Richard "RocHard" Buss: The Man Behind the Mania
by Kath Blackwell
Everybody knows Lightspeed - you know, those crazy guys that race helicopters over the Grand Canyon, fly fighter jets upside down, organize paintball wars and have some of the coolest, most outrageous parties that the industry has ever seen. Ever since they burst onto the scene with their hard-hitting sites and outrageous stunts, they've left the industry standing, staring, mouths agape, wondering what's coming next. In an industry full of high-flyers, LightSpeedCash.com (www.lightspeedcash.com) is definitely one of the ones to watch.
But just as it's true that if there's too much work and no play, Jack would be a dull boy, Light Speed Cash would not have gotten as far as it has in today's competitive market, if there wasn't some serious work going on in the background. Enter Richard AKA "RocHard" Buss - LightSpeed's Chief Operating Officer and number one go-to-guy. Much more "behind the scenes" than the rest of Lightspeed's outgoing staff, Richard is definitely the cornerstone to Lightspeed's day-to-day operations and ultimately, to their success.
Richard basically got started in the industry "from the ground up," building Web pages truly for the fun of it. He met Steve Jones (AKA Steve Lightspeed) in 1994, after he visited one of Steve's free sites, and then later e-mailed him saying that he would love to build Web pages but that he didn't know how. Within 24 hours, Steve helped Richard to get all of the software and everything set up to build his very own first Web page. The rest - as they say - is history. The two kept in touch over the years and after graduating from college with honors and a degree in Computer Tech in 2000, Richard went to work for Lightspeed - or as he puts it, "moved my family to the desert to build porn sites for some guy."
So how did he go from newbie to Chief Operating Officer of one of the hottest companies in the adult Internet industry? "My strongest point was - and still is - that I wanted a Web page to look good AND be functional," says Richard. "No, I never really gave much thought to where Lightspeed Cash would be in the future - it was more like, 'let's keep pushing and see how far we can take this.' I like where we are now, and what people think of me, and Lightspeed Cash - we are known for being a bunch of honest guys who like to have fun. I hope this never ends."
With experience in the industry since 1994, before the big "Gold Rush" really hit, Richard has a really unique perspective on the industry that most people in his position really can't appreciate. He has the hands-on history "back in the day" that few can honestly say they were there to experience first-hand. As an actual webmaster and not "just some business guy," Richard - and Lightspeed - has the advantage over other companies who have not been a part of the community for as many years.
"The only thing I miss about the 'old days' is how close Lightspeed [Steve Jones], Tanker and I were," says Richard, of his early start with Lightspeed where they took photos, built Web sites and did everything else involved with running sites. "Back when we first started, we operated from a one bedroom apartment. Every day we were shoulder to shoulder, and I knew every detail of their lives. These days I have problems keeping track of where Lightspeed and Tanker are."
After coming on board, Richard opened up the second Lightspeed site, "Lightspeed Sorority" (the first was "Lightspeed University"), and other sites soon followed. Steve [Lightspeed] was shooting the content, Tanker handled the marketing, and Richard built and ran the sites and assisted in producing the content. "For the future," says Richard, "I'm looking forward to taking Lightspeed Cash to the next level. It seems in the past three years we've climbed up different levels, and we never seem to slide back. It's been a fun ride."
While Lightspeed Cash has continued to grow and evolve - so has the industry. Change is inevitable - no matter how inconvenient. "The industry is much more crowded than when we began three or four years ago. I remember once I used to have everyone on GFY (www.gofuckyourself.com) on my cell phone," laughs Richard. "Now I don't know half of these people. I think this is a good thing for the industry. It's time to get rid of the people who are ripping surfers off with crappy sites. Only the people and companies who are serious about this will still be standing in a few years. It's only going to get better."
True - there are many more people and the competition is getting fierce. But competition is the good thing - it separates the slackers from the hard-working crowd and eventually weeds out the problem children from the community. However, more competition is still more competition, and that means more work, longer hours and lots of creative thinking. "The biggest obstacle that newbies face today is the competition. It used to be easy - all you needed to do was shoot some content and open a Web site. It's much more involved today, and not as easy. One area that scares me are the copyright and patent issues. It's only a matter of time before another company starts coming after us thinking we'll be an easy target."
