"Afisha Daily" figured out how the webcam business in Russia works: what the studios consist of and how they function, who and how much money makes in this area, what the law on the webcam industry says. She also recorded monologues of the former webcam model, webcam operator and coach and studio owner about the state and problems of the industry today.
Studios are now a full-fledged infrastructure. This is not only a model, but also an administrative staff: managers, operators (administrators), IT specialists, directors, photographers, stylists, HR managers, sometimes even accountants. The webcam business works around one personalized line of communication - between the model and the member (the client of the webcam platform. - Ed. ). And the rest of the studio staff helps them to make this connection happen, stay stable and involve money: the operator can chat for the model, the IT specialist supports the work of the equipment, the stylists think over the image.
Webcam studios can be both online and offline. In the second case, a residential apartment or room is rented, where employees come on schedule. Usually, several rooms are equipped for models, equipment for shooting, sex toys and hygiene products are provided. In offline studios, models work in shifts - 6–8 hours each, after which she is replaced by another. The main task of the model is to make sure that the member invites her to a private chat, where the tip is higher, since the model fulfills the desires of a particular person, and does not work for the public. Of all the donations earned by the model (members list them in tokens), part of it goes to the online platform, the rest is taken by the studio and pays the salary of the model, other employees, pays for the rent of premises, the purchase of equipment and other needs.
In online studios, everything is about the same, only all communication between employees takes place on the Internet. There is a third way, when the model works for herself: she registers on the webcam platform, the site takes a commission from the model's earnings, and transfers the rest to her. Usually a model in a studio gets half or less of everything that she actually earned, so some girls go for tricks - they stream on several sites at the same time, earn extra money as "recruiters" to find new models or operators.
With the earnings of models, it is becoming more and more foggy - it depends on how much time she spends on streaming, how she behaves and what she is ready for. Industry workers say that you can earn 30 thousand rubles per month, but you can earn 500 thousand. Some say the figure is one and a half million rubles. The studios themselves cannot promise anything concrete either. On one site, in the "Most Popular Questions" section, the answer about the salary is: "If we talk about the numbers per month, then with a standard 40-hour work week, the minimum that we saw is 20 thousand rubles, and the maximum is 650 thousand".
In March 2018 , Roskomnadzor added several popular webcam resources to the register of prohibited sites.
Security officials prefer not to touch webcam studios. However, in June 2019, a criminal case was opened against the owner of the studio in Volgograd under Article 242. A similar police raid took place in September 2020 in Cherepovets, but then about 50 searches were carried out in different studios, as a result of which 70 people were detained. Three of them were sent to a pre-trial detention center, suspected of illegally creating pornography and using a minor model. During searches in the studios, more than 18 million rubles and dollars, drugs, digital equipment and "intimate accessories" were seized, according to the report of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
The spring of 2021 was marked by more cases - in March, the Krasnoyarsk police detained six people in a webcam studio. All are suspected of committing a crime under Part 1, 2 of Art. 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Organization of a criminal community or participation in it"), and two alleged organizers of the studio from Moscow, who were also detained, were accused of illegal production and circulation of pornographic materials (according to paragraphs "a, b" part 3 of Art. 242 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ). In April, a new raid took place - SOBR officers conducted searches in five webcam studios in St. Petersburg and detained 11 people in them. According to the St. Petersburg IC, this is one large network that belongs to a 32-year-old resident of the Leningrad region. In total, about a hundred models and seven administrators worked in it, and earnings amounted to at least 202 million rubles. As a resulta criminal case was initiated on the illegal production and circulation of pornographic materials (under paragraphs "b, c", part 3 of article 242 of the Criminal Code).
I was 20 years old, I was in my third year and thought it was time to earn money myself. I worked as a waitress for a month, and it was a terrible first experience: I was promised that when I close the internship, pass the exam and make a book, I will be paid a salary. All month I worked 16 hours, with half days off, and I was not paid anything at all. At the end of the summer, I was walking with a friend, and she casually asked if I was looking for a job. I replied that I was looking, and a classic of the genre happened - she turned out to be the owner of a webcam studio. She immediately said: "Don't worry, there is no need to undress there." Although I understood perfectly well what I would have to do.
At the "interview" they tried to carefully show me sites with broadcasts so that I did not see anything superfluous - because if you go to the main page, you can immediately see that this is not erotica, but frank porn. I was assured that these are top models and I don't need to do this. I did not like this moment, I see no reason to mislead people.You can go to such a job only if you understand exactly what awaits you and why you need it...
