Feature
Embracing the American entrepreneurial spirit in the heart of Bucharest
It is well known that apart from a great business environment in Romania for small and medium-sized enterprises, companies and investors also have access to an affordable multilingual workforce in most cities, especially in Bucharest. But it is not very often that a US citizen decides to open a cam studio here. Of course, we asked Bryan, owner of Cleopatra Studio, the classic, almost cliché question ”Why did you move to Romania?”: ” I didn’t abruptly decide to move here. I worked for a company in the U.S. that decided to open an office in Bucharest. I applied for the position and was ultimately selected to come here with another colleague to help facilitate the growth of the company’s office here. My academic background focused on Eastern Europe, so it was not strange to move to Romania.”
I tend to be extremely in depth with performer’s income and cam site conversions and the studio founders have a big experience in finance, investments, and business, so we make a perfect team when it comes to the examination of incomes.
With absolutely no experience in the live cam industry, in any regard, Bryan said he virtually knew nothing about the industry before moving to Romania, but he was triggered by the idea of starting a business of his own in a well established market. And that is how Cleopatra Studio got off the ground last month. Located right next to Unirii Square, just a few steps from the Parliament building, Bryan told us, enthusiastically, that he came up with the name Cleopatra because he wanted a unique name with a meaning behind it.
He chose the name Cleopatra because it evokes an image of a beautiful, powerful, and desired woman-something all female livechat models want to be!
Here is the complete revealing interview with Bryan about leaving his role in a multinational company and the reasons to be optimistic about the new road ahead in the live cam industry.
What determined you to open up a live cam studio?
The desire primarily came from my interest in starting my own business and working for myself. I wanted to start a business in a field that was well established and could scale easily. I had a few ideas, but I had heard about livechat studios being popular in Bucharest. It’s also hard to ignore some of the advertisements and cars with branding from places like Charm Studious and LiveJasmin. While it does seem the market is quite saturated with lots of studios, it’s a well established industry that I am confident I can thrive in.
What is your experience in the live cam industry? If any.
I have no experience in this industry in any regard. I knew virtually nothing about the industry before coming to Romania, and still knew very little about it before talking to people who had worked in the industry.
Did you receive any advice/consultancy from any other studio or from any other experienced person in this field?
As someone with no experience in the field, let alone general business experience, I knew it would be very important to hire someone who could help me in the process. After meeting and discussing with a few people who had or are currently working in the industry, including models, admins, and owners, I was referred to Bogdan Dumitrescu from AMP. We’ve been working together since May and his support has been indispensable, and I can’t imagine opening my studio without his help.
If I were to have done this on my own, I think it would have turned out very poorly. On the surface the business model seems quite simple; however, livechat is a much more complicated and multi-faceted industry than I thought at first, considering the technological, legal, marketing, etc. aspects of the business. So, without working with someone experienced in the field, the project would have been a lot more difficult and stressful
According to your business plan, in how much time do you expect return on investment?
From the projections I have, it will probably take at least a year to recoup my initial investment, but probably more, considering a reasonable reinvestment rate. Personally, I’m more interested in building up positive cash flow and then scaling the business to really boost the company’s revenue.
What type of marketing strategy are you planning to adopt? Social media platforms, adwords, referrals?
All of the above! I want to utilize all platforms possible. Social media marketing strikes me as something that will be very useful, considering that the average livechat model candidate is probably using social media platforms like Instagram frequently. I would also like to implement an appealing referral program that will entice team members to recruit friends and acquaintances to join.
What type of cam sites are you going to work with?
I plan to use both premium and freemium sites, at least from the start. The studio will be able to accommodate both of these sites in terms of design. And since I’m new to the industry, I can’t say what will be best for my studio from the start; however, the freemium sites interest me more. It seems like this is the direction the industry is trending in. These sites also allow, in my opinion, for greater creativity and variety, which seems like they would really allow models to be themselves and find what works best for them in terms of style, marketing, etc
What expectations do you have in terms of support from the cam sites?
In terms of support, I only expect that they provide support on the technological side, and that we will take responsibility for growth and marketing of the models.
How many working places do you have/ or plan to have, to start with?
Cleopatra will have 3 workstations to start. I’d like to think of it as a “boutique”. It’s smaller perhaps than other studios, but for me it’s better to start smaller and become established, as opposed to having a much larger studio with higher fixed costs.
