The rise of the creator economy within adult entertainment has accelerated exponentially in recent years, following three growth stages over the past two decades.

First, there was the rise of camming and clips sites, where indie creators could monetize fans through the authenticity and intimacy that only interactive streaming and self-shot videos could truly provide. Then came premium social media, where a steady flow of photos, scenes and more could be delivered via methods like subscription-based feeds and direct messaged video-on-demand.

Now, as creators find their time and energy increasingly tapped out due to the demands of supplying endless reams of fresh content and interaction, as well as legislative and payment processing hurdles threatening their livelihood on platforms, there is a third growth stage emerging that centers on two facets: collectibles and creative control.

In the realm of collectibles, brands like The Poken Company, SugarBounce and DOLZ.io offer a suite of content distribution options that include the ability to leverage blockchain-based technology — a digital record of transactions that underpins the exchange of uniform cryptocurrencies — and the more colorful incarnation known as non-fungible tokens or NFTs — a more uniquely identifiable digital file that can incorporate photos, videos or audio. For physical collectibles, Fangear.vip helps creators design everything from sexy custom calendars to t-shirts and decks of cards.

"NFTs are built to give you something that can’t be copied. It is the perfect technology for creators, as it registers the ownership of their work on the blockchain, which is basically a digital record of financial transactions."

Services related to creative control can take the form of designing and customizing an official website for performers, providing expert consulting for brand marketing strategies or business dealmaking, as well as tracking down copyright-infringing thieves.

Companies such as Elevated X and GFE Model Services — Fangear.vip’s sister brand — will partner with creators to design fully-owned and operated websites that function not dissimilarly to indie platforms, with the added benefit of maximizing profits and having a one-stop shop for the brand. In the domain of consulting, meanwhile, NMG Management leverages years of experience and relationships gleaned from executing major campaigns on behalf of big studios to serve the business needs of creators. Then, when content is stolen or disseminated online by thieves, BranditScan and Cam Model Protection can rapidly identify and take down unlawful content.

Thus, building upon both the first indie evolutionary stage of camming and clips and the second stage in the revolutionary form of premium socials, the third stage of the creator economy is set to unlock the power of collectibles and creative control with more and more entrants launching into the market with ancillary services and futuristic capabilities.

BUILDING A BLOCKCHAIN BUSINESS FOR CREATORS

The desire to collect rare items and then proudly show off a unique array of one-of-a-kind goods to envious admirers is a driving economic force as old as commerce itself. From tracking down ancient artifacts to buying baseball cards, coins, stamps, comic books and more, there are fans of every stripe who adore the chance to own uncommon goods. There are also those collectors who are in it for the business potential, turning a profit by selling hard-won or difficult-to-find collectibles to others willing to pay a higher premium.

It all revolves around scarcity. And just as baseball card companies can create artificial scarcity by issuing only a limited amount of certain items, so too can online companies offer a digital certificate of ownership through blockchain-based technology. Essentially, blockchain refers to a digital record of transactions that is fundamental to cryptocurrencies, which are often less beholden to traditional banking systems due to existing in their own virtual system.

This ability to bypass frequent anti-adult banking discrimination finds a happy marriage with content in the form of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs. For while one bitcoin is much the same as any other bitcoin — even if the transaction itself is distinct on the blockchain — NFTs take things one step further in that the actual unit being traded is distinct from all other units. When creators turn their content into one-of-a-kind NFTs, they can sell that unique link in the chain to fans who can either hold onto it for bragging rights, or sell it at a premium to other NFT buyers.

“NFTs are built to give you something that can’t be copied,” said Marco Garniga, co-CEO at The Poken Company, which was named 2022 XBIZ Emerging Web Brand at the XBIZ Honors ceremony in January and attracted a crowd of swooning fans to its big exhibitor booth at the X3 Expo. “It is the perfect technology for creators, as it registers the ownership of their work on the blockchain, which is basically a digital record of financial transactions. So every transaction and owner of an NFT is public, as well as securely registered on the blockchain.”

The Poken Company’s flagship product, Pokmi.com, is a marketplace where creators can sell adult content NFTs. There, they can not only earn direct revenue on the first sale of the NFT, they can also then collect long-term revenue in the form of royalties each time it is sold thereafter to a new person by the buyer and all subsequent buyers.

Garniga also pointed out that the platform gives creators a new way to interact with their fans via auction selling, collectibles, gamification, etc. and grants access to a total addressable market of several hundred million potential clients given global crypto adoption estimates. He then shared that The Poken Company is developing other products and services to help creators and adult industry companies enter the crypto and NFT market.

“Since launching Sept. 21 in 2021, our goal has been to develop standard NFTs for all adult creators, so everyone in the industry can seize the business opportunity of NFTs,” Garniga continued. “In just four months, we have seen over 8,000 NFTs created; a volume of offers made to buy NFTs equaling 40 million PKN — our cryptocurrency — which equates to approximately $2 million; big purchases such as Abella Danger selling a 3D card as an NFT for 86,000 PKN; the debut of our Pokmi NFT collection “Hot Cards” which generated $30,000 of sales in the first 24 hours; and the launch of a Maitland Ward 3D Metaverse NFT which sold for 86,000 PKN.”

Looking forward, Garniga foresees the NFT and crypto markets getting stronger in the adult space, due to their ability to enable secure transactions without major banking issues and with extra privacy. He also sees NFT technology as enabling creators to have full control over their content, increasing their ownership, royalties and proof of authenticity.

“As blockchain markets are booming, and in light of uncertainties on popular adult platforms that have been in the news lately, we are aiming for a world where adult creators will use crypto to secure their business and NFT technology to manage or protect their content,” Garniga explained. “To position our brand to stay ahead, we partner with key players to develop innovative projects, such as the adult metaverse, staying alert to changing market conditions and information.”

Another multi-faceted platform is SugarBounce, an amalgamation of five different platforms that its founders hope will bring all forms of adult entertainment under one umbrella. They are offering different avenues of monetization to models and stars that extend beyond studio shoots, independent content and streaming.

“One of the most unique platforms in our project is Sugar Starter, which is a crowdfunding platform for the adult film industry,” explained CEO Navin Ray. “Today, a lot of performers and actors may want to be directors or producers, but what they lack is funding. Sugar Starter can provide them a way to fulfill those dreams by connecting them with other like-minded individuals where they can raise funds to produce, direct and own their content, which they can then further sell or even rent out.”

Another platform the company is launching this year is Sugar Markets, an NFT marketplace offering industry-standard referral bonuses and revenue-sharing programs to bring in more models and users. Sugar Streams is a cam site due to launch within the next month, and every quarter thereafter the company plans to launch a new platform, such as Sugar Pals, Sugar Reels and its own payment processor Sugar Pay.

“Since we are a new crypto-based company, we have already onboarded over 100 award-winning models before launch who will be benefiting from the range of services that we will be providing,” Ray touted. “Our ambassadors include Kiki Minaj, Blondie Fesser and Sabien DeMonia, along with head coach/recruiter Miss Genny Rock and advisor Diana Devil; all of them believe this new emerging technology of blockchain and cryptocurrencies will benefit everyone in the adult industry, from businesses to models, content creators and actors.”

