Leader of the Pack: Bestat of Exclusive Media Group
An interview with Bestat, owner of ExclusiveMediaGroup.com
by Kath Blackwell
For the newbie webmasters of today, the adult Internet seems to be this massively organized, categorized, well fleshed-out industry. What most don't realize is that hardworking individuals- pioneers in their own right, who created all of the things that many take for granted every day, built this industry. Link lists, TGPs, standard banner advertising sizes, gallery formats, webmaster resources - they didn't all just fall from the sky - they were created by webmasters, average Joe's who worked hard to build their empires from the ground up.
One of these such pioneers is known throughout the industry as Bestat, and is often referred to as the "anime expert," due to her vast knowledge of basically everything 'toon. In addition to being one of the original pioneers of the anime "niche" within the adult industry, as owner and operator of Exclusive Media Group, which also encompasses the popular and well-respected ExclusiveContent.com, Bestat is also one of a very small and rare handful of successful women entrepreneurs. In an industry that is generally dominated by men, due to its content and nature, Bestat has come, seen and conquered - and accomplished all with class, earning the respect of her peers and colleagues along the way.
A very strong, intelligent and intuitive businesswoman - but not without a sense of humor and genuine personality - Bestat makes for a very interesting interview. Her extremely busy schedule aside, Bestat made time to meet with Klixxx Magazine to talk about how she got started, why anime became such a huge part of her online career - and to give our readers a chance to get to know her a little better.
Klixxx: First of all, thanks for making time to meet with us. Can you give our readers a little background on who you are - and how you got started in the adult Internet?
Bestat: Well, I am a redheaded Scorpio, over 30, and my turn-ons include... oh wait, wrong kind of interview! [laughs] The first thing many people don't realize is that I am a female - this leads to some very interesting face-to-face meetings! I am married with a house full of animal companions, and I enjoy the many pleasures nature brings. I live in Colorado and do as much as I can outdoors.
I joined the adult market in 1998 as a free-site webmaster, and learned a lot about the industry from what was then called the Condom Project, now known as NetPond.com. I built sites for sponsors, chased traffic and learned the ropes. I opened my link list (Bestat's - www.best-at.com) in 1999, and quickly following that I launched Exclusive Content, (www.exclusivecontent.com) that same year.
Originally, I had wanted to purchase some content for the few 'toon sponsors that were then available, and discovered that no one at that time sold anime/toon content to webmasters. So I did some research and studied the niche, and proceeded to contact artists to create content. It just grew from there!
Klixxx: What kind of work did you do before you started in this business - and how did it help to prepare you for what you do today?
Bestat: Before discovering online marketing I was a corporate buyer for a large hotel chain. You know - the person that buys all the cheap towels and tacky wall hangings? And, before that I was the operations manager for an educational film company. I think the organization and customer service skills for those positions were a huge asset when I made my career change. Learning to listen to what customers were saying - not just hearing them - and then finding ways to give them what they wanted without breaking the bank- those are important skills.
Klixxx: You are often called the "anime expert" of the adult industry. But what a lot of people might not realize is that you own a very diversified business that not only includes anime and 'toon content, but also includes paysites in various niches, a successful affiliate program and other ventures. Can you tell our readers a little bit more about the paysite/affiliate end of your business and how you got started in each?
Bestat: Actually, the project following the creation of Exclusive Content was my retail site, Hentai-Games (www.hentai-games.com), which is a fantastic site for Adult Anime and Hentai games imported from Japan. These are extremely popular here in the United States as well as in Europe. I then expanded the site, and added video and DVD adult anime movies as well. By working with Japanese importers I was also able to make some great connections for true Japanese Anime. We do all the warehousing and shipping in-house, which gives me a wonderful way to track what is most popular and where to add new items. The games are especially popular, and not easy to find on the 'Net, so it was a great market to get into.
Klixxx: So how did you make the leap from content provider to affiliate program owner?
