Adult Site Broker Talk Episode 3 with Holly Ruprecht of Playboy

Adult Site Broker Talk Episode 3

[00:00:10] 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 discuss what is going on in our business. Plus, we give you a tip on buying and selling websites. This week, we'll be talking to Holly Ruprecht of Playboy.

[00:00:34] First of all, today, let's cover some of the news going on in our industry, the Free Speech Coalition published on its blog last week an open letter from adult film producers and buyers in which they state their commitment not to produce content again until certain conditions are met. The letter cites the following conditions as prerequisites for the reestablishment of production. Film production is legally permitted under the phased reopening guidelines and the local and national jurisdictions where the production will occur. The Free Speech Coalition publishes Production, Health and safety guidelines for sets during covid, including guidelines for health screenings and testing's. My company and any companies that produce content for it have adopted industry standards of safety protocols. Only when these three elements are in place and we are confident we have effectively minimalized risk for performers and crew in our community, we be able to resume production. The letter states we are working to these goals as quickly as possible. The letter closes by stating we're all in this together. The Free Speech Coalition is partnering with content sharing platform just for fans for a special Zoom's seminar on June 4th. The webinars slated purpose is to help independent performers learn how to make money using the platform. The webinar, part of the FSC Inspire initiative, will feature a diverse array of models who have been successful on the platform, as well as just for fans owner Dominic Ford.

[00:02:11] Now let's feature our Property of the Week that's for sale at Adult Site Broker. This week, we're featuring a premium to site. The owner originally bought a tube script, but revised it by adding the following an option for premium videos on a paper sale basis, multi-language functionality, tabs, banners and different sizes with the option to add keywords and view stats. A pop under script approval system to show pre roles on VR as well as 2D videos and options so you can import embedded content in bulk from other tubes. The site has over twenty thousand nonexclusive videos and trailers. It acts as an affiliate for all the studios and Ernes on a share or PBS model while sending traffic to those sites. Traffic is 90 percent direct and 10 percent affiliate. This is a great custom tube site for a company that already has traffic to send to the tube that they want to monetize. Everything is plug and play. This is an outstanding product for campsites, tubes or any other site that wants to better monetize their traffic. And it's selling for only one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars. Now, time for this week's interview today on Adult Site Broker Talk.

[00:03:28] I'm talking to Holly Ruprecht, associate director of subscriptions for Playboy. Holly, thanks for being with us today.

[00:03:36] Oh, thank you for having me. It's a pleasure and great job on announcing my name.

[00:03:41] By the way, I did my best. Well, I most certainly don't need to tell people what Playboy is. It's one of the most well established and iconic brands in our industry, founded, of course, by the legendary Hugh Hefner.

[00:03:57] When you go to Playboy.com these days, you see lots of articles from the magazine and a sort of blog format. Obviously, you see some Playboy bunnies, thank goodness, and a very impressive shop. Playboy TV has a new series called Uncovered featuring adult stars. There's also Instagram live with Angela White and other playmates in addition to adult stars, other adult stars. And of course, there's Playboy subscription site, Playboy plus house Playboy plus doing these days.

[00:04:30] Holly, really? Well, you know, it was kind of a big change going from hardcore or adult to kind of just nude galleries.

[00:04:41] But I'm surprised. It surprised me, Bruce. It does really well. We have a great loyal fan base of members and the addition of adult stars has only helped sales at the top.

[00:04:55] But I would. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

[00:04:58] I think everybody's subscription sites are doing pretty well at this time. Hopefully.

[00:05:04] I would think so. Yeah, people are stuck at home.

[00:05:10] I also would think that going to more of a glamor look really fits Playboy's brand better, does it not?

[00:05:19] Yes, absolutely. And I think that's kind of the appeal for these larger adult stars, because they're the women are beautiful women like Angela White or Elsa or Bella. They're absolutely. Stunning girls, and they haven't really been shot in kind of the glamor style, so I think that's the appeal for them besides working with an iconic brand like Playboy. That's one of the biggest appeals for working with us.

