“What’s to come?” as it relates to the adult industry, I think, has a lot to do with perspective. Still, I think I can generalize that there are tremendous things “to come” (you have to laugh at that term!) in all the sectors that we at Club Jenna and many others in this business have our hands in: video production, Internet, wireless, broadcast, merchandise, and marketing.
Sharp angle
From a production standpoint, I think there will be a continued rise in the standards for the medium in which we currently shoot. With the increase of consumer-based HD cameras on the market and HD expansion into the post-production areas, I feel that the HD revolution is upon us.
Our industry has always been the test market for formats and production technology. We shoot an extreme amount of content and are always in search of the “next big thing”. Club Jenna has not yet switched to HD because we feel that the first wave of cameras aren’t up to the standards we have for the presentation of our product. The new mini Sony cameras fall short of true HD, but for the money they’re a nice piece of equipment. The real HD cameras come with a hefty price tag and are a bit too big to be conducive to shooting sex scenes. The big HD cameras are great because you can get the high-resolution output and still achieve some of the softness and look of film. The output from the little Sony cameras is extremely sharp. However, the sharpness of HD is great for sports, but I don’t know if I or anyone else want to see everything in adult that sharp!
As the second wave of cameras comes out and the quality improves, I think the industry will fully support the format and once again take the quality of our product to the next level. In the near future, the broadcast channels will start to demand an HD product, so we might as well start preparing.
Porn star golden age
I think the current shift for a lot of companies is the use of contract stars to assist sales of their product. I can’t stress enough how important I feel it is to build a brand through the use of stars. We currently have six contract stars – Jenna Jameson, Krystal Steal, McKenzie Lee, Ashton Moore, Jesse Capelli, and Sophia Rossi – and are very happy with the incredible enthusiasm all of our girls project into their movies. I think a lot of girls come into this industry hoping to be the next “Jenna.” The contract star scenario provides the vehicle that can help them get there.
Casting the Net
The Internet is an ever-changing animal when it comes to technology and what the consumer wants now. We all know content is King when it comes to your Internet site. As broadband takes over and dial up remains only in small parts of India and Alabama, I feel video has become the King yet stills get pushed to the side as ancillary content. For the past year, most of the major sites have started shooting proprietary video content foreseeing the demand from the consumer.
As a result you will see better streaming technology and a shift toward the use of DRM-type encoding. Reality sites are still very big on the Net, mainly because I think they provide new, fresh product for consumers. Video companies should be conscious of the promotional possibilities of catering to consumer demands for new Internet content and shoot video specifically for the Web. At Club Jenna, we shoot a scene a week and make them available exclusively on our websites.
Three’s a crowd
When it comes to billing, I believe the shift is going to be away from third-party style, and the larger companies are going back into having their own merchant accounts.
The wireless frontier
Wireless is pretty much the new frontier for our industry. The adult proliferation into the wireless marketplace is growing at a tremendous pace. Who would have thought someone would want to download adult content on a cell phone? A lot of forward-thinking entrepreneurs, that’s who. Club Jenna established its wireless division just over two years ago, and we have seen incredible results in the European market place. The U.S. market is slowly developing as carriers establish age-verification procedures into their systems and should be fully functional and ready to accept content in the next 12 to 18 months. As wireless technology really starts to take off, it stands to reason that the fastest gains in software development and applications will be in this arena.
Currently, the transfer limitations are the biggest factors for your content, but as cell streaming improves, you will see adult-based channels across most all of the carriers. The carriers will only want to work with a limited number of companies; therefore, you will have a limited amount of aggregators for adult content to choose from (hint, hint: Club Jenna). When it comes to wireless, the brand name is the key to generating revenue. Consumers will be more likely to download something they already trust and are familiar with.
Broadcast news
Broadcast is really an area with great change ahead. In my opinion, the shift will be toward the PPV and VoD models, thus creating bigger revenues for the companies that offer those products in the marketplace. The standard cable and satellite channels will start to evolve into a la carte-style systems, really tailoring themselves to the needs and desires of the consumer. You will see new systems like the Microsoft Digital Media Center take hold and redefine broadcast as we currently know it.
Jenna Jameson dolls: perfect for holiday giving
Merchandising is a wave only a few adult companies have harnessed. It is a great revenue generator and an unsaturated area. Obviously, it is important that you have a demand and a market for your product, but when you find your niche, exploit it. We produce and/or outsource pretty much everything you can imagine, from bed sheets, clothing, erectile enhancers (J22), bobble heads, calendars, posters, playing cards, snowboards, action figures, body jewelry, antenna figures, skins for your iPod, plug-and-play gaming systems, games, adult toys, a guitar line with Fender, and we have more amazing things coming in the near future.
Vivid is another company that really takes advantage of this market. One of my favorites from them is their new line of wheels, very cool! Mainstreaming your adult company and product does nothing but help the industry from an acceptability standpoint as well as add to your bottom line.
One of the biggest changes I see coming will be how the mainstream accepts the adult model of correctly marketing the product and our industry.
Exploitation nation
Marketing is an essential component to the popularity of your product and the success of your company. Everyone has a different philosophy and way to market his or her individual companies. For Club Jenna, we try to focus on a mainstream market for optimal brand awareness and acceptance. We feel it’s important to be involved in the mainstream and work along with the press and media in a cosseted manner.
Partnering with a PR company that shares your ideas and goals is essential to the success of your particular strategy. Sit down and plan out where you want to be and what direction you want to take to get there. Be active and involved, and the information you glean from that will help you groom your product to further appeal to your target audience.
The way I see it, this industry as a whole has so much “to come” on every level. As long as we actively protect and control our product, thus preserving the longevity of the industry, we’ll have a great future. Be smart about what you shoot and look at every possible revenue stream for your product and use it.
Jay Grdina is rumored to be married to Jenna Jameson - and loving it.
