Atlas Multimedia of Tarzana, California capitalizes on the world wide demand for adult content and the taste for celebrity by building and maintaining Websites for porn stars. From Stacy Valentine and Racquel Darrien to Jasmin St. Claire and Nici Sterling, more and more adult stars are teaming up with Atlas to promote themselves on the Web. Because Atlas is located in the San Fernando Valley, this puts them in the perfect position to work with the adult video industry.
The company opened its doors in 1996, building custom Websites for investors, then turning over the finished product for others to maintain. It soon became apparent that the real money was not in the creation of a site, but in its day to day operation, and Atlas began approaching porn stars, offering to both build and maintain their official Websites. "The traffic is incredible plus our years of marketing experience put us in a good position for garnering that traffic," said Keith Condon, Vice President of Marketing for Atlas.
There are partnership programs available for the Websites Atlas operates (check out www.porncash.com for more information), and Condon says the majority of the girls get bigger checks than the video companies cut for them. "Up to four times as much," he confides. Condon says that the income is often so good that some of the girls talk about quitting video. "I tell them 'You've got to remember where you came from. You have to continue doing the videos. That's what jump-started your Net career.'"
For their piece of the Internet pie, the women can't expect to just ride the wave of their fame and let the Atlas cronies do all the work. The sites have good retention rates, especially when the girls take care of them. Condon counsels the ladies to take an active role in maintaining their sites, including putting pictures up from vacations, keeping up with their diaries, and of course, posting fresh and exciting pictures of themselves doing what they do best. Condon also recommends giving the sites a personal touch for the end user. For example, active members can E-mail Atlas and receive a personal reply. "For the most part the letters are legitimate," notes Condon. "Certainly there will be at least one B.S. E-mail in the bunch, but that's why God invented the delete button."
Condon says he loves working in the adult Internet industry and has no desire to go back to the mainstream. Ironically, Atlas has been talking to NBA-star-turned-pro wrestler Dennis Rodman about the possibility of designing and running his official Website. "This is about as mainstream as we'll get," Condon says.
Atlas' next big project is LivePorn.com, which is entirely what it sounds like: Porn movies will be shot at their Tarzana studio and surfers will be able to watch the whole steamy process, including behind-the-scenes goings-on. "Many guys want to know what it's like on a porn set when the camera's not on, like watching the girls goof around," Condon says. The site will also host a chat moderated by an official "ChatSlut," who Condon expects to be an up and coming porn star. And remember the infamous, bleached-blond bicyclist Puck, who got the boot from MTV's The Real World a few seasons back? Atlas has made him part of the LivePorn.com crew, and he will make special guest appearances during the behind-the-scenes action. Condon hopes to have the LivePorn.com site up and running by the end of September.