Ray sees a huge potential upside to this emerging market, since NFTs are not just artwork or pictures but instead represent code on a decentralized ledger, thus ensuring that a vast array of content can be backed by NFTs. In the larger context of the business, Ray foresees blockchain helping solve problems like content ownership and piracy.

“So, eventually what will happen is when the technology has more and more adoption, it will become the primary source of revenue in the industry,” he predicted. “People will graduate from selling content to selling the NFTs backing that content. I believe the adult industry has always been at the forefront of technology, so as long as we keep up with new emerging tech, we’ll always be ahead of the curve.”

Elsewhere in the virtual realm, iStripper is already established as a unique business that sells prerecorded avatars of performers that dance on desktop screens, allowing users to enjoy a sexy show while working on other projects or just browsing on their personal computer. The company fosters fan engagement through niche communities spanning Discord, forums and social media, behind-the-scenes videos and Talent of the Month contests, as well as directing fans to models’ other businesses via a “more about her” tab on its software. Now, iStripper is venturing into the NFT space with DOLZ.io.

“iStripper encourages members to collect all the content we release for a model and members can even get achievements when completing their collection,” explained iStripper and DOLZ.io principal Celine. “This is why the blockchain and NFT technology immediately seemed like the logical next step for iStripper. So we are currently taking advantage of this opportunity with our new project DOLZ.io, an adult NFT platform that will allow its users to trade, use and win NFTs from our Totem ecosystem, which includes iStripper trading cards, 3D items in VR Paradise as well as our future partners’ NFTs.”

VR Paradise — which is distributed on Steam, one of the world’s most influential gaming platforms — can offer more visibility for participating models, allowing them to reach a new audience alongside the site’s fictional models. That is because VR Paradise is planning to introduce 3D avatars for its players, with many models already willing to have their 3D avatar appear in this virtual strip club.

“The development of a multiplayer version for this service will naturally drive us to let members own, share and exchange specific items, with blockchain and NFT technology offering an immediate benefit for our players,” she further elaborated. “This will be possible thanks to our DOLZ.io platform, which offers models a new way to monetize content. The exceptional potential of blockchain has gained a lot of attention in the industry, not only because it secures the ownership of content but also because it opens the door to new marketplaces where adult models can spread their content.”

This is where the magic of NFTs truly comes into play, Celine enthused, as fans can acquire exclusive content from their favorite models, as well as trade and resell it.

“With DOLZ.io, whose presale should start in February, fans will be able to buy, trade and sell models’ exclusive content in the form of NFTs, increasing the models’ visibility and value,” she said.

DESIGNING SITES AND MERCH TO UNLOCK NEW REVENUES

While blockchain-based business transactions and creations have paved the way for a distinct form of content sales and trading in the collectibles space, performers can also take greater control over their brand compared with traditional platforms via custom-designed official websites and merchandise, courtesy of GFE Model Services and its merch offshoot Fangear.vip, as well as ELX Complete from content management system professionals Elevated X.

Of course, no matter the innovations in futuristic revenue streams and solo-controlled distribution of goods, the sheer traffic volume, convenience and built-in features on major camming, clips and premium social platforms ensures they will continue to be a thriving and profitable way for creators to expand their business. Many emerging web brands are very aware of that market reality, instead focusing their efforts on offering additional profitable and low-stress options to further expand and diversify creators’ revenue streams.

In terms of physical goods, there is no replacing the fan experience of sipping coffee from a mug, sporting a t-shirt, fanning out poker cards or flipping through calendars, coffee table books and custom magazines emblazoned with high-quality visuals featuring their favorite creators. After all, physical collectibles have been around for centuries, and will continue to be popular even if we one day spend hours upon hours in a digital metaverse.

Having a custom-built online storefront in the form of a .com destination not tied to a third-party platform also empowers performers in many ways, not only driving traffic to those very same third-party platforms, but also enriching their lives with opportunities to be creative and offer fans a homebase of sorts.

While performer websites have been around for a couple of decades, they are experiencing a resurgence in popularity. This is in part due to a regular barrage of unpredictable regulatory surprises from misguided legislators unduly influenced by War on Porn propaganda pushed by nefarious evangelical operators and uninformed “journalist” fearmongers. With so much politics and proselytizing having a volatile impact on the content-selling business, there is great peace of mind — and profit — in having a site that is far less likely to have a target painted on its back, and which will not change policies with little warning or suddenly decide to demonetize creators.

“At GFE Model Services, we work with models in a variety of capacities, from free marketing consulting to branded merchandise, product development and more,” said Danny Ferretti, CEO of Fangear.vip and GFE Model Services. “Our Fangear.vip platform is a zero-cost passive engine for models to turn their photographic content into branded merchandise that can generate real income for both adult and mainstream audiences. We encourage models to repurpose photos, to think beyond content delivery and to embrace the idea of doing business beyond social media or content platforms. After all, nothing lasts forever, especially an Instagram page.”

Ferretti’s approach to the business and successful strategies have won him the loyalty of major stars like Sophie Dee, Nikki Benz and Kendra Sunderland — all of whom, he notes, have had multiple successful runs of products and calendars with their Fangear platform. As a matter of fact, Dee and Sunderland continue releasing new products with Fangear every year and generate many sales, according to Ferretti. As far as new clients, he pointed out Nahla Monroe as someone who has done very well, as well as Valentina Victoria, who is on the third printing of her 2022 Calendar.

“She was a virtual unknown until her calendar came out, but now she is certainly known and she’s earned very well with our platform,” Ferretti said. “Honestly, there are very few models that have not benefited from our platform and although nothing is ever guaranteed, with zero-cost branded merch, there really is no way to lose.”

Curiously, he has not noticed too many other competitors beyond more mainstream operations like Printify, Printful, VistaPrint and a few others that have been around for a while, but notes they do not offer the same type of solutions that his company does.

“We literally cut out the middleman by becoming our own manufacturer,” he explained. “We took a huge gamble 18 months ago and invested heavily in machinery and manpower, and now we can do turnkey merch that allows the models to actually make money.”

Ferretti also deals in site design, despite it being a completely different market from physical goods and collectibles, and has built sites for Dee, Sunderland and Benz, as well as Danii Banks, Kenzie Anne and hundreds of other models.

“It’s not rocket science and shouldn’t come with a rocket science price tag, but often when a designer hears a major star like Benz or Anne needs a site, they hit them with a $10,000 price tag, which is total bullshit,” he underscored, while offering a less-known client of his, Izaball Yellow, as an example of someone whose price was no lower than Benz or Anne, whom he likewise did not overcharge.

Ferretti sees website design as revolving around creativity, staying up to date and keeping it real with prices, while offering true collaboration with the model and measured results. Then, he believes, site design companies should be there for models when they need modifications or have questions.