No longer the "new kids on the block" of the industry, Lightspeed Cash still maintains its reputation as the "young fun guys" of the biz. Perhaps some of that youthfulness can be attributed to Richard's own college experience where he went back and got his degree at the ripe old age of 29. "Going back to college was one of the most challenging things I've ever done," says Richard of his college experiences. "I went to a small community college where the average student age was about nineteen. I was the second oldest student in the college. I decided to put my best foot forward and put all of my effort into it. I worked full time and went to college full time; it was twice as hard for me as the average student. Much to my surprise it was them who had to keep up with me!"
A love of one's work also helps as well, admits Richard. "I always managed to get every girlfriend naked in front of a camera. Eventually I was able to put them both together at the same time. I've always considered myself well-rounded and love to have my hands in every aspect of what I'm doing."
But as COO of a company the size of Lightspeed Cash, the little luxuries like shooting girlfriends as content and hanging out with the boys aren't always as easy to obtain. "I remember the day when everything was simple," he says of Lightspeed's early days. "Changes were made within the company over a casual dinner. Now we have schedules, budgets to submit and deadlines. Things have to be planned out in advance. Somewhere along the line we became a bit more corporate with a staff of thirteen people, yet at the same time we are still the same guys and all friends with each other."
Of course with over 27 different Web sites in their arsenal - and more on the way - the Lightspeed crew has plenty of interesting stories to share from over the years. Richard's favorite is about Tawnee Stone, a model that had worked with Lightspeed a few times. They noticed an increase in comments about her in e-mail from members and Steve insisted that Richard build a site for her. Richard didn't think it was worth his time, but he finally got around to it and of course it took off almost instantly. It seems as if the boys at Lightspeed just have that Midas Touch!
That success can be easily seen and measured by Lightspeed's popularity with its webmasters as well as with its members. With niche sites geared mostly towards the "teen" niche, Lightspeed features mainly models between the ages of 18 to 21. "We offer both Revshare and Pay-Per-Sign-up. We believe in giving webmasters all the content they need, so we've flooded the Internet with our free pictures. We also have free host galleries, a free host and a real TGP for our webmasters to send traffic. Most importantly, we have REAL member's areas with original content that really do well with retention."
On the subject of hardcore versus softcore, Lightspeed Cash stands strong for what they believe and backs it up via their sites. "Lightspeed doesn't do hardcore. We are mostly softcore. I think the amount of free hardcore content on the Internet should be limited - and monitored. Somewhere along the line we have to be held accountable for our actions, and we must always remember that the Internet has people of all ages online." And when asked about whether or not he sees Lightspeed as one of the "big boys" in the industry, Richard says he just doesn't see it that way. "It's still Steve and I, and now Tanker and Zebra (Chad). Yes, we have a nice big office, but you don't have to schedule an appointment to drop by... At the end of the day we're still the same guys just trying to make an honest buck."
Being involved in the community - to the point of going to bat for the industry - is also part of why Lightspeed Cash is seen as such a stand-up group of guys by their peers. Part of a group of Acacia litigants who are working independently to challenge Acacia's streaming media patent claims, Lightspeed is just one of the companies working with IMPAI.org (Internet Media Protection Association). "I don't believe that Acacia has a legal leg to stand on," says Richard of the now infamous patent suits. "No one is violating their patents; I'm using patents and copyrights by Microsoft and other companies from whom I've purchased software. Acacia needs to go after them, not us. I honestly believe this will be thrown out of court."
Richard went on to say, "The problem is it's going to be expensive to get to that point - Lightspeed Cash has already burned through tens of thousands defending ourselves in court, and I'm sure we'll spend more. At the same time, I don't hold a grudge against anyone who has settled. They've made a simple business decision. However, they might feel pretty bad if they settled and it's all thrown out of court."
