedom, but there's sacrifice there or things. People don't understand. There's chasing checks and hardest part of the job obviously. But, but you don't, you don't see yourself going anywhere else because its name on the door and you get to decide how much work you want to take in. I always,

5 (22m 2s):
I always sort of laugh or smile

4 (22m 4s):
Or what have you, when people say their quote unquote to busy and granted I'm not married. I don't have kids. I have a little more freedom than most, but people can decide how truly busy they are and what their capacity is and how much time they want to put into their work. I have no problem working 12 to 16 hours a day. That's not an issue. So it's, it's really dependent on how you can handle and obviously you wanna give your best of all your clients. So that is always that that is an important and integral part of when you take on work, but I've always pushed myself and taken on as much as I can because there's also a lot of synergy, you know, there's opportunities where I've put clients together and they've done business and it's been a wonderful thing.

4 (22m 51s):
So I just liked to see opportunity when I'm working with a client. When I take on a project and see where it goes, Sure I understand the whole thing

5 (23m 1s):
And not looking back. I didn't either my man what's daily life like in your business, what did what's a typical day? I mean, nothing is typical. So you get up, you get the morning started, right?

4 (23m 14s):
And you started looking at the emails and it could be an emergency. It could be an opportunity. It could be anything, you know? So I jump on as early as I can. And we talked about doing this interview

5 (23m 25s):
Pretty early on my end. So

4 (23m 27s):
It it's, there is no typical and you have to be flexible and ready for anything. If you're a stringent and you say it has to be this way. I think you're not setting yourself up well for success. Sure you're going to be thrown. You have no idea what is going to come in. I deal with people all over the that I have clients all over the world. So that, that inbox is 24 seven. So once I wake up and, and turn it on it and turn it and click the app and look in, I better be ready to go.

3 (23m 57s):
Right, right. I'm sure in public relations, it's a, a really, anything goes, you know, there's, there can be things that come up that are a little bit hairy.

4 (24m 14s):
Absolutely. I mean the answer's yes. And if you wanted examples, I would be here until 21. So it's it. Everyday is something and everyday you are thrown things that you could never think of. And that will be a book I write later on down the road, you know, some of this stuff every once in a while, I'll run into somebody or I'll get an email from someone or a text and there'll be like, do you remember this? And I'll be like, no, but hold on, give me a sec. And I'll remember it. And as soon as I know, as soon as its sort of refreshers in my mind, but everyday there is always a challenge and always something that's going on.

4 (24m 53s):
And you know, in many cases that just has to do with the outside world, you know, there are a big, you know, we Lee, whatever time we live in, that's going to affect what it is that I'm working with.

3 (25m 4s):
Sure, sure. Since we're talking about challenges, obviously we've got a global pandemic besides that. What are your current challenges?

4 (25m 15s):
Well, I mean this two month window of three months now, and I, the window's obviously shrinking of a pandemic Plus election just brings the ultimate challenge of the media that I'm dealing with are pushed to the end. And you're trying to play stories that might not be timely and might not be urgent, but have importance. And you're dead. You're having the delicate balance of having someone's ear for a 32nd minute, whatever it is to pitch what you're trying to accomplish versus what's going on in the world right now, you know, politics, social, injustice, pandemic, a are going to affect public relations and media relations.

4 (25m 58s):
So I bet it's a careful balance in regards to that. And those are the challenges right now. And then, you know, you, you said, who knows, you know, who knows what the new year will bring? Who knows when this pandemic will subside when, and hopefully there'll be a, a, a, a more detailed and further progress in social justice and what the economic balance will bring. I mean, there's lots of things that are still up in the air that have certainly changed. With where we were in February and January of this year or so. So we'll see. But you know, I've now worked through what nine 11 I've worked through the economic collapse of 2008, 2009.

4 (26m 43s):
I've certainly worked due to the challenges that existed, that same minimal of the last decade. So throw in a pandemic that has occurred in a 102 years. And, you know, I like to think we survive this. We can survive anything.

3 (26m 58s):
Amen, brother, what advice do you have for someone wanting to get into what you do?