Bestat: Well, the next logical step was to utilize all this awesome content in my own pay site. I launched my first Cartoon pay site (www.cartoon-sex.com) early in 2000, and followed it with several other niche sites, Japanese-Bondage.com, Banzaibabes.com, and our newest site - Ultimatetoons.com.
My affiliate program, Exclusive Media Group (www.exclusivemediagroup.com), was launched in 2001, and has done very well. It is a partnership program that pays 60% on all sign-ups and re-bills, and offers an up-sale program for the retail site, Hentai-games as well. All the sites I offer are niche-oriented, with emphasis on the 'toon sites, of course.
Klixxx: How did your experience as a webmaster building free sites help you to create a successful affiliate program? Was there anything in particular that you insisted upon including in your site?
Bestat: I have worked extremely hard to keep the program very webmaster friendly. Since I have been on the other side of the checks, I know how hard it is to get that traffic, and I want to make sure it converts for the webmaster.
I offer tutorials on how to market the sites, which I think is a huge help to newer webmasters, and we offer great promotional tools as well. We have free content, a Toon of the Day program, a double opt-in Sexy Toon newsletter, discounts on content, free lotto sites and I am always available to review sites for my affiliates.
Klixxx: Any new projects coming up that you can share - a hint even?
Bestat: I am also working on some non-adult projects, but nothing I can discuss too much about just yet.
Klixxx: Okay, let's talk anime. Because of your knowledge and experience...it always comes back to the 'toons. Tell us about what it was about the adult 'toon biz that attracted you the most - and why are 'toons so globally appealing to surfers?
Bestat: For me, personally, I just loved the artwork! There's such a dazzling array of styles out there, from the very sensual to the absurd. I was immediately drawn to the niche and was very disappointed when I went to buy content, couldn't find it - and I knew I could not be the only one who was looking to buy. When I started researching the niche, I was amazed at how very popular it was, and discovered that it has a huge built-in fan base all over the world!
I think a lot of the appeal comes from the fact that art is universal, and that is what anime and 'toons are in essence - ART. Some surfers are into it for the art aspect; some are into the whole fantasy aspect, since 'toons can do anything you can fantasize about. Others enjoy the purity of certain types of content, such as Japanese anime versus cartoons - and still others are into the whole SCI-FI/tentacle works. It really knows no bounds - if you create it, there's someone out there that wants to see it.
Klixxx: So you took a chance, dived headfirst into the content biz, and provided the first cartoon/anime content to adult webmasters. How scary was that?
Bestat: In providing Anime, 'Toon and Hentai content to the webmaster, I had no doubt the niche would grow, and I believe that once legal content was readily available, it really pushed the niche forward in the industry. I quickly discovered that keeping up with the demand was going to be the tricky part, so we expanded quickly, adding artists, and extending our library to include high quality Comic Feeds and Flash Comics series.
We keep growing by exploring new technologies, and determine how they can be applied to this content. We have a hugely successful interactive Flash Series where the surfer can actually control the action and play "director," so in essence they can watch it differently each time - or they can just let it play through. That is one of the wonderful things about 'toons, you really can do almost anything!
Klixxx: Anime, 'toons, hentai, comics - can you explain the differences between these different types of adult content, and how each can be used on free sites and in pay sites?
Bestat: Well, the true breakdown of styles and explanations would be an article in itself, but I can give you the condensed version with the caveat that anyone who really wants to know the niche should do more research on terms and styles. Remember, I am generalizing here, and am speaking strictly on the adult market.
Anime and Hentai generally refer to the true Japanese style of the art. The main characteristics are large eyes, with shading and shiny areas. A wedge for the nose, a long, thin line for the mouth, and a shorter line to define the lower lip. You will rarely see teeth on an anime character, even when the character is seen with the mouth wide open. And of course the hair - any hair color is possible- blond, black, sky blue, light green, orange, pink, or all the colors of the rainbow! Hair length is also unusual, as most males have shoulder length hair and most females will either have really short hair or their hair is at least four feet long. For purposes of keeping this short, Anime is normally softcore, and Hentai is more hardcore.