I agreed, hoping that maybe the truth will be able to do everything modestly. Although deep down she understood what to expect, but it was hard to immediately rush to the embrasure. On the first day, no one really explained anything to me, they just said something like: "Here it will squeak, and here it will come." The first person who came across called me into a private chat. I immediately have round eyes and a misunderstanding of what is happening, I look at the administrator, and he says: "Yes, yes, yes, agree, take off your clothes!" I didn’t know how to refuse at all and didn’t understand what I want and what I don’t want. I felt scared and uncomfortable - they promised that there was no need to undress, but here I have to do it sharply right now. I was confused, afraid to let the studio down, refusing to undress. I didn't want to disappoint anyone.
It was very unpleasant for me, but I did not suffer for long, for a couple of days. At first I thought: "God, what a nightmare." And then somehow these thoughts left me, and I decided that I could endure. The fact that the owner of the studio wrote to me also played: "Wow, you are such a good fellow, one day - and you earned so much." But when you are a new model, the site itself helps you in promotion, in the first week or two there is a promotional period, you will really make good money with minimal effort. Everyone will come to your streams, and after the end of this period, if you don't hook anyone, you will have to start from scratch. Now I understand that the owner of the studio was just manipulating, trying to keep me.
Almost all studios lie to potential models at first.... I am sure that somewhere there are those who speak everything in plain text, but this is an exception to the rule. Because the point is to attract as many models as possible, because the studios make money on them. The owners can use a variety of words to describe what you need to do: blogging and live broadcasts on sports and beauty topics. During all this time, I have heard plenty of thousands of synonyms that do not reflect what is really happening at all.
It's terrible that girls are being deceived. I'm used to it, but there are those for whom it will be a tragedy, because they will be pressured to do something, and then they will pay off. For some it is like death - to realize that their "porno content" is flooded on the Internet, and forever.
I worked in two studios. Tales about the fact that you are not de-anonymized are obligatory everywhere. They say different things: that you can work without a face, that you will not work on Russian sites, that the administrator will clean and delete everything. But this is all to one place - Russian-speaking people use different sites, and everyone knows what a VPN is, and, naturally, no one cleans anything. There was one case when girls entered their nicknames into search engines and were horrified by what they saw - there were all their videos.
Models' video chats are recorded not only by the viewers, but also by the webcam platforms themselves. Then they appear on third-party resources. You can write in support of the site, say that it is you, and ask to delete it. They do delete, but the catch is that they only remove one. While you are writing, they will be transferred to another twenty thousand of the same sites.
Therefore, the answer to the question of novice models "How can I be sure of safety and that everything will be all right?" - no way. It won't be okay. I know sites after which you will find yourself on the board of honor on the very first day - for example, Chaturbate (entered by Roskomnadzor in the register of prohibited ones. - Ed. ). It is the most popular, and there is an automatic recording of all the video chats of the models. A friend worked for me there, and during the year everything was the same every day. This is not controlled in any way, you just need to take it for granted. Apparently, they somehow make money on this. Another interesting point - if you demand to remove something, you can write a complaint only for one photo or one video. And if there are 15 thousand of them? When I stopped working, I looked at the number of screenshots and videos with me and thought: "And what should I write about 23 thousand on a complaint?"If you wish, you can find everything you need for any model, even if it has not worked for several years...
Webcams are a bad start for work, because our society is not ready to take it normally. We are all people, we all have emotions, and it will be unpleasant for everyone when they point fingers at you and hound you. I myself left the industry because I was very tired of deceiving my relatives, parents, and I was tired of the lifestyle in which I had to dodge and invent something. Although my mother found out almost immediately and asked to leave, I had to lie that I would not work, but at the same time continued.
It seems to me that not everyone understands the options for development in this area. In my opinion, in order to really earn a lot - and that's exactly what everyone wants - there are few prospects in a webcam: either go to porn or go to an escort. You can, of course, stay in the webcam, but it's not that much money. It's hard to work in that mode in order to earn really a lot. As I noticed, all popular Russian-speaking models either make long creative streams, such as cosplay, or go to porn. Streams further fade into the background, and the main income is photo and video content - Onlyfans, Patreon, and so on.
I earned 30-40 thousand and gave half of it to the studio. Payments were made twice a month to the card, and those who received more than 50 thousand were given money only in envelopes. In my experience of working in two studios, there was only one person earning 100-200 thousand. And that was a boy, because there is less competition there. At the same time, everyone goes to webcams for money.
You are ready to accept all the disadvantages, a blow to your reputation, the need to lie and hide simply because your salary will be higher than the average for the region.
I still think about returning, because I don't know how to work in a standard job and combine it with my hobbies and life.
Viewers of webcam broadcasts are single men who cannot fulfill their desires or cannot find a common language with the outside world, and it is easier for them to communicate with a beautiful picture that will depict that she is madly interested in him. Everything is discussed with the member on the shore: what you agree to do and what not - because he also does not want to pay for the fact that you don’t do something. There are ordinary people with whom you can negotiate. Of course, there are inadequacies, but you simply refuse them or ban them - I have had this, mainly on Russian sites.