[00:05:47] Yeah. So you mentioned Elsa. So what does this say here about you and also.

[00:05:52] We're just friends. It's interesting, though, is that we became really close when I was working at Hustler and we started posting pictures and automatically people assumed that we were dating and like, OK, yes, I am gay, but I don't take every single woman in the universe. Not that I mean, just beautiful. If I could date someone like that, you know, but we're just really close friends and I'm kind of like a mama bear to all the girls, to be honest.

[00:06:23] Oh, very nice. So what else does Playboy have going on these days?

[00:06:31] We have a very large licensing business that we do, which, of course, is how we make most of our money by legitimate playboy, I should say, legitimate Playboy items. Licensing the bunny rabbit had has been one of our biggest breadwinners. We are big in China. We're doing some stuff in India. We have collabs with MISCA that we have purchased a company called AT&T. So that that's doing really well. What would the company say, Yandi? Why and why is thought OK? Oh yeah. They have like yeah they have lingerie, costumes and all that kind of stuff. So that's doing really well as well. So we got a lot going on over here. It's I think a more busy working from home than I was at the office. It's a weird thing.

[00:07:27] You know, you get you get more done.

[00:07:30] Yeah, you do, you do it, but it's meeting after meeting after meeting, which is great, you know, I'm certainly not complaining. I have a job, I'm employed, I'm healthy. So knock on wood.

[00:07:43] Thank God. Thank God for all of that.

[00:07:47] How how's the the whole lockdown thing treating you?

[00:07:52] And, you know, during the day, it's I find it to be really easy because, like I said, we have Playboys keeping me very busy. We are kind of incorporating the adult women into a lot of our different offerings, like misguided. And so it keeps me really on my toes. Come 6:00, 7:00, that's when it gets a little hard for me. And then I'm like, OK, now what do I do now? But I have enough food, so I have enough toilet paper. So I'm healthy. I can't complain then don't.

[00:08:30] So so, you know, I had the the real pleasure and thank you again for this of touring your offices in January at the Expo show.

[00:08:41] And that was that was really cool. That was the best part of the trip. The best part of the trip was certainly not Vegas, that's for sure.

[00:08:51] And let's not even talk about that.

[00:08:54] Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, what are you going to do? It's a necessary evil, I guess.

[00:09:00] And you guys gave a great tour. I was just blown away by all of Hughes art and the and the offices. That's just got to be cool to come to work to every day when when you work when you were going to work there.

[00:09:20] Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I sometimes wonder if some of the younger kids can appreciate it. I mean, you're talking about Art Original Warhols and Matisses sempervirens. It's just and then I give the tour to people like you who are in the industry and to the adult stars that come in. And I'm always like, so proud of it. It's just a beautiful collection. We'll do it again, by the way, in January. So I hope you come again.

[00:09:48] I'm going to be there.

[00:09:49] In fact, I was talking to a guy yesterday who has a business in the UK where he deals in vintage vintage magazines, vintage adult magazines. And I told him you had to come out for that if they especially if you guys are going to do the tour again. So that's it's interesting. Yeah, we will mention that. OK, great. I'll be back.

[00:10:10] Maybe I'll let you this describe Bruce.

[00:10:13] What's that. Maybe I'll let you give it. You were real it because you knew a lot of it. I mean, you're a very intelligent man. We all know this, but you do a lot of art as well.

[00:10:22] I'm old.

[00:10:23] I guess I would say you're intelligent.

[00:10:28] Oh, thank you. Thank you. I well, look, I certainly know Hugh Hefner. I used to have the Playboy magazine stuffed in Sports Illustrated covers of my closet, my mom, only my mom. We've only found my cash once in a while, but then I had to restock it anyway.

[00:10:46] So what what kind of lasting legacy did you leave at Playboy?