“You can ask any model: when they need me or my team, we are there for them day or night, weekend or holiday,” he explained. “They call and we respond, whether they’re Anne, Benz, Dee or Yellow.”

When it comes to merch, Ferretti places great value on keeping the product choices fresh, finding products nobody else has and making sure that every model has the backing of a really dedicated merch rep and customer support team.

“I want to know about every model, who they are, what they like, what their personality is like and what we can do to make sure they are successful,” he shared. “And if for some reason they aren’t successful, I take that as a personal failure; people that know me know I don’t like to fail. Fangear will continue to stay ahead of the curve because we’re setting the curve in our world.”

He also has found success in what he calls his mainstream, “soccer mom” version of Fangear for families and brands: TheGearGeeks.com.

Another established player in the content management system space is Elevated X, whose site software is used by big companies including Penthouse, Jules Jordan, CockyBoys, Private.com and more. Now, the company is capitalizing on its years of experience by laser-focusing on talent to provide completely standalone site capabilities owned exclusively by them.

For the performer-centric ELX Complete venture to succeed, Elevated X CEO AJ Hall shared, his team really had to think outside the box instead of offering the standard list of sales options available on every third-party platform.

“We had to enable our model clients to literally sell anything directly via their own websites as long as it can be digitally delivered,” Hall stated. “This means instead of choosing from a list of things to sell, a model can use a completely customizable storefront to sell anything they can think of, as long as it’s legal and can be delivered via email or DM.”

The end result, he said, is the ability for a model to directly sell subscriptions, clips, customs, fan signs, tributes, phone interactions, live video time, locked content, paid DMs, pic ratings or anything else they can dream up. As an added bonus, a model can also choose how to communicate and how to deliver purchases, since sites created through ELX Complete are not tied to a platform and the same rules and limitations are not in play.

The company also went beyond the norm for clip purchases, to offer models the option to sell videos via pay-per-download, pay-per-view or time-based online video rentals, so they can run their personal website in a way that works best for them and their fans’ preferences. This dedication to staying ahead of the curve and being innovative has led to Elevated X counting among its clients a wide swath of famous creators and runaway indie success stories.

“When people think of Elevated X, they often think of the big brands and larger-than-life superstars like Jules Jordan, Riley Reid, Lauren Phillips, Kayden Kross, Lisa Ann and all the big names we provide websites for,” Hall said. “Impressive as the megastars are, two of the earliest adopters of ELX Complete whose growth we are most proud of are Ariel X and her pioneering wrestling franchise and Meana Wolf, who since her emergence has become an industry powerhouse producer and one of the most successful performer/producer startups we have seen in the entire 18 years Elevated X has been providing adult website software. Perhaps one of the best long-term examples of success is Alexandra Snow’s GoddessSnow.com, which helped catapult her from clip site star to a well-respected superstar in her arena.”

Lately, Hall shared, his company has delved into providing more customized site designs and working more closely to help people transition from exclusive use of clip sites and platforms to adding their own website into the mix. Elevated X has helped creators like Xev Bellringer, Jewelz Blu and Candy Glitter establish official homes with recent site launches, as their career trajectories took them from simply being popular creators to being more recognizable branded personalities. Hall foresees current broader market trends continuing, with only a very small portion of adult industry revenue stemming from standalone websites, but he feels that creators and producers will always want and need to retain full ownership of their content and customer data, and fully control their brand and sales methods.

“We also know that only a small percentage will be interested in the level of professional website ownership we specialize in, but we will continue to support them and invest in developing tools, features and functionality to keep models current, as they evolve as creatives and as business owners,” Hall concluded.

PROTECTING AND MANAGING CONTENT AND CREATOR BRANDS

With the boom in digital revenue opportunities, there is a greater need than ever for brand management and protection. Because while models have become extraordinarily multi-talented and masters of juggling all manner of business duties from accounting to video editing, customer service, marketing, shooting and more, everyone can use a helping hand from savvy professionals now and then.

Some brands, such as BranditScan and Cam Model Protection, specialize in swiftly hunting down content theft online, deploying a blend of automated software for DMCA takedowns and hands-on solutions with responsive customer service for models. Others, such as NMG Management, tackle complex business problems with pro consulting, collaborative gameplans and a network of contacts that runs deep.

“We like to think of our NMG team as the ‘ace in your back pocket’ for content creators,” said Megan Stokes, co-founder of NMG Management. “Yes, we help creators with everything from account management to revenue diversification, but we don’t stop there; we are also a sounding board for various offers or opportunities they come across, negotiating an in-depth strategic partnership. We use all of the accumulated data resources available to us when they need guidance in any area and we’ll use the relationships we’ve built over time to make sure our content creators have access to opportunities they may not have on their own.”

Aside from the basic services creators need, NMG frequently strives to devise imaginative ways to empower talent, from leveraging various licensing and marketing opportunities they can tap into, given their work with top-flight studios and paysites, to helping them monetize their content and influence in various spaces for as long as possible.

“It’s not just about looking after our own gains; we come to the table with our knowledge to work together as a team and their growth is our growth, which makes our interests aligned,” Stokes noted. “I honestly think one of the most important aspects of our relationship with models is that we interview each other. We absolutely do not take everyone that is interested in working with us. We look for models that take their brand seriously and want to grow. I also highly encourage them to interview us extensively and do their research on us.

“We usually have a starter call with the whole team and really dig into how the model envisions their brand, how they would like to see it evolve and how we can help expand their reach while being true to who they are,” she continued. “I believe this has led to setting everyone’s expectations up correctly from the start and gives NMG a lot of insight into the model’s pain points as well as where they really excel! From there, we come up with a customized plan for each model. I think both parties being so crystal clear on the tone and the goals allows us to do what we at NMG do best, which is to expand their opportunities, maximize their time and act as an extension of them.”

Stokes acknowledges the challenge of predicting where revenue streams are going to come from in general, but in the creator space, she knows that developments move so fast that creators need to be doing a little of everything all at once so they do not fall behind. She has observed that many creators have all their eggs in one basket and cannot stress enough to them how important it is to make sure they lower their financial risk by diversifying.

“I think our unique position of helping studios diversify their revenue for well over 10 years prior to expanding to the independent creator space has allowed us access to lots of revenue streams that are not typically within the scope or even knowledge of most creators,” she said. “We are lucky and have worked on amassing such a large network of contacts that we are often one of the go-to people to consult when offering something new. We love having the first crack at things! It allows us to position our clientele well in addition to offering feedback in these areas to make the opportunity more of a win-win for all parties.”

Nonetheless, Stokes explained, NMG is not a “chase the shiny objects” company and makes sure to do a lot of due diligence, giving well-researched guidance to the creators with whom the company works so they can make informed decisions on their own.

“At the end of the day, they are 100% in the driver seat, as we help achieve the goals they have for their brand and stay aligned with their core values,” she underlined.

And in the realm of brand protection, creators of any size or popularity experience piracy, and all piracy has a negative impact on any brand.

