Tristan published: So what is this studio thing?
Khaleesi • 6703 hits studio

Before I start, I just want to make clear that I won’t be trying to convince you to start at or to leave a physical studio. This will be about my experience and how some of my perspectives changed, because most of my previous perceptions were based on the simple fact that I did not had enough information. I will also explain the word studio because I’d like to clarify first what I mean by it. In the camworld the word studio is used quite a lot, but it often has a very different meaning.

The Virtual Studio (aka Agency)

You have the “virtual studio”, which basically is an (recruitment) agency. There is no actual building you go to. They promise to help you with marketing and signing you up with a camsite. You sign a contract with them, you perform on a camsite. The camsite pays the agency and the agency pays you. You however still work from your home.

A lot of content selling sites also use the word studio. What they actually mean is that you as a producer can open a store with them to sell your content. Here the word studio is a different word for store.

This article will be about neither of them. I’m talking here about the “physical studio”. A workplace. An actual building where you go to, perform for an x amount of time and go home afterwards. You sign up with the studio, they do your marketing and training. They get paid by the camsite you perform on and they pay you.

When I first heard the word cam studio years ago, I didn’t know these differences. I thought that a cam studio was simply an agency that handled your things. Soon it turned out that a lot of these cam studios where nothing more than people trying to get a piece of your pie (percentage of your cut, because they signed you up with a camsite) with big promises (We’ll get you on the frontpage of every camsite! We'll handle all your marketing and make you famous on social media!). There are of course agencies that put their money where their mouth is, but for a lot them it is just an easy way to make money.

The Physical Studio (aka an actual Studio)

Not so long after, I came across the concept of the physical studio. I heard that they were mainly in Romania and my mind created this idea of dark filthy rooms where poor girls were performing in very bad circumstances. I could not have been more wrong…

It all started a few years back when we were attending a Romanian cam conference. My first experience with a studio was, how shall I put it, quite interesting. I was sitting outside on the terrace with Rutger and two guys walked up to us and sat down at the same table. They checked our badges to see who we were and they said the following sentences I’ll never forget: “O, you WeCamgirls. You bad for business”. Before we could say a word, they simply turned their chairs around, so they were sitting with their backs to us (still at the same table).

So the first impression of meeting actual studio owners was not so great. Later on this changed, because it turned out that other studio’s actually value WeCamgirls and ask their models to join us, so that they can learn and see how for example independent models (i.e. models that do not work from a studio) handle their things. It was also the first time I read a brochure about a studio and the pictures in it did not match my previous dark filthy room concept at all! These rooms were very fancy, like 5 star hotels. There were makeup area’s. A photo studio to make glamour pics of models. Teams that did marketing. It all looked so professional. I didn’t expect that at all. So years after I heard about the Studio, Rutger and I finally got the chance to actually visit a studio (this was in 2018) that was based in a proper office building. Themed rooms, high end gear, even a bathroom with a jacuzzi that could be used for shows. Everything spick and span and everything very well done.

So I know that studio’s are not for everyone. Some models like to be their own boss and handle everything themselves, but other models like the idea that they go to work, do their show and afterwards go back home. They can purely focus on doing the show, without having to care about the marketing aspects. Studio’s you will mainly find in Romania and in the upcoming webcam country of Columbia. Models that are working from a studio are often categorized as “glamour models”, the opposite as the ones you can categorize as for example “the girl next door”. They attract a very specific audience, but a lot of them are highly successful. Especially when backed by a professional marketing team.*

To continue reading this article...

Read the rest of this article, discuss business, share information, and connect with the WeCamgirls Community.

