The second most famous "gold rush" in American history occurred sometime after the shine of the go-go '80s faded and the economic boom of the '90s took shape. But where the fortune was once gold, now it was the virginal splendor of the Internet that lured adventurous creative and business types and wagons full of venture capitalists into the fray, hoping to find their treasure (and priceless stock options).
With the birth of a new, connected world, those in the sex business began to find their way amidst the wide-open Internet space. The stampede was on.
Mike Rick was there.
Before crossing the Atlantic to become a magazine publisher in England, Rick was heading up Mike Rick Agency International (MRA Int.). There, he represented a host of women that he booked out on shoots for magazines like Hustler and Penthouse. He bought product from the photographers, and even brought many of them into MRA. Soon, he was shoring up "planetary rights" to vast amounts of photographs. And just like that, he had content.
He may not have known it at the time, but all that material seemingly just taking up storage space would later find its way onto the Internet, some of it winding up in magazines that Rick launched, most notably Flesh Canvas, a tattoo publication.
But the magazine game was hit-and-miss, and soon Rick was ready for a new adventure. With a passion to work with his brother Chris, Rick decided that with his creativity and his brother's technical background, the two could make a serious run at putting together an Internet business. "I had the photos, he had the knowledge... we would be partners," says Rick.
The first plan was to create a Website version of the Flesh Canvas magazine in order to sell subscriptions and advertisements. The site did not play, but an ad for Kinky Boots that catered to the fetish community was a hit. Rick knew that people would spend money. It was only a matter of finding the right bait for the hook.
Up next was Bizarre Pics, a collection of otherwise strange photos for purchase. After six months and no real financial success, Rick decided a better strategy would be to sell service and support, plus the photos, to those who had mined success on the Internet.
"I wrote to some people and they politely said, 'Fuck you. We don't need your stupid photographs... we can steal them out of newsgroups or scan them out of magazines.'"
But by utilizing resource sites that were springing up on the Web, Rick says, companies soon began to work with him and his brother. "The month before I made my first real money in this business, I took in $500," he says. "The next month we took in $60,000 in photo sales."
That was 1996. Cyber-Synergism (www.cybersynergism.com) was born.
At the time, the Internet was being overrun with start-ups and entrepreneurs looking to cash in. All the while, Rick says, he was preparing for the first big fallout, already sketching out his next move. "I wanted to be at the perfect price with the biggest content package, so when you are going broke... I wanna be the last one you disconnect."
For Rick, a casual soul with a sharp business sense and sun-kissed, beach boy looks, it was time to re-do the product and add all new interfaces. He would offer his new design as a complete package for Webmasters.
Just as he knew that one day the photo CD business would die (he recalls a time when a photo would go for $6 and now 10 cents buys thousands), Rick felt that content could also be in for big problems. However, the concept of "live" was on its way as The Next Big Thing, and Rick was ready to meet the challenge.
Enter KSEX Radio.
Now Rick had the platform to build an arsenal of live content. Where it was once a deal between Rick and the pre-existing station based in San Diego, Calif., he eventually took sole ownership of KSEX. "We originally made a deal that I would run the streams for KSEX and create a Website... and then we would have a partnership," says Rick.
Eight months into the new deal, the owners became disillusioned and Rick formally took control. He brought along an old friend nicknamed "Wankus" to host a show and serve as program director. It was a good move. Wankus has been a star on the rise ever since, and KSEX, an Internet portal for provocative talk, wild contests, entertaining radio personalities, and a variety of sexy content options, has become a smash success.
Rick, who also hosts a show called The KSEXperts, was well aware of the pot of gold he'd stumbled upon. "The benefits from KSEX are that it raised our profile, it helped us to network and get things done, and it created a lot of distribution options."
On the success of the KSEX, Rick adds, "We have several offers to be bought out."
But Rick isn't quite ready to part ways with the Captain's Chair just yet. Besides, he's still excited about the next wave of Internet action. "We're going ballistic buying new content," Rick says without hesitation, adding that Cyber-Synergism is "the longest standing content company on the Internet." A quick, "... that I know of," follows, but the fact remains that Rick, along with his brother, has seen the adult business on the Internet grow exponentially over the years, creating success, enduring dark days, and setting the bar very high.
Still, Rick manages to find the simplicity within all the madness. "Our main thrust is supplying interesting, unique content to Websites," he says. "We think the future is out-producing other people in the sense of interesting content, humor, eroticism, and live, which is where it's at."
That innate drive is what has made Mike Rick a pioneer of the business. "I work under panic," he says. "I'm always thinking the world is flat and we're all gonna fall off it. It's always thinking of the next thing."
Rick has not lost sight of his number one ally: The Webmaster. "My meal comes from the Webmaster," he says. "They are the beginning and end of everything."
He continues, "Everything else we do is our fantasy fling in the other world. We are a B2B player. 99.9 percent of my money comes from the Webmaster."
Through it all, Rick has managed to enjoy life and the industry he has helped construct. Even the often-confusing company name begets a chuckle. "Our name is so hard to spell that people, to this day, still say that if it weren't for our coffee mugs, they would have never found us on the Web," says Rick, recalling the porcelain mugs they used to give out on business trips and at events.
Asked about his jet-setting past, Rick nonchalantly replies, "Name a country... I've sold dirty pictures there."
The second most famous gold rush in American history continues for many and has long ago ended for others.
Mike Rick is still here.