“If fans can Google a creator’s name and find their most premium content for free, they lose the strong incentive to purchase; unfortunately, many sales are lost due to easy access to free content,” observed Gino Sciretta, CEO of BranditScan. “This is where we come in, as we want to empower content creators in every aspect. With a focus on accessibility and innovative tools, it was important to us that all creators, big or small, could benefit from protecting their brand, and in turn, increase their earnings.”

At BranditScan, Sciretta aims to make accessibility a focus, to make protection easy, simple and less intimidating. He believes there is no better way to empower creators than ensuring they feel confident and knowledgeable when using their services. To that end, he has been adapting BranditScan to simplify the overall experience and offer frequent communication, as well as education to models.

“We want to ensure that both novice or experienced content creators who have never sent a takedown feel empowered when having to face piracy,” he said. “Additionally, we wanted to have an affordable price point that would be sustainable; BranditScan services are $45 per month. Fans of content creators can also gift them a subscription to ensure that their brands are being protected. This way, creators big or small can benefit from brand protection and continue to grow their online presence and earnings without the impacts of piracy.

“In addition to accessibility, we have kept innovation front of mind for our tools,” he continued. “Creators can say goodbye to having their premium content scattered across Google. With unlimited takedowns, Google removals and daily scans, creators can stay on top of takedowns and with time, even see their own legitimate platforms rank higher on Google. We also tackle SFW content such as social media catfishing, TikTok and YouTube to ensure a 360-degree protection of their brand. We continue to focus on empowering creators by giving them full control.”

With BranditScan, if a creator wants to leverage piracy for promotional SEO, they can leave older indexed content and take down their newest videos, Sciretta shared. They have the final decision over every single link, video and image. As a result, creators can adapt the service’s tools to their needs and to their brand.

Since launching a little over a year ago, BranditScan has earned the trust of ambassadors who have contributed to improving features by providing their feedback, sharing the company’s mission and getting the community pumped about fighting piracy.

“A creator that we’ve had the pleasure to work with and that has found success with our tools is Destiny Diaz,” Sciretta said. “She is a long-time industry creator who has been dealing with piracy using spreadsheets, spending countless hours every week sending out individual DMCA claims. When we got in touch to share what BranditScan was all about, we instantly knew that we were the lucky ones! Today, Destiny Diaz has had over 12,000 links for stolen content removed using our services, and has said goodbye to her days of piracy spreadsheets. Destiny’s experience in the industry and her feedback has helped us aim higher each time. Our BranditScan stickers were inspired by one of her recommendations, and are now found behind all of the team’s laptops! We’re thankful for her contribution.”

Another creator who partners with BranditScan and has found success is Noah Bensi. Sciretta had heard of Bensi’s personal mission to bring piracy talks to the forefront, as she demanded that platforms and the industry do more to protect content creators. Her passion for piracy let his team know there was a real need for accessible protection.

“Working with Noah has been incredibly insightful and has helped us develop our catfish removal tools,” he explained. “After seeing her report of imposter accounts within her Instagram stories, the lightbulb went on. Soon after, we expanded our removal tools to include social media platforms, with Noah Bensi as our inspiration. Ever since, her catfishes have ceased to be an issue.”

All in all, Sciretta is enthusiastic about the content creator market, which he believes has much growth ahead as the industry heads in a number of different directions. The first direction that both the NSFW and SFW market is following is shorter content, he observed. Tiktok, Instagram reels and even platforms like OnlyFans have shorter videos going out on a rapid, consistent basis.

“Content creators are pushing out more content with shorter time frames and this change is important to note for tools like ours,” Sciretta said. “BranditScan’s technology is flexible and scalable, so no matter how much content you may upload, or where you may upload it, we’ll be finding anything that mentions your brand. We’re constantly improving our content protection systems and will soon be releasing a facial recognition service to keep the model ahead of the game. With creators uploading two to five short clips per day, on a diversity of platforms, our tools need to be smart, accurate and faster than ever to meet the changing needs of the industry.”

In addition, he expects catfishing to continue to be a larger issue impacting all social media platforms. With many NSFW creators unable to be verified, these imposter accounts impact earnings, images and reputations. BranditScan has vowed to continue its efforts towards developing tech to address this growing concern and provide simple and effective solutions for creators.

Another dedicated and trusted partner for creators is Cam Model Protection, which reports that it assists creators from over 40 different countries, with most creators located in North America, followed by Europe and Asia. The company’s various plans aim to suit experienced creators and newcomers alike, with services that include automated monitoring and removal. Where Cam Model Protection seeks to stand out is by offering well-trained agents who will do everything in their power to remove all illegal and infringed content from search engines, social media and any other illegal websites.

“We also have a 24/7 live support team anyone can go to with their questions or removal requests,” CEO Nick Steenland said. “To increase the quality of our services, we recently created a new team with ethical hackers and open source intelligence-trained investigators. This new team will investigate safe haven websites that do not cooperate in taking down stolen content, and by doing so, get the website owners to cooperate.”

Customers offering testimonials include Aria Nina, who described Cam Model Protection as “my freaking hero,” while Onlytiamisuu encouraged “all content creators/influencers” to “please invest in yourself” by signing up for the service, after all her stolen content was removed within three months. As for Ashley Aoki, she stated, “So much leaked content out there, but I’m glad Cam Model Protection has my back!” while Lexual_ offered, “Someone asked why my content never gets leaked and it’s because I pay for Cam Model Protection! They’re the best. They take the illegal content down pretty much immediately.”

Steenland shared that Cam Model Protection has 10 of the top creators in the industry as brand ambassadors, promoting the company out of a shared sense of mission to help creators protect their content. As the adult industry continues its growth, services like Cam Model Protection have become an increasingly important part of securing income for creators, he explained, since not having a content protection service will result in income loss due to piracy.

“The demand for online content has grown exponentially since the outbreak of COVID-19 and consumers are seeking more personalized services and offerings from their favorite creator, opening up huge opportunities within the market,” he observed. “As we look to 2022, the creators that come out on top will be the ones that find creative ways to meet the evolving demands of the consumer. With the design of our own software, and the use of the latest technologies, we monitor the internet 24/7. Cam Model Protection removes over 15 million illegal images, videos and downloads annually.

“Because we work with the top creators in the industry, we are obliged to maintain the highest quality and service and are always eager to improve ourselves and reinvent our service to stay ahead,” Steenland said. “We will be implementing facial recognition to our services and our developers are working on more new solutions, as well, while we improve the quality of our services and better protect the content and brands of our members. We do our utmost best to keep the internet as ‘clean’ as possible for our members, ensuring consumers will buy content rather than download it illegally.”

With such a dedicated swath of companies keeping pace with the evolving needs of creators amid a flourishing boom in personality-based content consumption — an evolution happening in mainstream as much as in adult, given the rise of YouTubers, Twitch streamers and social media influencers — market players will continue to innovate and rise above the pack.