[00:10:53] Oh, boy. I mean, you still feel his presence. You were there at the office. You still feel his presence when you when you come in the door to Mr. Hefner was very and we don't have to call Mr. Hefner. I just knew he was very respectful of women and he was that he made sure that every single woman was comfortable. Still, we still believe in that. He was all about gay rights. We sponsor gay pride in his legacy. I mean, there's so many things. We celebrate his birthday still. I know his son pretty well. Cooper, it's Cooper is the spitting image of Hugh Hefner. It's I'm shame. I know it looks just like them. Hmm. But, yeah, you can still feel him when you walk in the building from the arch. I mean, it's almost like his ghost lives there. I feel like.

[00:11:51] I could feel it for sure when you were at hustla for a long time. Why did you leave? Obviously the opportunity of Playboy, but why else did you leave?

[00:12:03] You know, Mr., uh, you do have to call Mr. Flint. Mr. Flint? Yes. It was kind of going in a different direction. My background is affiliative and bottles and content. And, you know, he was seeing more of his kind of retail brick and mortar stores doing really well, which they do for him and then his casinos. So kind of getting less further away from the adult part of it. Got it.

[00:12:33] And that's kind of my like I love that part of the industry. So when Playboy boy came knocking and said, hey, we need someone that knows people in the industry, would you be interested? I couldn't say no.

[00:12:45] I don't think many people would know. And I heard you went. I was like, Korei. That's great.

[00:12:53] And so. So tell me more about what you do at Playboy.

[00:12:59] So my hope is, is one of those corporate files that people are like what I do every year, I know probably everything from marketing to picking out the girl, the adult girls that we use on Playboy.

[00:13:18] Plus because we do use non adult girls. But the girls that you've been seeing like Elsa are Amazons or Bella Arioli Reed. That was all we then. I work with other parts of the company, like helping them get influencers.

[00:13:36] So sales marketing affiliates somewhat, although the affiliate market, as you know, isn't as big anymore. And luckily we're our own best affiliate, so that doesn't take up too much of my time.

[00:13:49] Got it. OK, what are you most proud about in your career so far?

[00:13:57] I I'm really, really proud of the work that we're doing with the adult women at Playboy. When I came on about a year ago, they were working with adult women.

[00:14:08] And they it's not that they didn't want to I shouldn't say they didn't want to, but maybe we should clarify adult women.

[00:14:15] We're talking about people that work in porn, right?

[00:14:20] Yes. Correct. OK, correct. Yes, porn stars, yes, they keep you right, because people are talking about women. That's a that's that was good.

[00:14:33] The porn kind of rebounded somewhat. But anyway, go ahead.

[00:14:36] Yeah, you're right. So they weren't working with porn stars. Then I said, hey, I would really like to try this no brainer there as a really, really popular porn star to a subscription site. And now they're just we're incorporating them everywhere. So I'm super proud of that.

[00:14:58] That's awesome. It's worked out really well. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I'm real, I'm super happy about it. I mean, I couldn't be more proud and what a what a bunch of wonderful women that we do work with.

[00:15:13] Yeah. You've got quite a roster there. So you did that. That's great.

[00:15:19] Yeah. Yeah. And again, you know, it wasn't like a genius or anything. It just didn't have the Rolodex that I have. And they didn't it was just off of their radar. So when I when I brought Elsa Jean in for the famous tour that you took, they were like, oh yeah, we give it. Let's her. So if she was the first one, we did and then it just kept snowballing and then it was an apostle's. And then they read Anabella. Mm hmm.

[00:15:50] Fantastic.

[00:15:52] Ok, so who do you admire? An adult, of course, besides myself.

[00:15:57] I was going say that you think, oh, I know. I'm not kidding.

[00:16:03] Oh, there's so many people on the business business besides yourself. I think Bella French is doing a wonderful job and she's perfectly lovely and very humble. And I'm I'm proud to call her a friend. I think Alec is a wonderful man at expense. You know, he stays very humble, too. And I really like what they're doing with this where they're incorporating more of the porn stars into the mix. Those are those are the two that pop. So I'm sure there's more. But those are the two that came to mind first.