In a webcam, the specifics of the work are rather difficult. If you regularly stream, then, most likely, libido will drop, and this will affect your personal life. Many of my acquaintances complained that after work they no longer want sex, because everything had already happened several times during the day. Plus, physically, health can suffer - the body is simply not designed for such a number of intercourse and orgasms per day. Someone may even have sprains, wounds, injuries. It's too often, too much, and too intense. Much still depends on the person himself and his character. If someone wants to torture themselves with hours of broadcasts in order to earn more, this is a question for the person, not for the industry. It's the same with substance use - I've come across such patterns, but so have those who haven't taken anything. I think if a person goes for it, he already has some inclination. No amount of money costs a healthy psyche. Moreover, this is not the last work in the world.
To be a model, I personally need inspiration, as well as time, strong physical and mental health. I repeatedly took breaks from working as a model because there were not enough resources. Basically, I worked in parallel with my studies at the university and until I began to speak openly about my work, fear and shame were very pressing, and it was hard to concentrate. Also, since this activity is not legally regulated, an unscrupulous employer has certain leverage: they may not pay the fee, record a video and merge it into public space, blackmail. It was precisely because of the fear that I would not be paid again, as it happened at the start, that it was difficult for me to concentrate on modeling. But I had to be realized, and I started helping other girls - this is how my career as an operator began.
The operator is the mentor of the novice model, who helps her find her image, get comfortable and make her streams as productive and effective as possible. In essence, an operator is a manager whose product is model time. From this follows an approximate list of personal qualities, skills and abilities that a webcam operator should have: curiosity, emancipation, communication, creativity, ingenuity and ingenuity, general erudition. Knowledge of at least one foreign language, the ability to solve technical problems, knowledge in the field of psychology, the ability to motivate, knowledge of management, the basics of sales and marketing are important.
The operator's working day is about the same every time: come, check if everything is in place, get acquainted with a new model, take time to communicate with her, introduce the essence of the profession, identify its personal boundaries, clarify its attitude to confidentiality issues. Next, we get acquainted with the sites on which the broadcast takes place, show the interface, and in parallel fill in the profile description. We connected, chose the angle, light, smile, work. During the broadcast, I communicate in writing for her, if she does not speak English, I ask if everything is comfortable, explain the nuances, answer questions. After the shift, I find out if I am willing to work further and give recommendations for the next time. This is how a shift usually lasts 6-8 hours.
The webcam market is huge and I want to be competitive. The fact that I have a higher education, speak several foreign languages, worked in direct sales, and also successfully develop my marketing, management skills, study trends and tendencies, makes me an exceptional specialist in my field and qualitatively affects the payment of my time. Thanks to my skills, I can significantly improve the performance of models, which, in fact, is what I do, consulting studios throughout Russia.
On the Internet, webcams are presented as a simple job for anyone, but this is not so. The way to make money is really easier and more affordable, especially for girls with no work experience. However, it is important to understand that this is an adult and that this requires emotional and physical resources, as well as careful work on oneself. In general, I don't like the romanticization of any profession. Any deliberate exaggeration of the positive aspects over the negative ones in the work in the first place increases the risk of disappointment and devalues, in the eyes of the layman, the work of the person who does this.
The webcam has its disadvantages: prejudiced attitude of society, difficulties of legal registration, some studio owners with principles from the 90s, whose tools are blackmail, intimidation, threats and non-payment of fees, as well as the lack of proper sex education and psychological education among people working in this sphere.
I truly believe that open dialogue with the public will reduce the already huge stigmatization of webcam models. In people under 30, the attitude is definitely changing. Now young people live with the idea that everyone can do what he wants, if it does not harm others. It is harder for the older generation to adapt, but everything is real. Take my parents - they do not fully understand the essence of my work, but they are not as interested in delving into this as they are in the essence of the work of any other person. It is important that I do not deceive anyone or do something that will harm me or anyone else. I have the same attitude. For example, my relative is an engineer, but I have no idea what his job is and what he does. And this does not affect my attitude towards him. It's the same here.
I started talking openly about my work almost immediately to friends and close relatives, but I was afraid to endure it in public, because I wanted to connect my life with education, and webcams could cause colossal reputational damage to me and the institutions where I could work. At the beginning of my camera career, I was offered to record a video course on how to work as a model, but I refused because of shame and fear of being misunderstood and rejected by society. In addition to external circumstances, I have been working with a psychoanalyst for three years, during which time I almost completely got rid of the feeling of shame. In general, I believe that every person involved in this area needs a specialist of this kind: a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychoanalyst. Alone it is difficult to overcome not even the centuries-old foundations of society, but the idea of them. When you are confident in yourself, it doesn't matter to you anymore
This is my fourth business and my second successful one. The first two went bust, but that's okay. I first got into the webcam industry in 2014, worked a little as an admin and left for another business. A few years later, I was invited to the position of a management studio, and from this position I was able to assess the marginality of the business, on the one hand, and the disadvantages of my potential competitors, on the other. There is no attitude to studios as to any business: there is no legal aspect, salaries in envelopes that do not protect models from scammers, lack of ideas and positioning in the market, clear corporate policy, and a whole bunch of other things. I realized that this needs to be implemented in my business and thus be different from competitors. The money factor was decisive, but beyond that, I also felt that I could create a great product on the market.