4 (27m 5s):
I mean, the work of public relations is relatively unlicensed. You can get, you know, you can go obtain a degree. I actually spoke to a student at a university yesterday. She, I wanted to ask you some questions for her thesis. She was writing it and I appreciate it that she is studying, but I made it perfectly clear that I didn't go that route. I went to the hustle route. I went to the Sure, you know, take every internship and then take every, take the next possible assistant job and, and climb the ladder and see where it goes. So it's all about relationship building. It's all about understanding people and it's, it's all about commitment and it's all about practice and just working as hard as you can do to, to achieve what your, what your goals are.

4 (27m 51s):
And certainly in public relations, it certainly matters. What field do you want to go into? What type of work do you want to do? How, how do you want to do it? So, you know, the answer is you just got to start and go and be willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of your future.

3 (28m 7s):
Oh, what, what skillsets do you think someone who does what you do should have it,

4 (28m 12s):
You have a work ethic is one because its not nine to five. So if you want a nine to five job, this isn't it. I think the ability to understand people, the ability to communicate even the basics, like the ability to travel. And I know that sounds kind of funny, but you know, up to this point, you know, I was constantly on the road or constantly traveling and you know, you know, you've gotta be able to manage, you know, getting out there and seeing clients and being with people in being with media people and, and face to face and, and whatnot. So there's, there's that aspect of which will come back. Absolutely. So it's and you just gotta love this because if you don't love what you're doing, especially in this field, you will go crazy and it will drive you crazy.

4 (28m 59s):
So you better, you better want to be all in this. Isn't a half-ass job. And I know there are plenty of people that get into public relations and then dabble in this and dabble in that. I'm a publicist. I'm not, I'm not an actor. I'm not, you know, I'm not a screenwriter. I'm not at this. I'm not that I'm a publicist. That's what I do. That's what I spend every day working right now. So I'm truly a believer of committing to that focus in order to find success.

3 (29m 28s):
Sure. And it works because if you ask 10 people in our industry to name a, a PR person and a lot of them are going to say Brian Gross

4 (29m 40s):
Well, I mean, listen, I'm, I'm appreciative of that. I don't take that for granted. I'm grateful. But at the end of the day, I also just put my head down in work and I liked to think the less I say in the more work I do, the better it shows what I'm doing. I think that's one aspect of success is, you know, the majority of my clientele over the years have come from other people it's come from, Hey, we worked with Brian. He can help you give him a call. So shoot them an email. So I think that's really important that my focus has always been on doing the best possible work for my clients and, and seeing where that goes.

3 (30m 19s):
Sure and you know, you talked about the person who's getting their thesis and getting a degree in public relations, real world, a real world experience is always better for someone than just a piece of paper,

4 (30m 37s):
Right? I mean the answer is yes, listen, I'm, I'm an admitted college dropout. I went to, I went to Northern Arizona for a multitude of reasons. I had a music scholarship. It was in the music department, but I wanted to get out of California. I mean, when you're born and raised in Southern California, it's amazing. But when you're a restless teenager, you want to see something new. So I chose a place that was far enough away in a completely different environment, was up in the mountains. I lived in snow for the first time ever in my life. And I was on a, on a, exactly and I was on a campus and it was great, but I knew what I wanted to do. And I wanted to come back and it was a nine month sabbatical as I liked to tell people.

4 (31m 21s):
And so I knew, and I can't tell you how or why or what. I just knew I had to come back and I had to start working and that was going to be it. And I was, I was doing a lot of things. I was writing for music publications. I had had actually deejayed at the college station, unbeknownst to the professor of the department. When I handed him in the air Check tape, you said, what's this? And he got really pissed. And I said, it's an air check tape. I've been doing Friday, night's on your, on your college station. And he didn't appreciate that, which I will always think is funny in those air Check tape or Check tapes are in a row, are locked up in, in my storage, but I'm, I just knew I had to work and I had to meet people and I had to go out and I was at concerts every, I mean, when you think about what did you have to do?