Perhaps in the coming years, following the three stages of camming and clips, premium socials and ancillary services dedicated to collectibles and control, the fourth stage will be marked by the much-vaunted arrival of the metaverse. Given the billions being poured into the metaverse by the likes of Meta Platforms — formerly Facebook — Microsoft, NVIDIA, Roblox, Unity software and many more, there will surely be a sprawling SFW sandbox for gamers, casual internet users and social butterflies to use with immersive results. However, with the stigma attached to adult entertainment, it will take a collective effort among top players helping creators capitalize on their charisma and personalities to ensure there is a healthy space for adult stars should the metaverse ever materialize fully.

In the meanwhile, as creators and brands become more sophisticated and diversified in their businesses, tools and services that are “Made for Creators” will find a never-ending supply of fans, models and executives coming together for a profitable future.

Services related to creative control can take the form of designing and customizing an official website for performers, providing expert consulting for brand marketing strategies or business dealmaking, as well as tracking down copyright-infringing thieves.

Companies such as Elevated X and GFE Model Services — Fangear.vip’s sister brand — will partner with creators to design fully-owned and operated websites that function not dissimilarly to indie platforms, with the added benefit of maximizing profits and having a one-stop shop for the brand. In the domain of consulting, meanwhile, NMG Management leverages years of experience and relationships gleaned from executing major campaigns on behalf of big studios to serve the business needs of creators. Then, when content is stolen or disseminated online by thieves, BranditScan and Cam Model Protection can rapidly identify and take down unlawful content.

Thus, building upon both the first indie evolutionary stage of camming and clips and the second stage in the revolutionary form of premium socials, the third stage of the creator economy is set to unlock the power of collectibles and creative control with more and more entrants launching into the market with ancillary services and futuristic capabilities.

BUILDING A BLOCKCHAIN BUSINESS FOR CREATORS

The desire to collect rare items and then proudly show off a unique array of one-of-a-kind goods to envious admirers is a driving economic force as old as commerce itself. From tracking down ancient artifacts to buying baseball cards, coins, stamps, comic books and more, there are fans of every stripe who adore the chance to own uncommon goods. There are also those collectors who are in it for the business potential, turning a profit by selling hard-won or difficult-to-find collectibles to others willing to pay a higher premium.

It all revolves around scarcity. And just as baseball card companies can create artificial scarcity by issuing only a limited amount of certain items, so too can online companies offer a digital certificate of ownership through blockchain-based technology. Essentially, blockchain refers to a digital record of transactions that is fundamental to cryptocurrencies, which are often less beholden to traditional banking systems due to existing in their own virtual system.

This ability to bypass frequent anti-adult banking discrimination finds a happy marriage with content in the form of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs. For while one bitcoin is much the same as any other bitcoin — even if the transaction itself is distinct on the blockchain — NFTs take things one step further in that the actual unit being traded is distinct from all other units. When creators turn their content into one-of-a-kind NFTs, they can sell that unique link in the chain to fans who can either hold onto it for bragging rights, or sell it at a premium to other NFT buyers.

“NFTs are built to give you something that can’t be copied,” said Marco Garniga, co-CEO at The Poken Company, which was named 2022 XBIZ Emerging Web Brand at the XBIZ Honors ceremony in January and attracted a crowd of swooning fans to its big exhibitor booth at the X3 Expo. “It is the perfect technology for creators, as it registers the ownership of their work on the blockchain, which is basically a digital record of financial transactions. So every transaction and owner of an NFT is public, as well as securely registered on the blockchain.”

The Poken Company’s flagship product, Pokmi.com, is a marketplace where creators can sell adult content NFTs. There, they can not only earn direct revenue on the first sale of the NFT, they can also then collect long-term revenue in the form of royalties each time it is sold thereafter to a new person by the buyer and all subsequent buyers.

Garniga also pointed out that the platform gives creators a new way to interact with their fans via auction selling, collectibles, gamification, etc. and grants access to a total addressable market of several hundred million potential clients given global crypto adoption estimates. He then shared that The Poken Company is developing other products and services to help creators and adult industry companies enter the crypto and NFT market.

“Since launching Sept. 21 in 2021, our goal has been to develop standard NFTs for all adult creators, so everyone in the industry can seize the business opportunity of NFTs,” Garniga continued. “In just four months, we have seen over 8,000 NFTs created; a volume of offers made to buy NFTs equaling 40 million PKN — our cryptocurrency — which equates to approximately $2 million; big purchases such as Abella Danger selling a 3D card as an NFT for 86,000 PKN; the debut of our Pokmi NFT collection “Hot Cards” which generated $30,000 of sales in the first 24 hours; and the launch of a Maitland Ward 3D Metaverse NFT which sold for 86,000 PKN.”

Looking forward, Garniga foresees the NFT and crypto markets getting stronger in the adult space, due to their ability to enable secure transactions without major banking issues and with extra privacy. He also sees NFT technology as enabling creators to have full control over their content, increasing their ownership, royalties and proof of authenticity.

“As blockchain markets are booming, and in light of uncertainties on popular adult platforms that have been in the news lately, we are aiming for a world where adult creators will use crypto to secure their business and NFT technology to manage or protect their content,” Garniga explained. “To position our brand to stay ahead, we partner with key players to develop innovative projects, such as the adult metaverse, staying alert to changing market conditions and information.”

Another multi-faceted platform is SugarBounce, an amalgamation of five different platforms that its founders hope will bring all forms of adult entertainment under one umbrella. They are offering different avenues of monetization to models and stars that extend beyond studio shoots, independent content and streaming.

“One of the most unique platforms in our project is Sugar Starter, which is a crowdfunding platform for the adult film industry,” explained CEO Navin Ray. “Today, a lot of performers and actors may want to be directors or producers, but what they lack is funding. Sugar Starter can provide them a way to fulfill those dreams by connecting them with other like-minded individuals where they can raise funds to produce, direct and own their content, which they can then further sell or even rent out.”

Another platform the company is launching this year is Sugar Markets, an NFT marketplace offering industry-standard referral bonuses and revenue-sharing programs to bring in more models and users. Sugar Streams is a cam site due to launch within the next month, and every quarter thereafter the company plans to launch a new platform, such as Sugar Pals, Sugar Reels and its own payment processor Sugar Pay.

“Since we are a new crypto-based company, we have already onboarded over 100 award-winning models before launch who will be benefiting from the range of services that we will be providing,” Ray touted. “Our ambassadors include Kiki Minaj, Blondie Fesser and Sabien DeMonia, along with head coach/recruiter Miss Genny Rock and advisor Diana Devil; all of them believe this new emerging technology of blockchain and cryptocurrencies will benefit everyone in the adult industry, from businesses to models, content creators and actors.”

Ray sees a huge potential upside to this emerging market, since NFTs are not just artwork or pictures but instead represent code on a decentralized ledger, thus ensuring that a vast array of content can be backed by NFTs. In the larger context of the business, Ray foresees blockchain helping solve problems like content ownership and piracy.

“So, eventually what will happen is when the technology has more and more adoption, it will become the primary source of revenue in the industry,” he predicted. “People will graduate from selling content to selling the NFTs backing that content. I believe the adult industry has always been at the forefront of technology, so as long as we keep up with new emerging tech, we’ll always be ahead of the curve.”