I come from a poor family, I never had much choice - I always had to force myself to work. I took a bunch of consumer loans with huge interest to open the studio. I was afraid that I would not go, that I would not find models and other employees, I would not understand financial matters, I was afraid that I would die a beggar in a ditch. Fear and anger towards myself are the best motivators for me to plow.
It was difficult at first as I am a creepy empath. And every time I talked with site visitors about my models, I let all these emotions pass through myself, I was terribly worried about each,angry at men who, on the one hand, stigmatize women workers in the industry, and on the other hand, consume their services... Now there is no such feeling, primarily because I protect the mental health of my models. If I see that this work is not for them or it is to their detriment, I will never cooperate. To do this, we constantly take feedback from the models - both myself and my administrative staff.
During my work, stereotypes have gone that webcams are easy money, that all models have problems with the past, injuries, mental disorders, and that only stupid women go to modeling. Now I am very sorry that I thought so - there are absolutely different people in the industry, and I learn a lot from my team.
Anyone who says it's easy money just doesn't know what makes a model's job.
This is a huge physical labor: try dancing and moving in front of the camera for seven to eight hours under the hot spotlights. And the moral stress - the model communicates with thousands of people per day, and not all of them are adequate - there are enough idiots on the Internet whose hands are untied by anonymity. Add to this a lot of competition for the attention of the audience, the requirement to be always cheerful and groovy, the pressure of social pressure and the fear of deanon. I respect any kind of work and immensely respect my girls, who at the same time receive higher education or carry children without a husband who abandoned them, or elderly parents, or are trying to earn money for their apartment, business, and so on.
The financial path in a webcam looks like this: a person pays on the site, the site deducts his percentage, and the rest of the amount falls on the studio's account, part of it goes to the model and part to the studio, from which she pays the operating expenses. The remainder less this is net income. Everyone mistakenly believes that the studio is spent only on renting premises and paying for the work of a couple of employees, but this is not so. In my case, this is the salary fund of administrative personnel and companies with which we work on outsourcing (marketers, accounting and legal services), renting all premises, updating equipment and interiors, photosets for models, buying consumables, renting coffee machines, security and the Internet, corporate events , bonuses and gifts, team training. The net profit is around 25%.
To develop, the studio needs to be reinvested in the business, train employees, and constantly introduce new ideas. My studios have certain advantages in the market, so I do not worry about competitors: constant development, friendly atmosphere, support of all employees in all matters, even personal ones. My company operates legally, I pay taxes, but nevertheless I am thinking about transferring my business abroad - I do not believe that the legislation of our country will legalize this type of activity.
The industry does not stand still. Firstly, there are many more normal and adequate studios that do not throw models with salaries, do not blackmail, do not intimidate and do not keep their employees. It used to be a constant practice, this kind of business in the style of the 90s. Secondly, much more information about the webcam appears, part of the society has become more loyal to the industry - a few years ago it was impossible to organize a supportive community for industry workers, but now I have succeeded. I have a blog on Instagram and two closed channels on Telegram - one exclusively for models, where the girls just support each other. Recently, one of them was struggling with a terrible disease, and the girls supported her, people from different cities sent her money for treatment, whoever they could. The second is just for all workers in the industry.
There are many similar communities in the telegram, but I strictly moderate mine, and if someone starts to negative, offend the participants, I suppress, because I think the main problems are lack of support and toxic atmosphere... But not everything is so easy and simple, of course, I still see a lot of aggression towards the employees of the webcam business, which I consider to be the most unfair. I can get mad for my girls, sometimes I want a simple human to slap on those who are trying to offend them in some way. It would be great, firstly, to remove stigmatization, and secondly, to legalize the concept itself. Guys, the best thing you can do for the people in the industry is ********** [get behind] them.
How webcam studios work
In Russia, webcam studios are not so much hidden - of course, there are no “webcam studio” signs on their doors, but the very first query in a search engine will give the necessary addresses, phone numbers and contacts. Within the industry itself, it is widely believed that the capital of a webcam in Russia is St. Petersburg, there are about two hundred webcam agencies, there is no other city like that. As for their number throughout the country, no one has calculated the exact figure and does not know.Studios are now a full-fledged infrastructure. This is not only a model, but also an administrative staff: managers, operators (administrators), IT specialists, directors, photographers, stylists, HR managers, sometimes even accountants. The webcam business works around one personalized line of communication - between the model and the member (the client of the webcam platform. - Ed. ). And the rest of the studio staff helps them to make this connection happen, stay stable and involve money: the operator can chat for the model, the IT specialist supports the work of the equipment, the stylists think over the image.