Cartoons on the other hand, are more the American style the US market is used to, basically illustrated drawings depicting various characters in an exaggerated form. For comics, there are a great many series available in the adult market, and they cover all niches. These adult comics are like comic books or the Sunday funnies the papers carry. Many of these have continuing story lines from issue to issue. Then there is Manga, which is the Japanese illustrated story traditionally done in pen and ink, with maybe a touch of blue for shading.
Klixxx: So which types of content are best used on Web sites? Is there one that is better received than the other - or one that is easier to obtain? What kind of 'toon content should the average webmaster be looking at?
Bestat: All of the types of content mentioned above can be used on free sites as well as in member's areas. The great thing about this content is that you do not need to have an anime or 'toon site to use it; everyone loves comics, so it makes a great addition to any type of site. The one thing that is important is using the right content for promotion.
However, if you have an anime site, or if you are promoting an anime sponsor, make sure you are utilizing anime content and not cartoon content, as the surfers do know the difference! As with any niche, you need to study and research it a bit to be able to make it convert at it's highest potential.
Klixxx: How hard is it to find quality, hard-working and talented artists for your content? Exclusive Content is not just the name - what makes your content truly "exclusive" to the webmasters who buy it for their sites?
Bestat: Well, it is not as hard as it was when I began. A lot of my newer artists have come from referrals from artists that have been with me since I began. The hardest part really is finding the quality of art that we are known for. I get a lot of submissions that just do not quite make the cut. But, I am always on the lookout for talented people.
As for the reason behind the name Exclusive Content, the content that we license is available from us exclusively. It is not available through the many content brokers out there. And - we also limit the number of sales on any given set of content. By doing so, we make the content more valuable to the webmaster because it is not all over the net.
Klixxx: Let's talk a little bit about stolen content. I've heard many people say that they just get their anime content from newsgroups and postings - much like the way adult photo content was previously gathered years ago. Most webmasters know that newsgroup content is illegal content - but what do you say to people who still knowingly use this content?
Bestat: What is there to say, other than if you steal it you are a thief and you are breaking the law? Just as with photo content, there is no such thing as "public domain." There are those that seem to think that since many of the Japanese works are foreign, this gives them the right to steal it and no one will pursue them or enforce the copyrights. This is definitely NOT true, and more and more companies and artists are seeking convictions for such theft. They have a powerful tool in the Berne Convention, which covers international copyrights, intellectual property, and protection of literary and artistic works. I would highly recommend such people read it.
Klixxx: Anime or 'toon content often costs more per image than photo content. I understand that some of the reason for this is that these images are hand-drawn by the artists, and not snapped in seconds by photographers. What are some of the other reasons that quality anime or 'toon content is more expensive?
Bestat: You covered the main reason, which is time and talent. Not only must an image be hand drawn and sometimes hand colored, it has to be created from the mind of the artist. A single image can take a whole day to complete, and the artist puts forth a lot of effort and heart into them. For the true Japanese Anime and Hentai, the cost factor comes in because of the rarity of legal images. It is very difficult to obtain the rights to license such images, and the overhead of doing so can be high. Each image is a created work of art, and as webmasters we sometimes forget that.
Klixxx: What would you say is the hardest thing about working with animated content? And, what would you say is the best thing?
Bestat: The hardest thing is educating the market about the content, at which I work very hard, by writing articles, doing radio shows, etc. This is a fantastic, high converting niche, but you do have to do some work to do it properly.
The best thing about working in this niche is that it's fun. I love the creative process and seeing the various forms the art takes.
Klixxx: Let's switch gears a little. As a woman business owner in the adult content business you are a very "unique animal" in today's industry. How have your experiences been as a woman in this very male-driven industry - and how has being a woman helped (or hurt) you over the years?
