After an executive-style week away from the office, Executive Suite has returned with a most meaty edition. The Exec Suite (we're hip, you know, so we refer to it this way) is very proud to welcome into its plush work environs Arthur Chang, a founding partner (along with two others, including Mike Sullivan) of the hip, daring and much talked-about Meat Cash (www.meatcash.com)—the content producers/affiliate program that has created quite an impressive buzz in the adult biz.
With sites such as PimpJuiceXXX.com, WhiteMeatOnBlackStreet.com, CreamedCornholes.com, and CockBrutality.com, it's easy to see the clever blending of hardcore sex and irreverent humor, an intermingling that has been a success for both webmasters and surfers.
Arthur was kind of enough to step away from the emails, IMs, phone calls, and other daily madness to discuss the keys to success, Steve Jobs, and other meaty issues.
Tripp Daniels: First things first: Where did you get the idea for MeatHoles.com? Is that like a Web domain that just comes to you in a dream?
Arthur Chang: MeatHoles is the brainchild of my partner, Khan Tusion. Khan was a director for Anabolic / Diabolic where he established a cult-like following with his Rough Sex as well as Oral Consumption lines. The stuff was way ahead of his time and the perfect kind of content for the Web.
TD: There are a lot of great sites in the MeatCash.com canon, some pretty wild. Was that the goal from the start, to generate and promote the kind of content that will instantly get people talking (as well as enjoying the footage)?
AC: Our goal from the start was to shoot what we love to shoot, and we had a feeling that the stuff will generate some buzz. Being huge porno fans, we simply produced what we wanted to see. Turns out that the people flocked to it like bees to honey.
TD: How important is it for your business to keep its pulse on the webmaster community, to know what they want?
AC: It is absolutely critical. They are the troops out there doing most of the dirty work. It's up to us to listen very carefully for clues. Obviously knowing what the webmasters need and want results in more traffic and sales. But equally important, webmasters also lets us know what type of content is doing well and what type of content will explode on the horizon.
TD: That said, what is it that you think webmasters want, business wise and creatively?
AC: The most important characteristic for any affiliate program would be trust. Webmasters' livelihoods are dependent on us paying them on time every time. We feel that we have proven ourselves on that level, as we paid out webmasters even when a certain processor decided not to pay out to their partners.
Creatively, webmasters are always looking for the next "it" site to promote. It is our job to think outside of the box and come up with some sites that are creative and will grab the attention of the surfers.
TD: Do you think that the more wild and graphic sites, yours and others, will experience webmaster/surfer apathy at various times, or does this specific content really have staying power, which, ultimately, speaks to precisely what the end-use wants?
AC: Based on our own recurring statistics, our users are not only excited about our content, but are also dialoguing and interacting with us. Sites with distinct personalities, along with the hottest girls, will prevail in the end. Our sites have distinct personality and we are always shooting the hottest girls. That is what counts.
TD: What's the key to success in the very crowded adult market? Is it simply power marketing and branding, or do you incorporate other methods?
AC: Superior content, a trustworthy brand, along with a solid marketing strategy are three keys to success in the crowded adult market. A program that contains two out of three keys are good programs, but great programs are adept at all three aspects of the business.
TD: What is your opinion on the state of the adult Internet industry? Would you say we're in an upswing or is business in a slowdown phase?
AC: Like with most things in business and life, whether the industry is in an upswing or slow down phase depends entirely on who you ask. One thing for sure, more and more people are trying to break into the adult business. This applies to both the video production and Internet side of the business. There also seem to be new cash programs or video companies launching every single day. So I think there's definitely an upswing …but that's also an indication that the supply will soon exceed the demand.
TD: What generally are your work hours?
AC: I am a workaholic. I usually work 16 hours, six days a week.
TD: What's the best/worst advice you've ever gotten?
AC: The worst advice I have every gotten was from my mother who wanted me to work for the city, a government job. If I had followed that, my life would be quite different indeed.
TD: What were you doing before you arrived here in adult Internet entertainment?
AC: I worked as content producer for a few dot-coms, which meant that I did a little bit of everything. Things were hectic back then; the producer gig also included writing, encoding, and designing.
TD: Do you recall the first domain name you acquired?
AC: Sex.com (laughs). Seriously, I do not remember. Whatever it was, it was probably a domain that I decided not to renew. I have had quite a few harebrained ideas in my time. Most of them resulted in registering a domain that I will never use.
TD: Office fashion: Armani suits or flip-flops and Hawaiian shirts?
AC: Banana Republic for me. T-shirts and shorts for everyone else – and of course 100 percent nudity for the talent.
TD: Is there a CEO at a mainstream, or adult, company that you admire for their business insight or what they have achieved?
AC: I admire Steve Jobs from Apple. He has carved out a niche for himself and his products are easy to use and pretty to look at. I want all of my sites to be easy to use and pretty to look at!
TD: Looking back to when you started in this business, is there anything you would have done differently?
AC: I know that it sounds clichéd, but I would not change one thing.
TD: Have any advice for future business leaders out there?
AC: Work hard to the point of exhaustion—that's where you'll find inspiration. Find your strengths and focus on them. Be yourself.
TD: What can we expect to see from MeatCash in the coming months?
AC: We are launching version three of Meatcash in June. A majority of the upgrades are made with the webmasters in mind. This includes multiple payment options, choosing their own cluster of sites, and redesigned tours.
Also, brand new exclusive sites will be launched every two weeks starting in July until the end of the year.
TD: If you were to one day appear on the cover of Forbes what would you like the headline to read?
AC: It will truly be a Bizarro world if a pornographer were to ever make it on cover of Forbes, but I think the most appropriate headline would be: What!!!!