Webcam studios can be both online and offline. In the second case, a residential apartment or room is rented, where employees come on schedule. Usually, several rooms are equipped for models, equipment for shooting, sex toys and hygiene products are provided. In offline studios, models work in shifts - 6–8 hours each, after which she is replaced by another. The main task of the model is to make sure that the member invites her to a private chat, where the tip is higher, since the model fulfills the desires of a particular person, and does not work for the public. Of all the donations earned by the model (members list them in tokens), part of it goes to the online platform, the rest is taken by the studio and pays the salary of the model, other employees, pays for the rent of premises, the purchase of equipment and other needs.
In online studios, everything is about the same, only all communication between employees takes place on the Internet. There is a third way, when the model works for herself: she registers on the webcam platform, the site takes a commission from the model's earnings, and transfers the rest to her. Usually a model in a studio gets half or less of everything that she actually earned, so some girls go for tricks - they stream on several sites at the same time, earn extra money as "recruiters" to find new models or operators.
How much money do they get and what are the statistics on the webcam
LiveJasmin, a webcam platform based in Luxembourg, is one of the 100 most popular sites in the world with 40 million daily visitors. There is not much open data on money. Lazlo Chero, founder of the platform and consultant for the Streamate website, reported that both platforms earned $ 5 billion in 2016. And Harry Warwijk, the creator of Cams, says his website has already earned $ 10 billion in revenue in 2020.With the earnings of models, it is becoming more and more foggy - it depends on how much time she spends on streaming, how she behaves and what she is ready for. Industry workers say that you can earn 30 thousand rubles per month, but you can earn 500 thousand. Some say the figure is one and a half million rubles. The studios themselves cannot promise anything concrete either. On one site, in the "Most Popular Questions" section, the answer about the salary is: "If we talk about the numbers per month, then with a standard 40-hour work week, the minimum that we saw is 20 thousand rubles, and the maximum is 650 thousand".
Webcam and the law
None of the codes of the Russian Federation mentions the term "webcam", which is why there are many difficulties with attracting studio staff under any article. This is the so-called gray zone - webcams are neither criminalized nor legalized. The "nearest" criminal article is Art. 242 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Illegal production and circulation of pornographic materials or objects"). But since webcams are not production, but online broadcasts, it is quite difficult to attract models or studio employees under such an article. Problems with the law can arise if minors work in the studio, but most places monitor this and do not hire people under the age of eighteen, requiring a copy of their passport upon registration.In March 2018 , Roskomnadzor added several popular webcam resources to the register of prohibited sites.
Security officials prefer not to touch webcam studios. However, in June 2019, a criminal case was opened against the owner of the studio in Volgograd under Article 242. A similar police raid took place in September 2020 in Cherepovets, but then about 50 searches were carried out in different studios, as a result of which 70 people were detained. Three of them were sent to a pre-trial detention center, suspected of illegally creating pornography and using a minor model. During searches in the studios, more than 18 million rubles and dollars, drugs, digital equipment and "intimate accessories" were seized, according to the report of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
The spring of 2021 was marked by more cases - in March, the Krasnoyarsk police detained six people in a webcam studio. All are suspected of committing a crime under Part 1, 2 of Art. 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Organization of a criminal community or participation in it"), and two alleged organizers of the studio from Moscow, who were also detained, were accused of illegal production and circulation of pornographic materials (according to paragraphs "a, b" part 3 of Art. 242 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ). In April, a new raid took place - SOBR officers conducted searches in five webcam studios in St. Petersburg and detained 11 people in them. According to the St. Petersburg IC, this is one large network that belongs to a 32-year-old resident of the Leningrad region. In total, about a hundred models and seven administrators worked in it, and earnings amounted to at least 202 million rubles. As a resulta criminal case was initiated on the illegal production and circulation of pornographic materials (under paragraphs "b, c", part 3 of article 242 of the Criminal Code).
Victoria
Former webcam modelI was 20 years old, I was in my third year and thought it was time to earn money myself. I worked as a waitress for a month, and it was a terrible first experience: I was promised that when I close the internship, pass the exam and make a book, I will be paid a salary. All month I worked 16 hours, with half days off, and I was not paid anything at all. At the end of the summer, I was walking with a friend, and she casually asked if I was looking for a job. I replied that I was looking, and a classic of the genre happened - she turned out to be the owner of a webcam studio. She immediately said: "Don't worry, there is no need to undress there." Although I understood perfectly well what I would have to do.