Bestat: You know, I have not really given much thought to the whole female/male aspect. To my knowledge, my being female has not affected my business at all, either good or bad. I have always treated my clients with honesty and professionalism and with very few exceptions have received the same in return. Though some clients are surprised when they first discover my gender, it has not seemed to have had a negative effect.
Klixxx: More and more women are becoming active, front-figures on the adult Web. They are in marketing, management, photography, consulting, webmaster support - but very few are actually business owners or co-owners. How far have women come in this industry since you were a newbie - and where do you see a "woman's place" in the adult biz in the future?
Bestat: I have seen a huge influx of females in all aspects of the business, and I think it is wonderful! Personally, I think there were a lot of females in the background for years, it's just that the atmosphere is more appealing now, so more are coming "out" as it were. With the industry coming together more and more as a community, I think it helps women feel more at ease. There are some fantastic women who have been leaders from the onset though, and I think they are an inspiration to everyone. As for a "woman's place" in this industry in the future, I say it's wherever she wants!
Klixxx: Any advice for women who want to become more involved in the adult Internet? Business advice, etiquette - things they should avoid in order to find success?
Bestat: Most advice I would give would work for both women and men. Treat this like the business it is, be professional, courteous, and forthright in all your dealings. Treat others the way you expect to be treated, don't waste time on things that do not make your company better, and utilize the boards out there, they are fantastic for networking and free advertising. For women specifically, about the only advice I would offer is to "dress" the way you want to be treated. If you dress professionally and tastefully, you will be viewed more as a business associate than just female. If you dress to attract attention, you will get it, but it may not be the type you are looking for.
Klixxx: Would you say that it is harder, easier or just "different" for a woman working within this male dominated industry?
Bestat: I think it is just different - at least this has been my experience. Though I must admit, I have spoken with other women who say they find it more difficult to compete. I think it all has to do with perception, like I stated above, and I think it is important that a woman project a business-like image if she wants to be taken seriously. I might also add that the same goes for the men in the industry - how you are perceived can make a huge difference in landing that big client.
I also think that perhaps when we fail at something, we tend to try to find reasons other than ourselves to blame for the failure. It's much easier to think you did not succeed because you were a female, than to take a hard look and realize that was not really the issue. But it's not that it won't ever happen - because sometimes it does occur. For me, when it does, I just decide that this is not someone I would want to do business with anyway.
Klixxx: You've worked in a lot of areas over the years - with content, as a webmaster, link list owner - event as a radio talk show host! How have all of those different experiences affected your business as a whole?
Bestat: All of those experiences have been great for me and for my business. There is such an opportunity out there for marketing yourself, and for branding your company name. I am amazed when people do not take advantage of it. By being visible and accessible through chat rooms, message boards, etc., it assures your clients and affiliates that you are there if you need them.
The more people you can "touch" in some way, the better. I can tell you hundreds of stories of how I received business from recommendations, which is the best way to receive new clients! I also think it is very important to give back to the community as well, to reach out and help where you can. I received so much advice and direction from message boards and webmasters who came before me, and for that I am grateful, so I try to do the same for others coming into the industry.
Klixxx: We all talk about the importance of networking - but do you feel that being an active member within the adult webmaster community has helped your business to grow?
Bestat: Absolutely! For the very reasons I mentioned above!
Klixxx: As with most businesses in this industry, there really wasn't a set parameter for the anime or toon content niche. In many ways, you were very instrumental in founding and establishing this niche, bringing it to the adult webmaster community to meet the growing demand by the surfing public. How hard was it to bring a groundbreaking niche to the industry, introduce it to the webmasters and educate them on how to properly use it?
Bestat: It was a huge challenge but a rewarding one on many levels. I had so much to learn myself before being able to educate the community at large, and I am still learning today! This niche has so many layers and nuances that the more you learn the more you realize how much more you have to discover -- But the community was open to listening and understanding the niche, because it made money. This is why we are all here after all, right?