Sign up Log in

Author

Tristan

22 Likes 12 Comments
Like
Bookmark
Comment
Tristan, well guy, sure, I am a Webcam model myself, in my own Colombian studio, and I webcam from my own physical studio, with other Colombians models I personally treat as co-workers and friends rather than employees. I have for years known many Colombian models in person in Spanish, some Romanian models online in English in different verified Webcam girls in English, other Webcam verified models in Western Europe, Canada, USA, and so on. What you say is generally true, and duh obvious to me based on my personal experiences. So I hereby verify a large portion of what you say. Note that many English-speaking top-earning models hold a very dim view of studios, but no one resents me personally it seems, because I am a beautiful working camgirl myself and my studio in Colombia is small, and I often work couples account with a friend/co-worker here in my own studio. I find that running a studio gets me preferencial treatment at the more studio-oriented major websites. Some current major websites -- example my free cams -- do not currently accept studio registrations AT ALL, and other major websites currently are th other extreme and refuse to deal with individuals models, ONLY studio. And there are currently all variations in between. I guarantee my info on this is valid and accurate and current. Some big Colombian studio owners I know in person treat their models well, others treat their models like fking shit and financially defraud them. i I easily understand the antipathy so many independent English-speaking models have, especially for some of the big Romanian studios. Treatment of the models varies HIGHLY and is very dependent on each specific studio. Virtual studios such as Boleyn are a totally different animimal. Boleyn is the ONLY virtual studio many of the top earning English-speaking models trust -- and with good reason. Too many scams startup virtual studios trying to make a dime on the backs of highly competent pro models, including here at wcg but at least wcg bans such fraudsters quickly enough. Boleyn is the only 90 % trusted virtual studio among my verified camgirl model friend, to the best of my knowledge. You will find a wide range of opinions on this matter, and I speak for myself only, and not for any other models, just as a disclaimer, please note. Many Romanian models and many Colombian models prefer a physical studio because they cannot provide themselves with suitable work conditions, enough privacy, pro-level machines, and the requisite performance skills. And some come for the social companionship and emotional support at a caring small studio like mine, wherein I am a currently working model and manager too. Cheers ! Jennifer xx
Good article. I am living in Bulgaria, so very close to Romania, and I know here as well are some studios, but I never wanted to join. I know two girls who were part of such studio - big house, pool, kitchen with everything in it and they made for two days what in my country is minimum month wage. But the story they told me about their shows wasn't something I wish to do - someone who is telling them what to do all the time for 8 hours. So even the big money wasn't enough to make them stay. One told me she litteraly felt very sore you know where. Of course this is just an example and it depends who's your boss, but in my case I am not 'studio glamour model material" Smiley :D
At the end of the day, some studios are good and some are bad. Some are legal and some aren't. In some you earn as much as you would earn as working indie and in some you tend to reach your maximum potential. I have only seen successful studios run by women so far, aka ex top performers who built a brand based on quality (less models, huge earnings) not on quantity (an infinite number of models, tiny/medium earnings). Kudos to those who focus on quantity too, but that's another type of hustle, too mainstream and accessible to anybody willing to invest time and money.
Here are my thoughts:

America is a different animal complete compare to Europe and South America. Now, United States is not the places for tons of physical cam studios. First of all, America has a puritanical view on sex and such places will get shut down by sexual repressed nutjobs if found in certain areas. Secondly, American camming often involves the self and becoming your own business person. Studios are not essential to camming in America.Third, America has a huge human trafficking problem and pimps would just use cam studios as fronts. There are physical cam studios in major cities in America but they are often for those who want to become an community at work. But they are not essential to success as an American cam model. Smiley :)
Does anyone know about Studio 20? I'm thinking about signing up with them? So far good reviews I'm seeing.
A physical studio can be anything in between a dark basement in which 10 different cam girls are piled together and work in bad conditions, and a high-end, 5-star hotel-looking building - like you've seen for yourself. I know about great studios, that care about their models and about quality traffic, and also I know about studios that treat their models badly and care about quantity instead of quality.

The concept of the physical studio will work the best in places like Romania, Russia, Colombia etc. Why? Because in these (typically second and third-world) countries lots of models don't have proper working conditions at home (eg: they share the apartment with another person, they are too poor to buy the right equipment, they don't speak English yet, etc.), so they are somewhat constrained to go to a physical studio if they want to get the best results.

