What do you enjoy most about this business?

a1r3k · 07-21-2006, 11:22 AM

hey chris thanks for sending me the link.

i like most the people in the business. yeah, you have you garden variety drama, and what not, but for the most part the people in this business are the reason. i love going to networking events and hanging out with the people that i make money with.

the other part is the ability to learn what you need as you need. like a self taught student. everything i've learned online 90% of it i learned on my own. i think that is the reason why this business is so unique is that you have 1000's of different people contributing to one pot and each of them has their own perspective on what is what, and what sells, and what is the in thing, etc etc.

being in charge of my own life is another. theres alot more flexibility with your personal time and what not being in online.

Ronaldo · 07-21-2006, 11:44 AM

The good-The people; the money

The bad-The seemingly unending drama; the ease with which new people can enter the industry and take a piece of the pie without having to front any capital at all...and their refusal to do so.

The ugly-Evil Chris, and Evil Chris alone

luv$ · 07-21-2006, 12:15 PM

Chris, excellent thread idea. Great place to put my first post too

What I love about this industry (and mentioned before) is seeing what you create or follow through on come together AND work. As we all know it's rare, and 1 out of 15 ideas/projects pan out but man it is sweet when it does. I have also found great pleasures in the shows, and making friends with people from all over the world. Seeing people you do business with in person and sharing a drink is a GREAT experience, plus the new and varying cities are neat to see and experience.

What I don't like though is some of the childishness that goes on. For some reason (we won't go into, I have my theories here) adult tends to act more like high school, which can be fun; but then you have a bunch of 25-40 year olds running around acting unprofessional when it's important to be professional.

More than that though is a blatant disregard of the fact that we ARE being watched. There was a big hubaloo on the other board yesterday with pics of someone doing something illegal at one of the shows - listen, if you're going to do that sort of stuff, more power to you, have fun and don't hurt nobody - but for god's sake, keep it on the DL. What we DON'T need is more heat. So, in short, I don't like how self-destructive our industry can be.

One last thing! I also don't like how HOT toons can be, and I curse the fact that the XNations girl up top isn't real. Damn you Xnations, DAMN YOU!

DonMike · 07-21-2006, 12:44 PM

I've been in this industry for five years now, and even though I've had the opportunity to leave it, I simply won't. I really love working in adult. The main thing is the people. I have met some of the most amazing people in this industry, and my work friends are people I consider friends in real life and I don't think that happens when you work in other industries. The trade shows are more like family reunions. I always brag to my friends about the last trade show I went to, how the first thing on the itinerary for the day would be the bloody mary bar. They are all so jealous. I'm not a heavy partier, but the fact that when we all get together we are able to mix business with pleasure and get a good amount of both, makes this the industry for me.

The drawback to the industy is that there is still a lot of homophobia. Take a few certain message boards and do a search for the words "fag" or "homo" and you'll see all kinds of negative, really insulting rhetoric. And I've been at parties after the booze has been flowing and people are pretty well lit and they don't think about what they are saying and heard all kinds of nasty homophobic comments. But I really think that since we work in such a sexually charged atmosphere the people who aren't used to being around gay men are suddenly forced to see images of gay sex, which you can't really help, and it makes it harder to relate to the gay men who are working the business side of it. So a guy who's never really had gay friends or been around many gay people are suddenly forced to see banners and tours of gay sites, and then when they meet a gay man they can't help but get that image in their minds and it's hard for them to deal with. Not saying that this is an excuse to be mean and hurtful, but it does explain a few things. How do we remedy this? I don't know. But it would be nice if everyone in the industry could get along the way that I get along with the scores of industry folk that I feel so privileged to call my friends.

Ronaldo · 07-21-2006, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonMike

The drawback to the industy is that there is still a lot of homophobia. Take a few certain message boards and do a search for the words "fag" or "homo" and you'll see all kinds of negative, really insulting rhetoric. And I've been at parties after the booze has been flowing and people are pretty well lit and they don't think about what they are saying and heard all kinds of nasty homophobic comments. But I really think that since we work in such a sexually charged atmosphere the people who aren't used to being around gay men are suddenly forced to see images of gay sex, which you can't really help, and it makes it harder to relate to the gay men who are working the business side of it. So a guy who's never really had gay friends or been around many gay people are suddenly forced to see banners and tours of gay sites, and then when they meet a gay man they can't help but get that image in their minds and it's hard for them to deal with. Not saying that this is an excuse to be mean and hurtful, but it does explain a few things. How do we remedy this? I don't know. But it would be nice if everyone in the industry could get along the way that I get along with the scores of industry folk that I feel so privileged to call my friends.

Our industry is a reflection of society Don and until society changes it's views, it isn't going to get much better.

I actually take the opposite view of what you think though. BECAUSE we work in a sexually charged industry, I would have thought that most people would realize that someone's choice of a partner, is just that...their choice. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

You're always going to have people use terms like fag and homo, and sometimes I don't even think they truly mean it in a derogatory way. They're just words to some people. Not understanding what they mean to a gay person, is an entirely different matter.

DonMike · 07-21-2006, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronaldo

Our industry is a reflection of society Don and until society changes it's views, it isn't going to get much better.

I actually take the opposite view of what you think though. BECAUSE we work in a sexually charged industry, I would have thought that most people would realize that someone's choice of a partner, is just that...their choice. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

You're always going to have people use terms like fag and homo, and sometimes I don't even think they truly mean it in a derogatory way. They're just words to some people. Not understanding what they mean to a gay person, is an entirely different matter.

Good post, Ron. Actually society is getting better. A little at a time. Ten years ago we could never have had a TV channel like Logo or shows like Queer Eye and Will & Grace. But you know, the people in the industry I've met with an open mind are really open minded. When Madame brings out her wooden spoons or Dark Lady talks about goth/fetish things or I joke around about my own bizzarre interests, people aren't put off by it. Even if it's so far out of thier own interests, they are always really open and inviting. So you are right that the sexually charged atmosphere we work in does have a positive effect on people as well. If you work in a bank and you find out your co-worker is into bdsm, it's could be a huge shock and maybe really cause some discomfort. But when you find out one of your colleagues in our industry is into bdsm you say, "Oh, I promote some of those sites", or "You mean like Madame's blog? Cool." It really is an amazing industry we work in. And because of that the negative aspects don't seem so bad. They end up being like a mosquito at a picnic. You wish you didn't have to deal with it, but overall they are something you can deal with and still really enjoy yourself.

NaughtyAce · 07-21-2006, 01:57 PM

I like to start with the dislikes as there are very few for me in this industry. I've been doing this for 6 years now and I can honestly say that their are very few things I dislike. The only things I dislike in the industry are the get rich quick attitudes, there is a larger percentage of people in this industry out for the quickbuck than there is those looking to create a long lasting enterprise. The Second is those few people that are either errogant or pompus or are socially inept. Luckily those people are far an few between in this industry.

The things I like about the industry is how quickly it grows and how dynamic you can be as a person and as a company. The people are the most amazing people I've met, from young to old, from males and females, they are all so kind hearted and most of them are such driven individuals that like me, like to relax and have a good time. Another great part about this industry is you can be your own entity, your own marketing tool, your own business, and in some cases your own content .....

I've been here for a long time by my standards and probably by many other peoples standards, and I don't plan on going anywhere. I'll continue to grow with this industry and add on to the long lasting friendships I've made.