Elsewhere in the virtual realm, iStripper is already established as a unique business that sells prerecorded avatars of performers that dance on desktop screens, allowing users to enjoy a sexy show while working on other projects or just browsing on their personal computer. The company fosters fan engagement through niche communities spanning Discord, forums and social media, behind-the-scenes videos and Talent of the Month contests, as well as directing fans to models’ other businesses via a “more about her” tab on its software. Now, iStripper is venturing into the NFT space with DOLZ.io.

“iStripper encourages members to collect all the content we release for a model and members can even get achievements when completing their collection,” explained iStripper and DOLZ.io principal Celine. “This is why the blockchain and NFT technology immediately seemed like the logical next step for iStripper. So we are currently taking advantage of this opportunity with our new project DOLZ.io, an adult NFT platform that will allow its users to trade, use and win NFTs from our Totem ecosystem, which includes iStripper trading cards, 3D items in VR Paradise as well as our future partners’ NFTs.”

VR Paradise — which is distributed on Steam, one of the world’s most influential gaming platforms — can offer more visibility for participating models, allowing them to reach a new audience alongside the site’s fictional models. That is because VR Paradise is planning to introduce 3D avatars for its players, with many models already willing to have their 3D avatar appear in this virtual strip club.

“The development of a multiplayer version for this service will naturally drive us to let members own, share and exchange specific items, with blockchain and NFT technology offering an immediate benefit for our players,” she further elaborated. “This will be possible thanks to our DOLZ.io platform, which offers models a new way to monetize content. The exceptional potential of blockchain has gained a lot of attention in the industry, not only because it secures the ownership of content but also because it opens the door to new marketplaces where adult models can spread their content.”

This is where the magic of NFTs truly comes into play, Celine enthused, as fans can acquire exclusive content from their favorite models, as well as trade and resell it.

“With DOLZ.io, whose presale should start in February, fans will be able to buy, trade and sell models’ exclusive content in the form of NFTs, increasing the models’ visibility and value,” she said.

DESIGNING SITES AND MERCH TO UNLOCK NEW REVENUES

While blockchain-based business transactions and creations have paved the way for a distinct form of content sales and trading in the collectibles space, performers can also take greater control over their brand compared with traditional platforms via custom-designed official websites and merchandise, courtesy of GFE Model Services and its merch offshoot Fangear.vip, as well as ELX Complete from content management system professionals Elevated X.

Of course, no matter the innovations in futuristic revenue streams and solo-controlled distribution of goods, the sheer traffic volume, convenience and built-in features on major camming, clips and premium social platforms ensures they will continue to be a thriving and profitable way for creators to expand their business. Many emerging web brands are very aware of that market reality, instead focusing their efforts on offering additional profitable and low-stress options to further expand and diversify creators’ revenue streams.

In terms of physical goods, there is no replacing the fan experience of sipping coffee from a mug, sporting a t-shirt, fanning out poker cards or flipping through calendars, coffee table books and custom magazines emblazoned with high-quality visuals featuring their favorite creators. After all, physical collectibles have been around for centuries, and will continue to be popular even if we one day spend hours upon hours in a digital metaverse.

Having a custom-built online storefront in the form of a .com destination not tied to a third-party platform also empowers performers in many ways, not only driving traffic to those very same third-party platforms, but also enriching their lives with opportunities to be creative and offer fans a homebase of sorts.

While performer websites have been around for a couple of decades, they are experiencing a resurgence in popularity. This is in part due to a regular barrage of unpredictable regulatory surprises from misguided legislators unduly influenced by War on Porn propaganda pushed by nefarious evangelical operators and uninformed “journalist” fearmongers. With so much politics and proselytizing having a volatile impact on the content-selling business, there is great peace of mind — and profit — in having a site that is far less likely to have a target painted on its back, and which will not change policies with little warning or suddenly decide to demonetize creators.

“At GFE Model Services, we work with models in a variety of capacities, from free marketing consulting to branded merchandise, product development and more,” said Danny Ferretti, CEO of Fangear.vip and GFE Model Services. “Our Fangear.vip platform is a zero-cost passive engine for models to turn their photographic content into branded merchandise that can generate real income for both adult and mainstream audiences. We encourage models to repurpose photos, to think beyond content delivery and to embrace the idea of doing business beyond social media or content platforms. After all, nothing lasts forever, especially an Instagram page.”

Ferretti’s approach to the business and successful strategies have won him the loyalty of major stars like Sophie Dee, Nikki Benz and Kendra Sunderland — all of whom, he notes, have had multiple successful runs of products and calendars with their Fangear platform. As a matter of fact, Dee and Sunderland continue releasing new products with Fangear every year and generate many sales, according to Ferretti. As far as new clients, he pointed out Nahla Monroe as someone who has done very well, as well as Valentina Victoria, who is on the third printing of her 2022 Calendar.

“She was a virtual unknown until her calendar came out, but now she is certainly known and she’s earned very well with our platform,” Ferretti said. “Honestly, there are very few models that have not benefited from our platform and although nothing is ever guaranteed, with zero-cost branded merch, there really is no way to lose.”

Curiously, he has not noticed too many other competitors beyond more mainstream operations like Printify, Printful, VistaPrint and a few others that have been around for a while, but notes they do not offer the same type of solutions that his company does.

“We literally cut out the middleman by becoming our own manufacturer,” he explained. “We took a huge gamble 18 months ago and invested heavily in machinery and manpower, and now we can do turnkey merch that allows the models to actually make money.”

Ferretti also deals in site design, despite it being a completely different market from physical goods and collectibles, and has built sites for Dee, Sunderland and Benz, as well as Danii Banks, Kenzie Anne and hundreds of other models.

“It’s not rocket science and shouldn’t come with a rocket science price tag, but often when a designer hears a major star like Benz or Anne needs a site, they hit them with a $10,000 price tag, which is total bullshit,” he underscored, while offering a less-known client of his, Izaball Yellow, as an example of someone whose price was no lower than Benz or Anne, whom he likewise did not overcharge.

Ferretti sees website design as revolving around creativity, staying up to date and keeping it real with prices, while offering true collaboration with the model and measured results. Then, he believes, site design companies should be there for models when they need modifications or have questions.

“You can ask any model: when they need me or my team, we are there for them day or night, weekend or holiday,” he explained. “They call and we respond, whether they’re Anne, Benz, Dee or Yellow.”

When it comes to merch, Ferretti places great value on keeping the product choices fresh, finding products nobody else has and making sure that every model has the backing of a really dedicated merch rep and customer support team.

“I want to know about every model, who they are, what they like, what their personality is like and what we can do to make sure they are successful,” he shared. “And if for some reason they aren’t successful, I take that as a personal failure; people that know me know I don’t like to fail. Fangear will continue to stay ahead of the curve because we’re setting the curve in our world.”

He also has found success in what he calls his mainstream, “soccer mom” version of Fangear for families and brands: TheGearGeeks.com.