4 (32m 14s):
I had to go to concerts every night of the week in my early twenties, in my late teens and early twenties. I wasn't too bad, you know? And granted right now in my mid forties, the thoughts of going to concerts every night is a little exhausting. So, but it wasn't at 20 and 21, you know? So it, it, it was incredible. I saw some of the most incredible shows ever. It was fortunate to meet of the most incredible artists ever. And you know, those stories, their, their, their, that I share with people over the years. So, but to your point, yeah, it's, it's about grinding, its about getting on the street, its about meeting people.

4 (32m 54s):
It's about working on your craft and it is a craft because you have to know what works, you know, you know, you do a lot of different things and work a lot of different methods and you roll with the punches. You know, obviously there was zero social media in the mid nineties when I was working bands. Now it's a whole different story. So those are the types of things that whatever technology comes, you have to adjust too and work with.

3 (33m 18s):
Yeah. And that's, that's completely changed what you do a social media

4 (33m 24s):
A a hundred percent. And I have a lot of conversations with clients about that and how to tackle social media and the do's and don'ts what are we doing? What are we not doing? So it is definitely challenging, but I I'm all in. I mean I love it and I completely understand the, the nuts and bolts and where social media has gone. Ah, there's a great documentary on Netflix, the social dilemma, which is a must watch, which is so it shows you sort of, you know, the monster that social media has turned into and effective and society, but you know, everything, everything's a Pandora's box. So Sure everything that has something great to it. It has something dark as well.

3 (34m 7s):
Yeah, no kidding. As we, as we're less than two months away from a, from the presidential election, you know, it's interesting, you mentioned the being a radio animal. That was my, that was my, a trade for the longest time. And I bet I can match you. I'm sure. I have a lot more tapes in my storage, in a Northern COVID

4 (34m 29s):
And so I would hope so. I just didn't make any money doing it right.

3 (34m 34s):
And really make any money doing it either that didn't quite work on it. I didn't, I didn't become the next great a baseball play by play announcer, but I came damn close to scoring a gig with the A's. So there you go. So what do you, what is the future bring for the adult industry in other industries? You work with them?

4 (34m 53s):
Oh, I think, you know, first of all, the adult industry, as far as content is only going to continue to grow, even when this pandemic is over and less people are on the content creator websites and people start to go in to venture into different ways. There is still the core of the industry and the need for the content. So whatever the next distribution stream is, a a, you know, in the industry will probably be the leader and everyone else will be the follower. So the, the companies that are our creative and smart and run properly are going to do well.

4 (35m 34s):
A it's a young industry again, where the people running it are and you know, are heavily involved and have a passion and are working, you know, to make it a better industry. I mean, there's there, you know, you're always trying to do that. I think the novelty space is incredible. That's only going to continue to grow and that stayed in the obvious as far as technology and some of the amazing innovations that come out. I think there's always going to be a push and pull of government in America with, with sex and the trade, you know, and you've got brothels in Nevada and you've got, you know, different aspects where you're, you know, we're certainly much better place than we were in the eighties and nineties, but still have room to grow and acceptance and whatnot.

4 (36m 23s):
And just making sure that sex workers are safe. But I think that that's an incredibly important aspect that needs a lot more work to be done. So it's, it's one of those things where if you're in it and you're in it a a hundred percent, you're going to do very well. If you get in this industry to just try it out, you're not going to last very long.

5 (36m 44s):
I think that it's like, I think that it's like anything else Brian yeah.

4 (36m 48s):
And I think there's more risk, you know, people think, Oh, I'll just do this. And all of a sudden their image is all over the internet and they don't know how it got there. Well, that's on you. You made that decision to make this step. So you need to, you need to really think out what it is you want to do before you do it. Sure you know, I think the other thing that's interesting too, and this is especially for talent, are The even more revenue streams that exist and figuring out what revenue stream is best for you. I for each town, I have a different revenue stream works out better than another, a different type of content works out better than another. And they have to learn and learn on the fly. So that is a constant challenge, but it's also just a constant opportunity and more and more opportunities arise when you find out.

4 (37m 37s):
And when you test the waters and see what works for you. And I have that, right.

5 (37m 41s):
That brings up an interesting question. You're their PR person. But do you often find that you're more? Yeah.