Bryan, we wish you nothing but best of luck in this new venture you have embarked upon. May your business be prosperous with many years to come! Read more articles here
Cam Studios
JHstudios’s interview
Starting the year with enthusiasm and energy, JHstudios is ready to take on the challenge of becoming one of the top studios in Colombia. With the essential part of caring for their models and offering advice to those just starting, JHstudios is well-equipped to accommodate all cam sites and provide quality service to every model. They recognize that working with models can take days, months, or even years and that learning new things and being present throughout their professional journeys is integral to success.
With this in mind, they have set ambitious goals for this year, including expanding internationally and continuing to grow by 400%, as they did in 2022. Last year they completed two studios in Colombia with more than 127 luxury rooms, and they look forward to achieving even more success in the coming year.
What essential part should a studio owner take care of?
I would think that something specific is difficult to know since too many big or small factors make a company successful. However, the most important thing for studios is always their models, but the advisers in charge of them are characteristics of great importance that we must take care of, which is why for JHstudios, its advisers and leaders are fundamental and are key to the success of the model.
As one of the bigger studios from Colombia, what is your advice for someone that starts this year?
JHstudios is a specialist in advising studios and also those that are starting their creation. For JHstudios, the most important advice for those who are starting is to always think about the quality of your company in terms of infrastructure, technology, and human quality, but above all, worry about the little things that arise every day since it is an industry that is always evolving. I always say the small details make the difference.
Do you work with all camsits platforms? Explain why? Or if not, explain why also?
JHstudios we are a brand of free pages, we have access to several of the best-known pages, but we are specialists in Stripchat. Our models only work with one or two pages Maximum since working with many pages is the worst decision someone can make. As we always say, you are one hundred percent of you as a person working on a single page means that one hundred percent Attention to those users. Working on 2 or more means that this percentage will change significantly.
How much work with a model until she is a top model for your studio?
Working with a model can be relative and can be days, months, or even years. Being a top requires a lot of perseverance, patience, dedication, and discipline. Acquiring all this is sometimes not so easy. Our role is to understand that there is always something new to learning and teaching. It is important to dedicate quality time to a model, especially advice and accompaniment, throughout her professional path.
What plans do you have for this year? What will it be?
JHstudios has an international projection. We are currently advancing on some projects outside of Colombia as well as a working modality for satellite models on webcam and content pages. The idea is to be able to cover several countries in South America. In the same way, we open a brand of Lingerie in which we are working.
Do you end 2022 with all plans achievable? What was it?
JHstudios in 2022 had a growth of 400% in relation to the past years. Between them, we completed two studios in Bogota and Medellín, Colombia, adding up to 127 luxury rooms in two modern buildings with a capacity for almost 400 models and more than 150 direct employees between administrative and consultants. Our vision is clear, and we always work to improve and advance. Our motto is “Moving Forward to the Future”.
jhstudios.com
Feature
Welcome to BabeStation
Let us introduce you to the UK household brand Babestation! With a 20 year history and experience, the studios started as a broadcast studio to support the Babestation TV shows, which has been broadcasting since 2002. From chat rooms to live cam feeds, streaming from their studios, 24/7, Babestation brings you brand new XXX content shot exclusively in house. We got to talk to Mo Noorollahi, Babestation COO, and found out more insights on their activity.
What type of cam sites are you working with?
Babestation owns and operates two of its own camsites, Babestation.tv and Babestationcams.com. We also work with Streamate to allow UK based models to gain more traffic and exposure.
What expectations do you have from the cam sites you are working with?
Communication and support! Those are the two most important things.
What is your leadership philosophy?
“Models first”! We would not have a business if it wasn’t for our models.
How do you build the model’s confidence?
We have a talent management team that works tirelessly with our models. As well as the talent management team, we have a production team who work closely with the models 24/7 to get the best out of their shows.
What advice would you give to a newcomer?
Don’t run before you can walk! It’s a very exciting industry and things can move very fast. Spend time understanding the industry and how to best create a career path within it.
How many working places do you have/ or how many locations?
We have 3 studios in the UK. Milton Keynes, London and Manchester.
What is your method of finding models?
Any model can apply to our agency from seeing adverts on our TV channels or websites. We do have a dedicated team of headhunters that look for models who would fit the brand as-well.