Another established player in the content management system space is Elevated X, whose site software is used by big companies including Penthouse, Jules Jordan, CockyBoys, Private.com and more. Now, the company is capitalizing on its years of experience by laser-focusing on talent to provide completely standalone site capabilities owned exclusively by them.

For the performer-centric ELX Complete venture to succeed, Elevated X CEO AJ Hall shared, his team really had to think outside the box instead of offering the standard list of sales options available on every third-party platform.

“We had to enable our model clients to literally sell anything directly via their own websites as long as it can be digitally delivered,” Hall stated. “This means instead of choosing from a list of things to sell, a model can use a completely customizable storefront to sell anything they can think of, as long as it’s legal and can be delivered via email or DM.”

The end result, he said, is the ability for a model to directly sell subscriptions, clips, customs, fan signs, tributes, phone interactions, live video time, locked content, paid DMs, pic ratings or anything else they can dream up. As an added bonus, a model can also choose how to communicate and how to deliver purchases, since sites created through ELX Complete are not tied to a platform and the same rules and limitations are not in play.

The company also went beyond the norm for clip purchases, to offer models the option to sell videos via pay-per-download, pay-per-view or time-based online video rentals, so they can run their personal website in a way that works best for them and their fans’ preferences. This dedication to staying ahead of the curve and being innovative has led to Elevated X counting among its clients a wide swath of famous creators and runaway indie success stories.

“When people think of Elevated X, they often think of the big brands and larger-than-life superstars like Jules Jordan, Riley Reid, Lauren Phillips, Kayden Kross, Lisa Ann and all the big names we provide websites for,” Hall said. “Impressive as the megastars are, two of the earliest adopters of ELX Complete whose growth we are most proud of are Ariel X and her pioneering wrestling franchise and Meana Wolf, who since her emergence has become an industry powerhouse producer and one of the most successful performer/producer startups we have seen in the entire 18 years Elevated X has been providing adult website software. Perhaps one of the best long-term examples of success is Alexandra Snow’s GoddessSnow.com, which helped catapult her from clip site star to a well-respected superstar in her arena.”

Lately, Hall shared, his company has delved into providing more customized site designs and working more closely to help people transition from exclusive use of clip sites and platforms to adding their own website into the mix. Elevated X has helped creators like Xev Bellringer, Jewelz Blu and Candy Glitter establish official homes with recent site launches, as their career trajectories took them from simply being popular creators to being more recognizable branded personalities. Hall foresees current broader market trends continuing, with only a very small portion of adult industry revenue stemming from standalone websites, but he feels that creators and producers will always want and need to retain full ownership of their content and customer data, and fully control their brand and sales methods.

“We also know that only a small percentage will be interested in the level of professional website ownership we specialize in, but we will continue to support them and invest in developing tools, features and functionality to keep models current, as they evolve as creatives and as business owners,” Hall concluded.

PROTECTING AND MANAGING CONTENT AND CREATOR BRANDS

With the boom in digital revenue opportunities, there is a greater need than ever for brand management and protection. Because while models have become extraordinarily multi-talented and masters of juggling all manner of business duties from accounting to video editing, customer service, marketing, shooting and more, everyone can use a helping hand from savvy professionals now and then.

Some brands, such as BranditScan and Cam Model Protection, specialize in swiftly hunting down content theft online, deploying a blend of automated software for DMCA takedowns and hands-on solutions with responsive customer service for models. Others, such as NMG Management, tackle complex business problems with pro consulting, collaborative gameplans and a network of contacts that runs deep.

“We like to think of our NMG team as the ‘ace in your back pocket’ for content creators,” said Megan Stokes, co-founder of NMG Management. “Yes, we help creators with everything from account management to revenue diversification, but we don’t stop there; we are also a sounding board for various offers or opportunities they come across, negotiating an in-depth strategic partnership. We use all of the accumulated data resources available to us when they need guidance in any area and we’ll use the relationships we’ve built over time to make sure our content creators have access to opportunities they may not have on their own.”

Aside from the basic services creators need, NMG frequently strives to devise imaginative ways to empower talent, from leveraging various licensing and marketing opportunities they can tap into, given their work with top-flight studios and paysites, to helping them monetize their content and influence in various spaces for as long as possible.

“It’s not just about looking after our own gains; we come to the table with our knowledge to work together as a team and their growth is our growth, which makes our interests aligned,” Stokes noted. “I honestly think one of the most important aspects of our relationship with models is that we interview each other. We absolutely do not take everyone that is interested in working with us. We look for models that take their brand seriously and want to grow. I also highly encourage them to interview us extensively and do their research on us.

“We usually have a starter call with the whole team and really dig into how the model envisions their brand, how they would like to see it evolve and how we can help expand their reach while being true to who they are,” she continued. “I believe this has led to setting everyone’s expectations up correctly from the start and gives NMG a lot of insight into the model’s pain points as well as where they really excel! From there, we come up with a customized plan for each model. I think both parties being so crystal clear on the tone and the goals allows us to do what we at NMG do best, which is to expand their opportunities, maximize their time and act as an extension of them.”

Stokes acknowledges the challenge of predicting where revenue streams are going to come from in general, but in the creator space, she knows that developments move so fast that creators need to be doing a little of everything all at once so they do not fall behind. She has observed that many creators have all their eggs in one basket and cannot stress enough to them how important it is to make sure they lower their financial risk by diversifying.

“I think our unique position of helping studios diversify their revenue for well over 10 years prior to expanding to the independent creator space has allowed us access to lots of revenue streams that are not typically within the scope or even knowledge of most creators,” she said. “We are lucky and have worked on amassing such a large network of contacts that we are often one of the go-to people to consult when offering something new. We love having the first crack at things! It allows us to position our clientele well in addition to offering feedback in these areas to make the opportunity more of a win-win for all parties.”

Nonetheless, Stokes explained, NMG is not a “chase the shiny objects” company and makes sure to do a lot of due diligence, giving well-researched guidance to the creators with whom the company works so they can make informed decisions on their own.

“At the end of the day, they are 100% in the driver seat, as we help achieve the goals they have for their brand and stay aligned with their core values,” she underlined.

And in the realm of brand protection, creators of any size or popularity experience piracy, and all piracy has a negative impact on any brand.

“If fans can Google a creator’s name and find their most premium content for free, they lose the strong incentive to purchase; unfortunately, many sales are lost due to easy access to free content,” observed Gino Sciretta, CEO of BranditScan. “This is where we come in, as we want to empower content creators in every aspect. With a focus on accessibility and innovative tools, it was important to us that all creators, big or small, could benefit from protecting their brand, and in turn, increase their earnings.”

At BranditScan, Sciretta aims to make accessibility a focus, to make protection easy, simple and less intimidating. He believes there is no better way to empower creators than ensuring they feel confident and knowledgeable when using their services. To that end, he has been adapting BranditScan to simplify the overall experience and offer frequent communication, as well as education to models.

