Page 56 - AVN December 2015

Mr. Skin Speaks
Jim McBride set to give the Internext keynote
you can go all in on. Come January 16, the heavy
hitters in the adult online industry will be at the Hard
Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas for several days of
intensive networking, educational seminars and high-
energy parties.
Veterans of the online adult world already know the
value of this webmaster show, now in its 16th year.
people in other adult sectors who are looking to step
up their online game.
the show will start a day early. Attendees can pick up
tThere are few sure bets in Las Vegas, but here’s one
And it also can serve as a valuable resource to business
To make a great show even better, pre-registration at
their badges on Friday, January 15 and be ready to roll
for the first day of the show, which runs January 16-
19. The presenting sponsor is Bitter Strawberry, with
registration sponsored by Pussycash.
Badge holders will gain admittance to the following
events:
• Networking affairs, including the Meet Market on
January 16.
• Internext’s robust program of educational
seminars featuring experts in all aspects of online
business.
• The GFY Awards and the Webmasters Jam after
party on January 18.
• All GayVN at Internext events, including the
GayVN Lounge.
• And perhaps most compelling, a seat at the
keynote presentation.
The keynote address is always a high point of the
Internext Expo, with past speakers representing
some of the largest companies in the online world.
Attendees have gotten the inside scoop from the
leaders of such tech giants as Manwin (now known
as Mindgeek), Gamma Entertainment, FriendFinder
Networks and Docler Media.
This year’s keynote speaker is the CEO of a company
that is now in its 16th year and is an exemplar of the
way in which an adult brand can gain traction in the
mainstream entertainment world. That man is Jim
McBride, who founded the site MrSkin.com back in
1999, before many of today’s leading companies were
even a glimmer in a young programmer’s eye.
McBride’s brainchild has grown into SK
Intertainment, the digital media company that
oversees such diverse brands as Naked News, Fleshbot
and Mr. Man.
Those who attended the Internext Expo in 2013
will fondly remember Mr. Skin’s participation that
year, as the company was gearing up for expansion.
Among the events it sponsored was a splashy night of
entertainment at the KISS-themed Monster Mini Golf
course, complete with a performance by the tribute
FEATURE
band Mini KISS.
AVN lobbed a few questions at McBride to get a
preview of what the CEO will have up his sleeve for
Internext attendees.
56 | AVN.com | 12.15
Effectively monetizing web surfers who won’t ever
join your site is also very important. We’re actually
really bullish on that front for 2016 and beyond.
—Jim McBride, CEO of SK Intertainment
AVN: When was the first time you attended Internext?
Jim McBride: My first Internext was at the Venetian
in January 2000. Mr. Skin was only four months old
at that point, and Internext was the first trade show
I had ever been to—let alone an adult trade show! I
was like a kid in a candy store. The thing is: I still am!
Are you looking forward to addressing the crowd at
Internext?
To be asked to address Internext is an honor by any
standards. As a grown man known as “Mr. Skin,”
though, it’s an honor beyond my wildest dreams. The
adult business has been tremendously generous to
me. It’s also been more fun than I could have ever
imagined. So to speak before the industry’s biggest
annual event is a privilege and an even bigger thrill
than checking out the latest celebrity nudes!
After 15 years as the head of your own company, what
part of running your business excites you the most?
As both an employer and just in general, I’ve always
had a “generosity gene,” so it’s especially rewarding
to see it pay off in the form of talented people who
rise up through the ranks of the business. Sam
Rakowski is one shining example. In 2001, Sam
started out in our content department, looking for
nip slips and writing down nude scene times. Now
he’s the company president. Like Sam, many other
employees have also been with us for more than
a decade, and it’s great to see them flourishing
in leadership roles. Everybody on the staff wants
everyone else to succeed. That makes for a happy
workplace. In fact, this is actually the company I grew
up always wanting to work for, and not just because
I get to stare at nude celebrities all day. That doesn’t
hurt, of course.
In 2014, Mr. Skin had a growth spurt, when you
acquired Fleshbot and started Mr. Man. How have those
business moves changed your company and affected
your job as CEO?
Mr. Man, which is like Mr. Skin for naked male
celebrities, is responsible for the biggest change. It
comes down to two words: nude dudes. So now I
need to know some things about some THINGS, if
you will. In reality, though, some of the parts (private
and otherwise) may change with each new venture,
but the heart of the company has always and will