Page 50 - AVN September 2016

Flirt4Free Acquires Gay.com, Gay.net
In one of the biggest acquisitions of the year in adult
community, VS Media said it is uniquely positioned to take the
entertainment, VS Media, the parent company of live cams
domain to new heights.
heavyweight, Flirt4Free, on Thursday announced it has
“Our goal is to provide all the news that we think will
bought Gay.com and Gay.net from Here Media.
be fitting for the portal, such as everything from lifestyle to
The deal, which was finalized for an undisclosed sum, marks
finance, to automobiles, to fashion, to stock feeds—anything
the beginning of a new era for the 20-year-old VS Media, which
that we think will be a value to the customers of the portal,
has built a worldwide community of millions of webcam chat
which includes user-generated content,” Clayman said. “But
users that includes a vibrant and engaged gay customer base.
we want to do it in such a classy way where we can align of
Since 1997, Gay.com has been a personals, chat, and news
ourselves with the likes of Grindr and other major portals.”
resource for the gay community online. It transitioned to
He added, “This site will take a lot of time and effort to live
Here Media in 2009, focusing primarily on dating and news by
providing sourced content from Here’s other properties such as
Out Magazine, The Advocate, and Pride.com.
“We’ve been looking for an opportunity such as this for quite some time now,”
Gregory Clayman, president and owner of VS Media, told AVN. “We’re very
much dedicated to the gay marketplace and we felt this was a perfect fit for the
company.”
As the leading provider of gay webcams online, VS Media has forged affiliate
up to its name, but we fully intend to maintain the integrity
and the community spirit Gay.com has built up over the years.”
In order to achieve that vision and run a new operation while
also fortifying its standing in the live-cam space, the owner said plans call for
expanding the team with a strategic business unit.
“We’re going to hire a separate business unit to manage the day-to-day
operations of Gay.com,” Clayman said. “We already have part of the specialized
group but we plan to hire more people that are just dedicated to the success
relationships with many of the top gay studios, news outlets, blogs and retail
products.
Clayman said VS Media has penetrated the gay market so much in recent years
that it now accounts for approximately 50 percent of the company’s business.
“It really came down to opportunity knocks and it’s not always perfect timing,
but I think you have to look at the opportunity that presents itself with a URL
such as Gay.com,” Clayman continued. “With our commitment to the gay market
and the accolades from consumers and trade shows alike, it was really more of
a natural fit and it was something that we really didn’t have to contemplate too
much given our position already within the gay marketplace.”
The intention is to turn Gay.com into a mainstream, lifestyle site with user-
generated content and interactivity. Beyond their experience in adult video chat,
VS Media will be branching out into the mainstream space to service a much
larger online community.
With its wealth of resources, the technology, and a commitment to the gay
of Gay.com, so therefore we can keep things separate if we’d like and we can
integrate where it’s appropriate. We want to make sure that we provide the top
quality that people have come to expect from us and not to try to be the jack of all
trades and master of none.
“It’s one thing to acquire the domain, it’s another thing to materialize it into
something fantastic. And our goal is to materialize it into something fantastic and
phenomenal. That’s where we envision it going.”
He indicated the new venture is part of a larger plan “to extend our brand as a
technology and media company.”
Clayman said Gay.com would be undergoing a makeover during the next
three months once the new team is fully in place. “What is up there now is not
permanent. We’re going to do a complete revamp,” he said.
Representatives from VS Media will be attending Webmaster Access in
September. To contact them, email sales@flirt4free.com.
—Dan Miller
Tucker Scott Tapped to Head Next Door Studios Productions
He began his career in the adult industry nearly nine
of Tucker Scott to head the Next Door Studios
Next Door Studios has announced the promotion
years ago as an award-winning performer who went on to
productions. In his new role, Scott will oversee
develop and operate his personal website. Scott maintained
the studio’s operations in Las Vegas. His
a successful social media presence and consistent
responsibilities will include casting, creative development,
interactions with members and fans. Sirard caught wind of
branding and marketing, and new products. He also will
Scott’s success with his solo website and brought him on
GAYVN
continue as the exclusive in-house senior director of
content.
Having been with the company for more than five years,
Scott has worked his way through the ranks to become a
key member of Next Door Studios. “This promotion is well
deserved,” said Stephan Sirard, president of Next Door
Entertainment. “Tucker has held several positions with
us, from promotions and events manager to marketing
manager to casting director. With every new position
Tucker has brought professionalism, creativity and his own
pizzazz.”
Scott was known for his contributions to the mainstream
music industry before shifting to adult entertainment.
Having managed some of the music industry’s well-known
stars and been in charge of planning several major tours, he
has established himself as a professional who knows how
to get things done efficiently in a hectic environment.
to work with several exclusive models to build a network of
sites featuring them as individual performers.
“I could not be more honored to have this opportunity to
take full control of what has become my child, if you will,
for the past five years. Our family here and the talent we
work with are some of the most wonderful individuals you
could hope ever to know and each day they inspire me and
provide me with a platform to produce a product that I am
proud of and excited to deliver to our incredible and loyal
members,” Tucker said.
He added, “I have pushed the bar on quality in our
content so that we could secure our place as a mega-
brand in the premium content market. Now with the new
location in Las Vegas and the team that we have built, this
vision can once again take root and we can provide an even
better content quality to complement our industry leading
network.”
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