Feature
3F Models Studio – a business that could stand a war
3F Models Studio was founded 10 years ago in Kharkiv, Ukraine and operates a few other studios under the same umbrella in Odessa and Kyiv. The business stands by its name – The Federation of Force & Freedom, as it’s operating still under the harsh conditions of the Ukrainian – Russian war.
What determined you to open up a livecam studio?
The first studio we opened before 3F Models.
It was the best time to start this business, it was easy money for models and fast growing for a business. After that, there were a lot of branded studios popping up and the business was getting harder year by year. Then we decided to start working in the right “European way”.
Did you receive any advice/consultancy from any other studio or from any other experienced person in this field when you started?
As a model, I started for the first time with another studio. They were charging me a lot of fees for nothing and they paid me a lower percentage than they told me at the interview. So I cannot say I had a good first experience. After I founded the 3F studio and started my own studio, for Ukraine, back then, it was a bigger and absolutely new level, I got my best experience in 3F. Here models have everything that a studio must give them.
Is there any financial difference between last year and this year? Is there any increase in profits?
We do not advertise our earnings, but year by year we have a new higher level of earnings, and we have a goal for that. And I can say every year we are closer to our highest targeted earnings. We will see how 2022 will end up because everybody knows what’s happening in Ukraine right now. The war kind of ruined our plans, but we are keeping strong and doing everything to save our models and earnings.
Describe how you’ve responded to competitive threats in the past.
We never wanted to start the war, but if somebody wants to play with us – always welcome =D
What method did you use to create strategies that led to the success you have today?
First of all, we are studying other European studios. It was the first step of our “new generation” strategy. Then year by year different things changed. We are always looking for a good strategy, the best way to succeed is through the experience itself. If we have an issue, like in any other kind of company, we have to fix it fast and change our strategy fast if that’s needed.
What type of cam sites are you working with?
Freemium, a small part of our models works as “premium” models.
What expectations do you have from the cam sites you are working with?
Serious partnership, innovations inside a system and mobile apps
How many working places do you have/ or how many locations?
Before the war, we had 11 or 12 studios in Kharkiv, 2 studios in Kyiv, and 3 studios in Odessa. 250+ models had a working place. Now we have 4 studios in Kyiv, 4 studios in Odessa, and 3 studios still working in Kharkiv under daily bombing. Few studios were bombed and the main and biggest studio was destroyed by Russian bombs.
Which is the model’s salary growth expectation compared to the average salary in the economy?
It does not depend on the economic situation. We are earning $ and don’t care about the currency rate. It affects the percentage of withdrawal, but it’s anyway better than for a business like a coffee shop or restaurant.
How do you build the model’s confidence?
Our experience is the main visit card. Models believe us – because they know what happens in other studios, where owners think only about themself. Our models are happy with us, they are always waiting for the next contest from our company where they have the chance to win something like an iPhone, a MacBook, or a new car. In our experience, we made a few contests with the main prize being a car. And every contest was true and transparent, all the models know – they can trust us.
What advice would you give to a newcomer?
For a model – don’t lose your first 2 weeks, don’t be shy, and never be tired in your broadcasts. These 2 weeks will be the most important for your business.
For a new studio – respect your colleagues, respect your models, you are starting a serious business, it’s not fast and easy money. If you start your business with this thought, you will lose your studio after half of the year. Pay good commissions and salaries for your staff, because without them you are nothing.
Which are the 3 top goals to achieve as a company?
Get the trust of your partners, team members, and models. Join the webcam community and know what happens in the industry. Get rid of services from outside. Develop a department for each type of employee of your company. Designers, admins, SEO, programmers, marketing, photographers, video editors, content makers, etc.
In your view, what risks do you face as a cam studio?
The worst already happened on the 24th of February.
What is your leadership philosophy?
The philosophy of leadership of 3F Models is to give everybody a chance to earn big money for everybody. Everybody wants to be rich, not only a studio owner.
What methods have you used to motivate your models in the past?
Regular contests, regular gifts, parties for every holiday, regular bonuses and we are always helping models to buy a car, apartments, etc If they don’t have a full amount.
What is your method of scouting models?
We have a department of marketing, advertisement, call center, and first interview center. We are using all methods possible.
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