I was offered many opportunities to discuss the niche, which was a huge help. I did numerous radio shows, wrote articles for webmaster resources and magazines. I spoke on as many panels as they would allow me at shows and gatherings, and I went on a one woman crusade via e-mail and chat rooms. I try never to miss an opportunity to educate the webmaster or the pay site owner about the power of anime and 'toons, because I know once they put some effort into it, they will see for themselves the financial rewards. It is still a challenge, with new people coming into the industry all the time, but luckily for me it is something I really enjoy.
Klixxx: I recently read the news that Exclusive Content is now distributing for AdultCartoonContent.com. How did this deal come about, and what does it mean for Exclusive Content?
Bestat: It means we have a lot more content to offer! I was approached by OLS 2000 Services several months back about a joint venture that would include Exclusive Content taking over the distribution and licensing of the wonderful content on AdultCartoonContent.com.
OLS has a huge library of cartoons, including the exclusive rights to the works of the late great Bill Ward, but they needed someone in the industry that could help them market them to the adult industry. So, when they approached me about it, I thought it would be a perfect fit - so we are now their exclusive distributor!
One of the wonderful things that comes from this, is we are now able to offer cartoon content at a lower price to the webmaster. It also means we are one of the largest - if not THE largest content provider - for this type of content. So if you are looking for any type of Anime, Hentai, Cartoons, Adult Comics feeds or Flash comics, you can get it all here! I am very proud of our content, it is of the highest quality and we know the surfers love it.
Klixxx: Another joint venture I noticed in the past few weeks was the announcement of the new 'toon site that Exclusive did for LightSpeedCash.com. How important do you feel joint ventures like this are to the industry - and to your business as well?
Bestat: Well this is a new experience for me, but when Steve asked me about it while we were enjoying the sun in Jamaica, it sounded like a great idea. I think joint ventures can be very rewarding if it is the right people involved and their goals are the same. Diversity is so important in business and working with a company that has a proven track record can only be good for all involved. I am excited to see how well this works, and possibly expanding on it in the future.
Klixxx: What are some of the things that you would like to see happen for the adult Internet industry in the near future? What are some things that you personally would like to be involved in?
Bestat: I would like to see more internal policing of our industry, keeping our own house clean as it were. I think there is a prevailing attitude by some, that just because we are in the adult business, we should not hold people accountable for ethical behavior. I believe there is a tendency to turn a blind eye to many things if it is making you money, and this can be very dangerous. I do believe that there has been an increase in awareness and in activity over the last year in making changes to help our industry -which is hopeful. As a community, I think it is very important that we do not tolerate cheaters, thieves, and those that take advantage of children in any way. These are issues that are important to all of us.
Klixxx: Can you offer any advice for new webmasters just coming onto the scene? Where would you start if you were just starting today? What would you do differently today than you did when you were a newbie?
Bestat: I think the best advice for anyone in this business, new or otherwise, is to remember this is a business. There is a lot of fun to be had for sure, and more importantly money to be made. But you need a strong foundation to build on, set yourself up as a company right away, keep this separate from your other income, and have systems in place to track where you spend and make your money so you can fine-tune as you go along.
Be honest in all your dealings, utilizing all the wonderful advice and resources out there - and become active in the community. I think the one thing I would do differently if I was starting out now, would be to get active in the community sooner. It is a good idea to observe and read a message board before joining in, so that you know the character of a particular board, but do not lurk too long. Get in there and network and mingle. Why recreate the wheel? If the information is available, learn from it, implement it, and grow. And do not forget to give back to the community.
That is excellent advice indeed - I think we can all stand to participate more within the community - and of course education and knowledge is always essential to success.
Any of our readers who want to learn more about you, what you do, and to see all that you have to offer, can find out more via your main Web site at www.exclusivemedia.com, your content site at www.exclusivecontent.com, or your Hentai Games site, at www.hentai-games.com.
|
Printer
Friendly Version