“We want to ensure that both novice or experienced content creators who have never sent a takedown feel empowered when having to face piracy,” he said. “Additionally, we wanted to have an affordable price point that would be sustainable; BranditScan services are $45 per month. Fans of content creators can also gift them a subscription to ensure that their brands are being protected. This way, creators big or small can benefit from brand protection and continue to grow their online presence and earnings without the impacts of piracy.

“In addition to accessibility, we have kept innovation front of mind for our tools,” he continued. “Creators can say goodbye to having their premium content scattered across Google. With unlimited takedowns, Google removals and daily scans, creators can stay on top of takedowns and with time, even see their own legitimate platforms rank higher on Google. We also tackle SFW content such as social media catfishing, TikTok and YouTube to ensure a 360-degree protection of their brand. We continue to focus on empowering creators by giving them full control.”

With BranditScan, if a creator wants to leverage piracy for promotional SEO, they can leave older indexed content and take down their newest videos, Sciretta shared. They have the final decision over every single link, video and image. As a result, creators can adapt the service’s tools to their needs and to their brand.

Since launching a little over a year ago, BranditScan has earned the trust of ambassadors who have contributed to improving features by providing their feedback, sharing the company’s mission and getting the community pumped about fighting piracy.

“A creator that we’ve had the pleasure to work with and that has found success with our tools is Destiny Diaz,” Sciretta said. “She is a long-time industry creator who has been dealing with piracy using spreadsheets, spending countless hours every week sending out individual DMCA claims. When we got in touch to share what BranditScan was all about, we instantly knew that we were the lucky ones! Today, Destiny Diaz has had over 12,000 links for stolen content removed using our services, and has said goodbye to her days of piracy spreadsheets. Destiny’s experience in the industry and her feedback has helped us aim higher each time. Our BranditScan stickers were inspired by one of her recommendations, and are now found behind all of the team’s laptops! We’re thankful for her contribution.”

Another creator who partners with BranditScan and has found success is Noah Bensi. Sciretta had heard of Bensi’s personal mission to bring piracy talks to the forefront, as she demanded that platforms and the industry do more to protect content creators. Her passion for piracy let his team know there was a real need for accessible protection.

“Working with Noah has been incredibly insightful and has helped us develop our catfish removal tools,” he explained. “After seeing her report of imposter accounts within her Instagram stories, the lightbulb went on. Soon after, we expanded our removal tools to include social media platforms, with Noah Bensi as our inspiration. Ever since, her catfishes have ceased to be an issue.”

All in all, Sciretta is enthusiastic about the content creator market, which he believes has much growth ahead as the industry heads in a number of different directions. The first direction that both the NSFW and SFW market is following is shorter content, he observed. Tiktok, Instagram reels and even platforms like OnlyFans have shorter videos going out on a rapid, consistent basis.

“Content creators are pushing out more content with shorter time frames and this change is important to note for tools like ours,” Sciretta said. “BranditScan’s technology is flexible and scalable, so no matter how much content you may upload, or where you may upload it, we’ll be finding anything that mentions your brand. We’re constantly improving our content protection systems and will soon be releasing a facial recognition service to keep the model ahead of the game. With creators uploading two to five short clips per day, on a diversity of platforms, our tools need to be smart, accurate and faster than ever to meet the changing needs of the industry.”

In addition, he expects catfishing to continue to be a larger issue impacting all social media platforms. With many NSFW creators unable to be verified, these imposter accounts impact earnings, images and reputations. BranditScan has vowed to continue its efforts towards developing tech to address this growing concern and provide simple and effective solutions for creators.

Another dedicated and trusted partner for creators is Cam Model Protection, which reports that it assists creators from over 40 different countries, with most creators located in North America, followed by Europe and Asia. The company’s various plans aim to suit experienced creators and newcomers alike, with services that include automated monitoring and removal. Where Cam Model Protection seeks to stand out is by offering well-trained agents who will do everything in their power to remove all illegal and infringed content from search engines, social media and any other illegal websites.

“We also have a 24/7 live support team anyone can go to with their questions or removal requests,” CEO Nick Steenland said. “To increase the quality of our services, we recently created a new team with ethical hackers and open source intelligence-trained investigators. This new team will investigate safe haven websites that do not cooperate in taking down stolen content, and by doing so, get the website owners to cooperate.”

Customers offering testimonials include Aria Nina, who described Cam Model Protection as “my freaking hero,” while Onlytiamisuu encouraged “all content creators/influencers” to “please invest in yourself” by signing up for the service, after all her stolen content was removed within three months. As for Ashley Aoki, she stated, “So much leaked content out there, but I’m glad Cam Model Protection has my back!” while Lexual_ offered, “Someone asked why my content never gets leaked and it’s because I pay for Cam Model Protection! They’re the best. They take the illegal content down pretty much immediately.”

Steenland shared that Cam Model Protection has 10 of the top creators in the industry as brand ambassadors, promoting the company out of a shared sense of mission to help creators protect their content. As the adult industry continues its growth, services like Cam Model Protection have become an increasingly important part of securing income for creators, he explained, since not having a content protection service will result in income loss due to piracy.

“The demand for online content has grown exponentially since the outbreak of COVID-19 and consumers are seeking more personalized services and offerings from their favorite creator, opening up huge opportunities within the market,” he observed. “As we look to 2022, the creators that come out on top will be the ones that find creative ways to meet the evolving demands of the consumer. With the design of our own software, and the use of the latest technologies, we monitor the internet 24/7. Cam Model Protection removes over 15 million illegal images, videos and downloads annually.

“Because we work with the top creators in the industry, we are obliged to maintain the highest quality and service and are always eager to improve ourselves and reinvent our service to stay ahead,” Steenland said. “We will be implementing facial recognition to our services and our developers are working on more new solutions, as well, while we improve the quality of our services and better protect the content and brands of our members. We do our utmost best to keep the internet as ‘clean’ as possible for our members, ensuring consumers will buy content rather than download it illegally.”

With such a dedicated swath of companies keeping pace with the evolving needs of creators amid a flourishing boom in personality-based content consumption — an evolution happening in mainstream as much as in adult, given the rise of YouTubers, Twitch streamers and social media influencers — market players will continue to innovate and rise above the pack.

Perhaps in the coming years, following the three stages of camming and clips, premium socials and ancillary services dedicated to collectibles and control, the fourth stage will be marked by the much-vaunted arrival of the metaverse. Given the billions being poured into the metaverse by the likes of Meta Platforms — formerly Facebook — Microsoft, NVIDIA, Roblox, Unity software and many more, there will surely be a sprawling SFW sandbox for gamers, casual internet users and social butterflies to use with immersive results. However, with the stigma attached to adult entertainment, it will take a collective effort among top players helping creators capitalize on their charisma and personalities to ensure there is a healthy space for adult stars should the metaverse ever materialize fully.

In the meanwhile, as creators and brands become more sophisticated and diversified in their businesses, tools and services that are “Made for Creators” will find a never-ending supply of fans, models and executives coming together for a profitable future.