At the "interview" they tried to carefully show me sites with broadcasts so that I did not see anything superfluous - because if you go to the main page, you can immediately see that this is not erotica, but frank porn. I was assured that these are top models and I don't need to do this. I did not like this moment, I see no reason to mislead people.You can go to such a job only if you understand exactly what awaits you and why you need it...
I agreed, hoping that maybe the truth will be able to do everything modestly. Although deep down she understood what to expect, but it was hard to immediately rush to the embrasure. On the first day, no one really explained anything to me, they just said something like: "Here it will squeak, and here it will come." The first person who came across called me into a private chat. I immediately have round eyes and a misunderstanding of what is happening, I look at the administrator, and he says: "Yes, yes, yes, agree, take off your clothes!" I didn’t know how to refuse at all and didn’t understand what I want and what I don’t want. I felt scared and uncomfortable - they promised that there was no need to undress, but here I have to do it sharply right now. I was confused, afraid to let the studio down, refusing to undress. I didn't want to disappoint anyone.
It was very unpleasant for me, but I did not suffer for long, for a couple of days. At first I thought: "God, what a nightmare." And then somehow these thoughts left me, and I decided that I could endure. The fact that the owner of the studio wrote to me also played: "Wow, you are such a good fellow, one day - and you earned so much." But when you are a new model, the site itself helps you in promotion, in the first week or two there is a promotional period, you will really make good money with minimal effort. Everyone will come to your streams, and after the end of this period, if you don't hook anyone, you will have to start from scratch. Now I understand that the owner of the studio was just manipulating, trying to keep me.
Almost all studios lie to potential models at first.... I am sure that somewhere there are those who speak everything in plain text, but this is an exception to the rule. Because the point is to attract as many models as possible, because the studios make money on them. The owners can use a variety of words to describe what you need to do: blogging and live broadcasts on sports and beauty topics. During all this time, I have heard plenty of thousands of synonyms that do not reflect what is really happening at all.
It's terrible that girls are being deceived. I'm used to it, but there are those for whom it will be a tragedy, because they will be pressured to do something, and then they will pay off. For some it is like death - to realize that their "porno content" is flooded on the Internet, and forever.
I worked in two studios. Tales about the fact that you are not de-anonymized are obligatory everywhere. They say different things: that you can work without a face, that you will not work on Russian sites, that the administrator will clean and delete everything. But this is all to one place - Russian-speaking people use different sites, and everyone knows what a VPN is, and, naturally, no one cleans anything. There was one case when girls entered their nicknames into search engines and were horrified by what they saw - there were all their videos.
Models' video chats are recorded not only by the viewers, but also by the webcam platforms themselves. Then they appear on third-party resources. You can write in support of the site, say that it is you, and ask to delete it. They do delete, but the catch is that they only remove one. While you are writing, they will be transferred to another twenty thousand of the same sites.
Therefore, the answer to the question of novice models "How can I be sure of safety and that everything will be all right?" - no way. It won't be okay. I know sites after which you will find yourself on the board of honor on the very first day - for example, Chaturbate (entered by Roskomnadzor in the register of prohibited ones. - Ed. ). It is the most popular, and there is an automatic recording of all the video chats of the models. A friend worked for me there, and during the year everything was the same every day. This is not controlled in any way, you just need to take it for granted. Apparently, they somehow make money on this. Another interesting point - if you demand to remove something, you can write a complaint only for one photo or one video. And if there are 15 thousand of them? When I stopped working, I looked at the number of screenshots and videos with me and thought: "And what should I write about 23 thousand on a complaint?"If you wish, you can find everything you need for any model, even if it has not worked for several years...
Webcams are a bad start for work, because our society is not ready to take it normally. We are all people, we all have emotions, and it will be unpleasant for everyone when they point fingers at you and hound you. I myself left the industry because I was very tired of deceiving my relatives, parents, and I was tired of the lifestyle in which I had to dodge and invent something. Although my mother found out almost immediately and asked to leave, I had to lie that I would not work, but at the same time continued.
It seems to me that not everyone understands the options for development in this area. In my opinion, in order to really earn a lot - and that's exactly what everyone wants - there are few prospects in a webcam: either go to porn or go to an escort. You can, of course, stay in the webcam, but it's not that much money. It's hard to work in that mode in order to earn really a lot. As I noticed, all popular Russian-speaking models either make long creative streams, such as cosplay, or go to porn. Streams further fade into the background, and the main income is photo and video content - Onlyfans, Patreon, and so on.
I earned 30-40 thousand and gave half of it to the studio. Payments were made twice a month to the card, and those who received more than 50 thousand were given money only in envelopes. In my experience of working in two studios, there was only one person earning 100-200 thousand. And that was a boy, because there is less competition there. At the same time, everyone goes to webcams for money.
You are ready to accept all the disadvantages, a blow to your reputation, the need to lie and hide simply because your salary will be higher than the average for the region.
I still think about returning, because I don't know how to work in a standard job and combine it with my hobbies and life.