4 (37m 50s):
Yeah. I mean, I think being a publicist as much more than that, I mean, you could throw in therapists, you can throw in a camp counselor, you could throw in a row,

5 (37m 58s):
You know, parents, you know, you can,

4 (38m 1s):
You throw in a lot of things. Yeah. But you're their for that person. I, you know, I get requests for things that wouldn't fall under public relations, but I'm sure as hell were going to try and help them. So I don't say no, I don't say I'm sorry, I can't do that. I was going to say, why are you, I mean, that's, that's, that's just sort of a human nature thing, right? If someone's paying you to help them with their brand, their career and their life per say, you're going to help. And it's a give and take relationship. I the thing that I stress my best clients are ones where were working together on my clients over the years are the ones that go, what are you doing for me? That goes for bands too. There were plenty of bands that I worked with in the nineties that were, what are you doing for me?

4 (38m 46s):
And then I worked with a band like Metallica, who worked with me, who understood that this isn't a world where I'm the greatest and everyone, you know, needs to be that that is the opposite attitude, have all for the members of that band. And I was always stressed. Even in any industry, you could learn so much from Metallica, from their roots, from the work ethic, from what they do from the risks they took from an album they made, you might not have agreed with. I mean, they said were going to make an album with Lou Reed. And for the most part, it was not successful. But to this day, do you think they regret working with Lou Reed?

4 (39m 27s):
Absolutely. Right. And that was a risk and might not have been a reward, but they, at the end of the day when their, or whatever it is, they get to go, you know what we did one day, one day we sat and we made a record with Lou Reed and their answers to the people that don't agree with that as fuck you, you didn't get that opportunity to need it now on the marketing and publicity and stuff like that, that I did with them. There wasn't an interview. They didn't do their, wasn't an interview that they weren't on time for their wasn't an interview that they weren't professional for. And they expected the professionalism to be brought in return. And that is why they're the biggest band in the world in ways that are in my opinion. Right.

4 (40m 7s):
Because that, and you'll find that with other artists, you know, that, you know, the biggest artist in the world didn't get there by accident, whatever their profession is. And we don't see the work, we just see the outcome of the work. And so that's something that I always, you know, stress to people. It doesn't cost anymore to be nice. No, not at all or a professional, not at all. And it's fascinating when you see both sides of the coin. Yeah, absolutely.

1 (40m 35s):
Absolutely. Well, Brian, I'd really like to thank you for being our guest today on Adult Site Broker Talk and I hope we'll get a chance to do this again. Right.

4 (40m 44s):
Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. And it's my pleasure.

1 (40m 48s):
My Broker tip today is part three of how to buy an Adult site. Last week, we talked about finding the right Site to buy. Once you find it, what are you do once you've either reached the Broker of the side or the seller review of the information about the site. The broker should provide you with the following. A profit and loss statement have at least three years that's up to date. If it's June and they give you the financials. Only through the end of the previous year, you need to see what the side is doing now, not last year, if it's a pay site, get a username and password for the site so that you can review the content, ask how often the side is updated. It, get some history on the Site, how long it's been in business, the story behind this site and why the seller wants to sell it, get an inventory of the content and how much of it has current technologies like 4k, find out if all the content is the exclusive on that site as the seller, or if the content is ever been on VOD or DVD.

1 (41m 48s):
See if there are any clip store's, the content is on find out how much the content cost to produce and what the current costs of production is. Very importantly, C if this operation can run without the owner, did they do the shooting themselves or did they hire someone to do it? And if there is an outside producer or that person continue to, to provide content for the site, find out how many new joins and rebuilds there are a day, ask them what is the retention rate on the site and find out if they do advertising on the site and where they get their traffic ask for Google analytics access. So you can see where the traffic comes from this information.

1 (42m 30s):
We'll give you the opportunity to truly evaluate what it is you're buying. We'll talk about this subject more next week, and next week will be talking to Danny Z of Zbukz.

0 (42m 43s):
And that's it for this week's Adult Site Broker Talk. I'd once again like to thank my guest. Brian Gross talk to you again next week on Adult Site Broker Talk. I'm Bruce Friedman.