[00:16:42] Yeah, it's it's funny. I did an interview for this article on our company not too long ago, and they asked me, you know, who do I admire? And I gave a list then and I said, I know I'm forgetting some people. And of course, I'd like to thank the little people, the midgets and unfortunately, the midgets part didn't get into the article. I gave Stephen over there a bad time about that. He says, hey, man, I didn't cut it out. I thought that was hilarious. So anyway, I guess they were, I guess, politically correct.

[00:17:15] Right. For all the kids that are reading expensive, you never know.

[00:17:19] Hey, I'm sure there's many no Bertino at the Academy Awards. They always go, I'd like to think the little people. So I said, the little people.

[00:17:26] The midgets. So anyway, so tell me, Holly, what do you think this award shows?

[00:17:36] Oh, oh, that's a good question. You know, I get it. I think people should be rewarded for their work. But it seems to me that the same people will find it at both award shows about singling out. But I can pretty much say that time for males was a good friend will win into a like who's another good friend will win probably best of friends.

[00:18:05] Well, it's just the same people winning every year or at the same time the same the same companies on the B to B side to.

[00:18:14] Yeah, and the same, you know.

[00:18:16] So, I mean, God, love, God, love, God, love Brad for Modra hosts, but I mean, how many officers does he need to get to keep all his trophies, you know?

[00:18:26] Yeah. And some of the people that like this is no offense to anybody, but some of the people that won the executive awards, people were like, who is that? You know, so.

[00:18:39] I don't know I don't know how they're chosen and, you know, I'm not saying anything bad, but I kind of wish there was a way that we could do it that spread the love. Like if someone's having a really, really good year, that person probably win the award. You know what to say. Same people every year. Right.

[00:18:59] I've got a I've got an article on my on the marketing side. I don't know if you've seen my newsletters and I have. Oh, yeah. The the title is Nobody Cares About Your Stinking Award. I'm sure you enjoyed that one anyway.

[00:19:16] Yeah. Look at it. Greg Lansky, he won like every single award. Right. And then now he's not even in the industry.

[00:19:25] So now we're going to find a new Greg Lansky, the winner. There you go. So what would you change about? What would you change about award shows?

[00:19:39] I guess I would maybe and I mean, it's hard to say, right, if you think about it, all awards are kind of like like leading up to the Oscars, for example, people kept talking about Brad Pitt, Brad Pitt, Brad Pitt. They boom, he wins an award. So that was all awards. Whether they're adult industry or mainstream, I think are kind of skewed a certain way. It would be good to have an outside party that had absolutely no interest. They don't go away from Playboy. They don't know you. They don't know French. They counted the things. OK, this is the actual winner, the.

[00:20:18] That's what I mean. How would you change it? What do you think?

[00:20:22] Well, sadly, and this doesn't go for all award shows, but I think it goes for most of them, like all but maybe one or two award shows, I think tend to be two things. One, they magically end up getting won by the biggest sponsors of the platform. And I'm think I'm thinking of I'm thinking of the B2B side. And then I also think they're popularity contests. OK, who's the you know, who's the person who everybody likes and everybody hangs out with? And it gets to the point where I don't even like to vote in them anymore because it's like, what's the point? We know we know what the end results are going to be. That's one of the reasons I don't go to them. By the way, I'm proud to say I've never been to an award show an adult. When people ask, are you going to the awards show tonight, I go, No, it's against my religion. But you deserve an award for that, actually. Thank you very much. Thank you. I'd like to I like to thank the little people. So and I also proud to say I've never won an award, so which is neither here nor there.

[00:21:45] What's what's new over at Playboy. What it's what what is happening there that your thoughts new. What are you excited about. What's coming up.

[00:21:56] But you mentioned in your intro that we were working on a new show called Uncovered, we were we were going to continue to shoot, but sadly, this whole covid thing happened.