Truly more of a behind-the-scenes kind of guy, Richard won't easily be found at the adult Internet industry events and conventions. However he does make sure to give himself time to attend the YNOT Party (YP200*) event in Mexico every year. "The show [in Vegas] is a must-attend event. It's the largest and the most fun. My job is to stay behind and run the company on a day-to-day basis, and I've learned to accept that. But the one show that I do attend is YP in Mexico; its very laid back and I've met some great people there. I've attended a few smaller shows, although not recently. I visit friends in the industry in California on a regular basis, and I attend all local events here in Phoenix."
"Networking is the key to everything in this business though," says Richard. He feels it is important for webmasters to attend whenever possible. "It's not what you know, but also who you know. Meeting the right people in the industry changed everything for us, and opened up a lot of doors."
Networking - along with coming together as a community - will become even more important in the days to come, as even more changes continue to help our industry to grow and evolve. "I think the industry is going to continue to change exactly as it has in the past few years," agrees Richard, when asked about what might be to come in 2004. "You'll see many new faces, and at the same time competition is going to increase. Currently in the industry, we tend to work with each other instead of against each other. Our competition is our best friends - this applies to both Lightspeed Cash and the industry as a whole."
Of course - like any other industry - the adult online biz is in dire need of structural improvement and change. A task that cannot be taken on by one individual or company on its own. "One of the things I dislike the most about the industry is the politics," says Richard, when asked about his own industry-based pet peeves. "Although for the most part we seem to work together hand-in-hand, every now and then I see walls put up for no reason. I don't like it when certain people in certain organizations won't let others join without a valid reason or any chance of discussion."
Business ethics and honesty are two other things that will need to be addressed in the coming months as some companies will be forced to "grow up" or just go away. "Shaving is a huge issue in this industry, and will continue to be an issue until the end of time - or until someone ends up in court about it," says Richard, an idea that many webmasters have been discussing of late. Most seem to be in agreement that the time is coming for this issue to come to a head. "I've had people tell me that they know a company shaves, but they still make good money with them. It doesn't matter - it's still fraud, and it's illegal. It's only a matter of time before one of the larger affiliates drags a program into court over this issue and then it will be out in the open. The company that gets caught up in it will go down in flames."
"Some of the things I've seen in this industry have both surprised and amused me," Richard says, reflecting on his past experiences. "I've seen week-long 'wars' on message boards, while those same two people are going out drinking at night laughing the entire time. While message boards are a valuable source of information and contact, you can't believe everything you read on the boards."
When asked about all the fly-by-night companies that have come and gone over the years, Richard said, "I've noticed a fair amount of companies come and go in the four years that I've actively been in the adult community. This is because it's easy to make money here, but it's not easy to run a business and be consistent. Unless you have some business skills behind a company, it's not going to last. This industry is fun, but it's more than fun and games when so much is at stake."
"I've also seen a lot of people with big names in the industry who see how easy it is to make money, only fail big-time when they leave their job and strike out on their own." He went on to say, "It looks easy, but there is so much involved. It takes more than one person and an idea to make it happen. It takes a staff of dedicated employees to do it right."
Often seen as a looking glass into the state of our industry, the message boards are a reflection of some of the changes that are happening in the community today. "Message boards have gotten so bad that they annoy me," confesses Richard. "It's gotten to the point where newbies can come out on a public board and slander a somewhat large and well-known company. I've seen companies' names dirtied by people who have no idea what they are talking about. This is one thing that's going to change. You'll always have one person who is an asshole and will talk like one, but soon companies are going to shut them down."
"In the next few years," he says. "It's going to be harder for new people to be accepted into the inner circles. Anyone with a snappy screen name and a witty personality could make money in the industry just by being on the boards - this is going to change soon."
To find out even more information on Lightspeed Cash, its sites and upcoming community events and outrageous activities, visit www.lightspeedcash.com. You can meet the Lightspeed Cash crew in person at the January Internext Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, and at other upcoming events in the 2004 season. Richard "RocHard" Buss can be reached directly via rbuss@ls-media.com.
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