Viewers of webcam broadcasts are single men who cannot fulfill their desires or cannot find a common language with the outside world, and it is easier for them to communicate with a beautiful picture that will depict that she is madly interested in him. Everything is discussed with the member on the shore: what you agree to do and what not - because he also does not want to pay for the fact that you don’t do something. There are ordinary people with whom you can negotiate. Of course, there are inadequacies, but you simply refuse them or ban them - I have had this, mainly on Russian sites.
In a webcam, the specifics of the work are rather difficult. If you regularly stream, then, most likely, libido will drop, and this will affect your personal life. Many of my acquaintances complained that after work they no longer want sex, because everything had already happened several times during the day. Plus, physically, health can suffer - the body is simply not designed for such a number of intercourse and orgasms per day. Someone may even have sprains, wounds, injuries. It's too often, too much, and too intense. Much still depends on the person himself and his character. If someone wants to torture themselves with hours of broadcasts in order to earn more, this is a question for the person, not for the industry. It's the same with substance use - I've come across such patterns, but so have those who haven't taken anything. I think if a person goes for it, he already has some inclination. No amount of money costs a healthy psyche. Moreover, this is not the last work in the world.
Kate
Operator and coach of webcam studios.To be a model, I personally need inspiration, as well as time, strong physical and mental health. I repeatedly took breaks from working as a model because there were not enough resources. Basically, I worked in parallel with my studies at the university and until I began to speak openly about my work, fear and shame were very pressing, and it was hard to concentrate. Also, since this activity is not legally regulated, an unscrupulous employer has certain leverage: they may not pay the fee, record a video and merge it into public space, blackmail. It was precisely because of the fear that I would not be paid again, as it happened at the start, that it was difficult for me to concentrate on modeling. But I had to be realized, and I started helping other girls - this is how my career as an operator began.
The operator is the mentor of the novice model, who helps her find her image, get comfortable and make her streams as productive and effective as possible. In essence, an operator is a manager whose product is model time. From this follows an approximate list of personal qualities, skills and abilities that a webcam operator should have: curiosity, emancipation, communication, creativity, ingenuity and ingenuity, general erudition. Knowledge of at least one foreign language, the ability to solve technical problems, knowledge in the field of psychology, the ability to motivate, knowledge of management, the basics of sales and marketing are important.
The operator's working day is about the same every time: come, check if everything is in place, get acquainted with a new model, take time to communicate with her, introduce the essence of the profession, identify its personal boundaries, clarify its attitude to confidentiality issues. Next, we get acquainted with the sites on which the broadcast takes place, show the interface, and in parallel fill in the profile description. We connected, chose the angle, light, smile, work. During the broadcast, I communicate in writing for her, if she does not speak English, I ask if everything is comfortable, explain the nuances, answer questions. After the shift, I find out if I am willing to work further and give recommendations for the next time. This is how a shift usually lasts 6-8 hours.
The webcam market is huge and I want to be competitive. The fact that I have a higher education, speak several foreign languages, worked in direct sales, and also successfully develop my marketing, management skills, study trends and tendencies, makes me an exceptional specialist in my field and qualitatively affects the payment of my time. Thanks to my skills, I can significantly improve the performance of models, which, in fact, is what I do, consulting studios throughout Russia.
On the Internet, webcams are presented as a simple job for anyone, but this is not so. The way to make money is really easier and more affordable, especially for girls with no work experience. However, it is important to understand that this is an adult and that this requires emotional and physical resources, as well as careful work on oneself. In general, I don't like the romanticization of any profession. Any deliberate exaggeration of the positive aspects over the negative ones in the work in the first place increases the risk of disappointment and devalues, in the eyes of the layman, the work of the person who does this.
The webcam has its disadvantages: prejudiced attitude of society, difficulties of legal registration, some studio owners with principles from the 90s, whose tools are blackmail, intimidation, threats and non-payment of fees, as well as the lack of proper sex education and psychological education among people working in this sphere.
I truly believe that open dialogue with the public will reduce the already huge stigmatization of webcam models. In people under 30, the attitude is definitely changing. Now young people live with the idea that everyone can do what he wants, if it does not harm others. It is harder for the older generation to adapt, but everything is real. Take my parents - they do not fully understand the essence of my work, but they are not as interested in delving into this as they are in the essence of the work of any other person. It is important that I do not deceive anyone or do something that will harm me or anyone else. I have the same attitude. For example, my relative is an engineer, but I have no idea what his job is and what he does. And this does not affect my attitude towards him. It's the same here.