Do not make the mistake of comparing USA or Canada with Romania or Colombia, though. I've lived in both worlds, so to speak.
In the USA specifically, people are waaaayyyy more puritanical than in Europe; they simply dislike nudity, kink and sex work of any kind. I also know that one would tend to immediately say "Wait, but strip clubs are legal in America!" You have to understand that those strip clubs have very strict rules: you are not allowed to build or open one within a certain distance of houses, schools and churches, which means basically no strip clubs in many cities! People go outside the city for having fun Smiley :) Also, full nudity can be BANNED in strip clubs here LOL.
So first of all, if somebody intends to open a physical studio in the USA, that person should check ALL the national, state and city laws and regulations regarding SOBs (sexually oriented businesses). Otherwise, you risk being shut down in a matter of days by the local authorities; not to mention the possibility of having a furious crowd of religious zealots in front of your studio, demanding your head.
Another important thing is that in America, people are encouraged to become independent from a very early age. This thing doesn't happen on the same scale in Romania or Russia etc. Americans will want to become small business owners and independent contractors instead of regular employees in a studio. Camming here is much more directed towards the INDY side of the spectrum, if that makes sense. American models are becoming successful by being themselves and not by reproducing for 8 hours a day what the studio managers teach them.
Hey, peeps, I've missed you and your topics, lately. But word is that someone is lookin' for an opinion about my family. My team from Studio20. I'd like to say few things about them, since you haven't decided yet what path should you choose. Since day one they appreciated me and made me feel like I can do ANYTHING! That I must improve my english, that I must be more open with my members in the chatroom, that my hair looks better when it lays on my shoulders and that with ambition and a bit of craziness you can conquer the world. This experience is probably the best and I know there will be so much more for me, as a part of Studio20. This year I was nominated as "Best Newcomer" and on June 7, I won. This is not just my effort and my hard work, it's something with this team & I'm not even joking!!! They always take it all and leave no chance to the others, but that's what we do, #WeSucceedTogether.
It's odd isn't it? I feel like cam studios are either amazing or 100% awful. Smiley :8
The best way to succeed is to get all the information you need. You can become popular and successful on your own if you have the will to learn and improve, and if you invest a right amount of time on it. Ask, watch how others did, grow. There are plenty of tutorials on the internet about technical stuff, plenty of make up tutorials, cam attitude and so on.

Studios can be helpful but they can be a nightmare. For me, the experience with this well marketed s 20 was a nightmare but i had the desire to rebuild myself fast. Yes, they pretend to help at the beginning. But the moment you want to leave, they will make your life miserable, especially if you are a good model. A model before me, a very successful one, was left without the 15 K when she left. Another, was fulled to work from her home but still have her account linked to them so the guru of this studio could take his share. You try to protect yourself and you don't go to the police and they know it. I know so many stories about it that i am surprised girls still want to work for them. The guy having this studio is a pathological thief. Find out his name and google it. They pay everywhere: to get awards, to appear in press as the best studio, they fuck other studios in Romania calling the police on them for various reasons... after all the decision is yours. But in Romania this business belongs to a pimp mafia. And the owner of this particular studio is a venomous greedy pimp. Against his innocent-nerdy appearance.
So please, take care of your mind sanity and your budget.
If you still want to go for a physical studio, ask everywhere first. Reviews that contain hashtags # are usually marketing. So no review that comes from the team of the studio can be trustworthy.
I am glad WCG exists so we can read and share reviews.
I recommend studio20, but it would be great to start your research online(they have many pages on fb and twitter), if you want I can talk about my experience as a model here(im here for a few months now and so far its been good), later on you could schedule a meeting with a manager so that you can see what it is physically, instead of opinions. Would you move to Romania or work from home?
Thanks for the article. Thanks for the comments girls!!!!Smiley (K)
Hero
When I started camming in 2002, I worked out of studios because I didn't have a computer or know that people could even do this privately from home. I lived in Vegas were there were many camming studios. Since I started working from home, I prefer that. It's convient because I don't have to go anywhere else to cam. If I decide to take a break for a snack, no problem. I can just go right to my kitchen. If somebody requests an outfit, I can just go to my closet or drawers. I don't have to worry about forgetting anything or leaving it at home because I am at home. Plus, I"m an introvert so working from home by myself suites me well.

Related Posts

How to Fail as a Cam Model

I'm writing this not as the most successful cam model in the business, but as a cam model who has seen way too many models fail. I'm also referring to female models, males have different challenges plus a different clientele.*break*  Why did I start? I have been a cam model for about ten years. My situation was that I had a full time career type job, but I needed additional funds for a boob e [...]

Building PREMIUM Connections

The adult camming industry is made up of different market niches: Premium and Freemium camming. The goal of this article is to indicate that premium camming services can not work properly if they continue to be promoted as the same services as freemium camming because they have their own specificities. Otherwise, businesses could lose revenue from this consumer group. *break* The big players co [...]

New Camming Perspective (ncp) nominated “Live Cam Awards 2021”

“As long as I fight, I am moved by hope; and if I fight with hope, then I can wait.” ― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed BEST LIVE CAM TRAINING PROGRAM — Priscila Magossi, NCP Affection and erotism constitute important aspects of human subjectivity. The nomination of the independent project, New Camming Perspective’s (NCP), in the category: “BEST LI [...]

Want to write an article or get interviewed?