Video Secrets' Chuck Tsiamis drops by the posh Executive Suite offices to chat about content, accountability and what business advice can be gleaned from the classic story about the tortoise and the hare.
Tripp Daniels: Regarding live video chats such as Flirt 4 Free, where do you see the medium headed in the future?
Chuck Tsiamis: Everyone knows that convergence is the next plateau for all of us in this space. We are poised for when the average home will have as many broadband-enabled computers (or whatever the hardware mechanism will be) as telephones or TVs… Access to our services will increase exponentially.
TD: You have a wealth of content on the site. Is more niche-specific content the wave of the future, specifically tailoring content to webmasters and surfers?
CT: The distinguishing aspect our content that we have amassed throughout the years is its exclusivity. We have thousands of hours of exclusive, archived shows and photos that you can't get anywhere else. The content, simply by the nature of the live chat experience, is niche-oriented. There are customers whose requests cover a wide spectrum of tastes.
We have many unique performances that are captured for posterity. The hetero, gay, BDSM and trans-gendered genres are well represented by both every day amateurs and professional adult movie stars. Flirt4Free.com and F4FVIP.com literally have something for everyone.
TD: What stands out as one of the biggest changes you've witnessed in the adult online industry since VS opened its doors for business?
CT: Accountability. When we began in early 1996, the industry was flooded with con artists, get-rich-quick schemers and thieves in general. Over the years, most reputable companies have realized that longevity means you must be ethical. You must foster mutually equitable and beneficial business relationships with your affiliates, your processors and your consumers.
TD: Is there a technology or web-based solution you're hopeful will hit the market eventually? Obviously something that would benefit the work and ideas generated at Video Secrets.
CT: Anything and everything that allows people to access and purchase live, interactive video chat shows from their homes, offices, public places, phones, WAPs, etc.. etc..
TD: What's the best/worst advice you've ever gotten?
CT: The best business advice was, "Surround yourself with people who are the best for the positions which you are not adept."
There were 2 worst business advices: "Move offshore so you don't have to pay taxes in America." The second was: "It would be cheaper, in the long run, to just pay us a royalty rather than fight this patent in court." The worst advices I didn't even consider but I am glad I remembered for moments like these. J
TD: Is there a CEO at a mainstream, or adult, company that you admire for their business insight or what they have achieved?
CT: The mainstream CEO I admire is Bob Kraft of the New England Patriots. Aside from being an amazing person, he took the NFL's perennial doormat team and assembled an organization full of great people from the top down who put the team/company first. His Patriots have now won 3 of the 4 last Super Bowls. He has dramatically increased the team's brand name exposure worldwide. I recently saw people in the Slovak Republic wearing Patriots gear this past month. They don't even play American Football there.
The adult Industry CEO I admire is Steven Hirsch of Vivid Entertainment. He is the master of cross marketing and licensing. He has been very successful in bridging the gap to the mainstream audience by co-branding the Vivid label with key, strategic allies to broaden the company's visibility. It's brilliant in its simplicity and effectiveness.
TD: Looking back to when you started in this business, is there anything you would have done differently?
CT: No. Hindsight is 20/20 but as the saying goes, "everything happens for a reason." We are still here and growing at a very healthy rate because of the mistakes from which we've learned, the opportunities we've seized and time and commitment we've put into nurturing this company. My partner, Greg [Clayman], and I have dedicated our selves and sacrificed a lot for the good of this company over the past decade. A little luck never hurt too but it's pretty clear that the harder a person works, the luckier he or she tends to be.
TD: Have any words of wisdom for future business leaders out there?
CT: I think this applies to both mainstream and adult business leader: Focus. Focus on one thing and do it better than anyone else. No matter what avenue of business you are involved in, make sure you are doing it with single-minded determination and passion. If you believe in and love what you are doing, success is a bi-product of your efforts. Also, slow and steady wins the race (see fable of the tortoise and the hare).
TD: Where do you see Video Secrets five years from now?
CT: VS will strive to keep its position as the world's leading live adult video chat destination. We aim to be a fixture in adult entertainment and permeate pop culture for years to come; to establish the company as a piece of Americana.
TD: If you were to one day be on the cover of Forbes what would you like the headline to read?
CT: My partner Greg and I were featured with the incomparable, Jenna Jameson, on page 50 in the May 13, 2002 issue of Forbes Magazine. http://www.vs.com/forbes/
But if we were to one day be on the cover of Forbes, I would like the headline to simply read, "Meet America's largest privately-held company".