I started talking openly about my work almost immediately to friends and close relatives, but I was afraid to endure it in public, because I wanted to connect my life with education, and webcams could cause colossal reputational damage to me and the institutions where I could work. At the beginning of my camera career, I was offered to record a video course on how to work as a model, but I refused because of shame and fear of being misunderstood and rejected by society. In addition to external circumstances, I have been working with a psychoanalyst for three years, during which time I almost completely got rid of the feeling of shame. In general, I believe that every person involved in this area needs a specialist of this kind: a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychoanalyst. Alone it is difficult to overcome not even the centuries-old foundations of society, but the idea of them. When you are confident in yourself, it doesn't matter to you anymore
Anastasia (name has been changed)
Webcam studio owner.This is my fourth business and my second successful one. The first two went bust, but that's okay. I first got into the webcam industry in 2014, worked a little as an admin and left for another business. A few years later, I was invited to the position of a management studio, and from this position I was able to assess the marginality of the business, on the one hand, and the disadvantages of my potential competitors, on the other. There is no attitude to studios as to any business: there is no legal aspect, salaries in envelopes that do not protect models from scammers, lack of ideas and positioning in the market, clear corporate policy, and a whole bunch of other things. I realized that this needs to be implemented in my business and thus be different from competitors. The money factor was decisive, but beyond that, I also felt that I could create a great product on the market.
I come from a poor family, I never had much choice - I always had to force myself to work. I took a bunch of consumer loans with huge interest to open the studio. I was afraid that I would not go, that I would not find models and other employees, I would not understand financial matters, I was afraid that I would die a beggar in a ditch. Fear and anger towards myself are the best motivators for me to plow.
It was difficult at first as I am a creepy empath. And every time I talked with site visitors about my models, I let all these emotions pass through myself, I was terribly worried about each,angry at men who, on the one hand, stigmatize women workers in the industry, and on the other hand, consume their services... Now there is no such feeling, primarily because I protect the mental health of my models. If I see that this work is not for them or it is to their detriment, I will never cooperate. To do this, we constantly take feedback from the models - both myself and my administrative staff.
During my work, stereotypes have gone that webcams are easy money, that all models have problems with the past, injuries, mental disorders, and that only stupid women go to modeling. Now I am very sorry that I thought so - there are absolutely different people in the industry, and I learn a lot from my team.
Anyone who says it's easy money just doesn't know what makes a model's job.
This is a huge physical labor: try dancing and moving in front of the camera for seven to eight hours under the hot spotlights. And the moral stress - the model communicates with thousands of people per day, and not all of them are adequate - there are enough idiots on the Internet whose hands are untied by anonymity. Add to this a lot of competition for the attention of the audience, the requirement to be always cheerful and groovy, the pressure of social pressure and the fear of deanon. I respect any kind of work and immensely respect my girls, who at the same time receive higher education or carry children without a husband who abandoned them, or elderly parents, or are trying to earn money for their apartment, business, and so on.
The financial path in a webcam looks like this: a person pays on the site, the site deducts his percentage, and the rest of the amount falls on the studio's account, part of it goes to the model and part to the studio, from which she pays the operating expenses. The remainder less this is net income. Everyone mistakenly believes that the studio is spent only on renting premises and paying for the work of a couple of employees, but this is not so. In my case, this is the salary fund of administrative personnel and companies with which we work on outsourcing (marketers, accounting and legal services), renting all premises, updating equipment and interiors, photosets for models, buying consumables, renting coffee machines, security and the Internet, corporate events , bonuses and gifts, team training. The net profit is around 25%.
To develop, the studio needs to be reinvested in the business, train employees, and constantly introduce new ideas. My studios have certain advantages in the market, so I do not worry about competitors: constant development, friendly atmosphere, support of all employees in all matters, even personal ones. My company operates legally, I pay taxes, but nevertheless I am thinking about transferring my business abroad - I do not believe that the legislation of our country will legalize this type of activity.
The industry does not stand still. Firstly, there are many more normal and adequate studios that do not throw models with salaries, do not blackmail, do not intimidate and do not keep their employees. It used to be a constant practice, this kind of business in the style of the 90s. Secondly, much more information about the webcam appears, part of the society has become more loyal to the industry - a few years ago it was impossible to organize a supportive community for industry workers, but now I have succeeded. I have a blog on Instagram and two closed channels on Telegram - one exclusively for models, where the girls just support each other. Recently, one of them was struggling with a terrible disease, and the girls supported her, people from different cities sent her money for treatment, whoever they could. The second is just for all workers in the industry.
There are many similar communities in the telegram, but I strictly moderate mine, and if someone starts to negative, offend the participants, I suppress, because I think the main problems are lack of support and toxic atmosphere... But not everything is so easy and simple, of course, I still see a lot of aggression towards the employees of the webcam business, which I consider to be the most unfair. I can get mad for my girls, sometimes I want a simple human to slap on those who are trying to offend them in some way. It would be great, firstly, to remove stigmatization, and secondly, to legalize the concept itself. Guys, the best thing you can do for the people in the industry is ********** [get behind] them.
