NEW YORK—Pornhub has teamed with Amazon Dating creators Ani Acopian and Suzy Shinn to launch Scrubhub, a collection of satirical videos about hand washing made by everyday people as well as select models—including brand ambassador Asa Akira, Angela White, Austin Wolf and others.
In addition to comical videos, Scrubhub will host live takeovers twice daily at 12 p.m. PST and 6 p.m. PST, featuring a range of personalities, from musicians to comedians and others. Acopian, an acclaimed director and conceptual artist, and Shinn, a Grammy-nominated producer, made headlines earlier this year with the advent of “Amazon Dating,” a parody dating site that received more than 15,000 real applicants. To create Scrubhub, they teamed up with web developer Scott Buscemi.
As part of the roll out, Scrubhub will collect donations for two charitable organizations born out of COVID-19: Invisible Hands, which is a volunteer-based program that delivers groceries and supplies to the elderly, disabled and immuno-compromised in the New York area; and Frontline Foods, which donates healthy meals to hospital clinicians in Los Angeles by partnering with local restaurants who have been devastated by the pandemic. Pornhub will make an initial donation in support of these initiatives as well.
“Over the past few weeks, the one thing that has been repeated by literally everyone—politicians, scientists, celebrities and athletes—has been the importance of washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water to protect against this virus," Pornhub vice president Corey Price said. "Some people have encouraged singing songs with earworm effects (Beyonce’s ‘Love On Top’ chorus for example), some have promoted hashtags for social media challenges and others have created comical memes that riff on mainstream and internet culture,” .
He added: “We thought this presented a unique opportunity to bring some joy to something that has become so mundane and repetitive. We love working with talented creatives—in this instance alongside Ani and Suzy—and are proud to debut Scrubhub. Sometimes lighthearted content can be cathartic and help foster a sense of social cohesion. Let's all come together and do our part to stay safe and ultimately defeat this virus."
Acopian and Shinn said in a statement: "We wanted to take something as mundane as washing your hands and make it entertaining in the only way we know how (by taking a joke way too far). Scrubhub started as a fun idea that, thanks to Pornhub's platform, we’ve turned into a destination for creativity and connection for the greater good. We’re proud to be partnering with our friends at Invisible Hands and Frontline Foods to make a difference and raise money for those affected by COVID-19.”
Pornhub also announced a $10,000 donation to the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), a member-based, non-profit trade association of the adult entertainment industry. The donation was made to the FSC’s Emergency Fund, which will help adult entertainment talent and crew with their living expenses while they are unable to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pornhub also matched any donations made to the FSC’s Emergency Fund up to an additional $20,000.
Furthermore, to help models who have been financially impacted by COVID-19, Pornhub announced it is offering them 100 percent of their video sales after processing fee—for a total payout of 85 percent of video sales earnings on both fan pages and its clip site Modelhub—for the month of April. Compared to the previous month to date, the Model Program has seen an average increase of over 17 percent in sales per day. This includes video sales growth, as well as tips and fan club sales growth—growing 17 percent, 38 percent and 7 percent compared to the month before, respectively.
Today's announcement follows Pornhub's recent COVID-19 relief efforts to support first responders and medical staff fighting on the front lines against COVID-19 around the world, which included donations of:
• 15,000 surgical masks to protect first responders from the Local 2507 of New York City, which represents emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics and fire inspectors of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY).
• 15,000 surgical masks to the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) Local 94 of New York City to protect first responders.
• 20,000 surgical masks to Mount Sinai South Nassau to bolster the safety of nurses, physicians and support staff caring for COVID-19 patients.
• €50,000 to various European organizations to purchase additional masks and medical equipment, including Dein Quarantäne Engel / Deutsches Rotes Kreuzin Germany, Croce Verde di Vicenza in Italy, España vs Coronavirus, Mascarillas AQUÍ AHORA and Material Sanitario para Hospitales Públicos ESPAÑA in Spain.
• $25,000 to Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP), contributing directly to sex worker relief funds in the SWOP-USA network to meet immediate requests for support from sex workers impacted by COVID-19.
Pornhub is also seeking recommendations of additional charitable organizations that Scrubhub can donate to. If you know of any restaurants, shelters, and/or nonprofits that provide essentials, food/groceries, and water to those who cannot afford or are unable to access them, please contact [email protected].