[00:22:09] It's a really great kind of series we're doing for Playboy TV, where it's about stars, but they're not just fucking in that. That's it. I feel like people really want to get to know these women. They want to know what they're like, what is their life like, what you know, what are their interests. And so this kind of gives them a little snapshot of that. Like Elsa is really into cooking. So which you did a little cooking thing for us. And then she gets into the Hodda kind of solo scene. And I just think it's going to be great and all the fans will eat it up because as you know, these women have massive fan bases.

[00:22:49] Oh, yeah, massive.

[00:22:52] Yeah, and and and the the the surfers, they want to get to know people. And as far as we know, a lot of these guys totally fall in love with these stars.

[00:23:05] Oh, God, you can't even imagine how many men I get asking me on. Well, I. I did get one of my the first original Instagram deleted, so I had to start all over again. But they're finding me again. Elser fans and these other fans. Oh how can I meet Angela White like you. Can't you know her sir.

[00:23:29] Yeah, maybe a run, maybe you'll run into her at the supermarket. Good luck.

[00:23:35] Yeah. Can you give can I have her phone? They actually asked me for their phone numbers. Sure. Here you go.

[00:23:43] One 800. Yes. Yeah. Well, no, we don't.

[00:23:48] I mean, look, Holly, we don't have to we don't have to speculate about the stupidity in the United States. Just just look at Washington.

[00:23:59] So, anyway, I to say, my friend. How did you how did you get into this crazy business, by the way?

[00:24:10] I moved out to California from Boston over 20 years ago and I was looking for a job and I had a friend and he said, Oh, I'm selling ads for this gay rag. And it was a great gay rag. It was in every single gay nightclub in Batho, and it was called Cyberstalking by BoardGame. And they hired I met Murguía. Then we kind of fell in love, as gay people do, and they hired me right away. And I start selling ads and we found out quickly that all the people that have money were the adult websites. So we sold Soad, you know, Phalcon at the time, Raging Stallion, all the big, huge gay brands. And then it just kind of snowballed from there. But I got my start on the gay side.

[00:25:05] And were you how long were you there?

[00:25:09] Oh, God. Jesus, I think he was there for like eight, eight years or something.

[00:25:14] I think that's where I think that's where we first met. Right.

[00:25:18] Yeah, yeah, I think you came to one of the cyberstalker parties. Oh, of course. Legendary Phenix Forum.

[00:25:25] It might have been the next of course. Of course that was my favorite show. I'm so sad.

[00:25:34] I know, can someone else do that show? Do you think there's been speculation that will tell, though?

[00:25:41] There's been speculation. I've even thought of taking it on. We'll see. Time will tell. Yeah. Domoto, let's start having let's start having physical shows again and then we'll see what happens. But I've only heard I've only heard speculation, but who knows?

[00:25:57] It could be back in twenty, twenty one. That would be nice. It would be really nice. I thought it was the best domestic show by a good margin.

[00:26:06] You know what's great about that show is the size of it. Like to meet you. Oh, I didn't have to wonder. Oh, are you staying at the Bellagio or are you staying at the. Sorry, where are you? You know what I mean?

[00:26:19] Because not I never stayed, but I never stayed. But I never stayed there just a little bit. OK, so you did. So you did have to wonder because I always got there early for baseball and I was always staying someplace else. But yeah, I love the hotel, but it's love the hotel. But for three star hotel I'm not paying three hundred bucks a night. Forget it. All right. Anyway, that is a good place and still a true. I'm still a true at heart, OK? I'm not going to overpay for something so. Yeah but but if it's on sale, watch out.

[00:26:52] You have to admit though that great snacks. They should remember this next Beecham's. Oh the middle the best.

[00:27:00] Oh my God. I mean Haagen-Dazs and. Yeah. Oh I people filling up their bags with this.

[00:27:10] Oh yeah. Yeah of course of course.

[00:27:12] And if you wanted, if you wanted to meet people. You just camped out in that, you know, I mean, I would I would be making coffee and I'd meet 10 people.

[00:27:24] That's right, that's right. Oh, yes, for the good of these.

[00:27:30] Well, the courtyard, the courtyard and everything was great.

[00:27:33] I mean, the hotel had a perfect layout. That's what I think really made that show, that the people that built worked their butts off to make it happen.

[00:27:42] Thank God they're all gone. I think I made guarantees on all of them.

[00:27:49] Gone. I think Kathy still there. It could it could very well come back next year. I hope it does. I really hope it does. I think I. I just said I said, let's knock on wood.

[00:28:01] Yeah, OK. Knock, knock. I love that show. Yeah.

[00:28:05] Well, yeah, I think Brian decided that they're worth the effort as this company was putting into it, that it wasn't really bringing back what they, what they, they needed it to. And I think it just became a business decision. So yeah.

[00:28:22] Oh what are you going to do. So overall, how long have back to the interview. So overall, how long. Because you and I can bullshit forever. How long have you been in it. How long have you been an adult overall.

[00:28:36] Oh God over 20 years. Maybe twenty to twenty three. Well I know I only like twenty one Bruce.

[00:28:42] But you know I was going to ask you about that, Holly.

[00:28:48] At 51, they just turned 50 and April six in quarantine. Next year they'll come out for my birthday, though, because I do our big bash where I like everybody.

[00:28:59] Oh, OK.

[00:29:00] I'm in I'm I'm normally in Arizona or California at about that point, so I would be happy to.

[00:29:08] Yeah, good, OK, yeah, don't even have to make the long trip.

[00:29:14] Well, my dear Holly, it's I'm so glad to have had you today on Adult Site Broker Talk and I really hope we can do this again.

[00:29:26] Yes. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure talking to you as well.

[00:29:31] Thank you. My broker tip today is part three of what to do to make your site more valuable for when you decide to sell it later. Find new ways to monetize your site, such as sell advertising. If you've got a free site like a tube, that's the best way to monetize it. Along obviously with joining affiliate programs. If you have a tube, another way to make more money is to sell premium memberships, offer free users one level of content, and for premium users, you can do things like give them higher quality, longer videos or both. You can also make the site ad free for premium members. Start an affiliate program if you have a pay site especially. This is a great way to increase your quality traffic and get more joins with all sites you can figure out other upgrades and products you can sell to your users. Pay sites can also sell pay per view where people have the option of paying by the scene for content they can't get on the site. This is also another way to charge users as opposed to a monthly fee. Sell them other products like toys and novelties, market your business, do things to improve your search engine results. Like SEO, there are some great SEO consultants out there who can help you get higher search rankings. And Google. If you want some recommendations, contact us on our site list, all of the benefits on your site, in your marketing and how they affect the user. And of course, hire a great marketing consulting firm such as Adult B2B marketing, which we also happen to own, eliminate unneeded expenses constantly.

[00:31:11] Make sure you're not spending money. You don't need to make sure there isn't duplication in your staffing from time to time. Check services you pay for like hosting and see if there are better and less expensive options. Take it from me. I've done this and saved a bunch plus got higher quality hosting in the process. Again, ask us for recommendations. Always look for ways to do things more cost effectively. Along with this, make your profit and loss statements show more profit. Increasing sales and reducing expenses obviously does just that. But make sure your PNL statement accurately reflects your company's actual costs. Not a bunch of personal expenses you put in. This will cost you money when you sell. It may help you with the taxman to put that stuff on your tax return, but it hurts you if you show that stuff on your profit and loss statement. Remember, every dollar and profit increase the value of your website as much as three or four times. This is why you need a good experienced broker to help lead you through the process. We've gotten people thousands of dollars more on their sale just by adjusting the P&L statement to reflect actual business expenses as opposed to a bunch of B.S.. We'll talk about the subject more next week. And next week we'll be talking to Dan Leel, a.k.a. Porno Dan of Immoral Productions.

[00:32:41] And that's it for this week's Adult Site Broker Talk. At once again, like to thank my guest, Holly Ruprecht. Talk to you again next week on Adult Site Broker Talk. I'm free.