Page 42 - AVN March 2017

FEATURE
FLIRTING WITH SUCCESS
Gregory Clayman entertains in Internext keynote
“He had just returned from a year abroad exploring the world. I pitched him on an idea. I said I wanted to create
something called the Cyber Advisors Network,” Clayman said.
“He said, ‘What’s that?’ I said I want to connect my clients with their advisors with myself all on my video in the
room. So we could do financial planning properly and do it quickly and officially. The idea was novel and definitely
before its time. Yet the excitement of capitalizing on the untold potential of the web was captivating.”
Even though Clayman’s friend liked the idea, once they started developing it they realized actually doing it might
be a tall order with no clear path to profitability.
“So I got to thinking and we researched what it would take to bring a site like this to market. During this
research he showed me another example of video conferencing. He took me to Fun.nl,” Clayman recalled.
“For those who know that site or remember that site it streamed little thumbnail live images of Club Casa Rosso
out of Amsterdam. And it was the first in live video conferencing. We did some more research and the word on the
street was they were making a killing and we felt as though we could do it better if we had the right resources and
technology in place.
“Before my business was even started we reinvented ourselves and scrapped the Cyber Advisors Network in
favor of the untapped opportunity for live adult video chat, realizing early that the Internet is for porn.”
Clayman and his partners at the time founded the company in 1996 in Stoughton, Mass, a suburb of Boston, and
moved into a small, nondescript office building. They acquired the most popular software from the largest point-
to-point video company that was in existence and built out five themed rooms by themselves.
“I remember this like it was yesterday. Eight of us hauled up three tons of sand to the second floor over two
days to build a beach; we brought the front end of a Chevy Impala up to the guys’ room; we built out a full stripper
stage with poles and things you could hang from upside down,” Clayman explained.
INTERNEXT 2017 | By Dan Miller
GREGORY CLAYMAN KEEPS IT ALL IN PERSPECTIVE.
“There are certain things we cannot change
that we are faced with, but you can certainly make
adjustments and forge ahead,” Clayman said
during his closing keynote address at the Internext
Expo, which took place January 16 in Vinyl
nightclub at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
The president and CEO of VS Media, the
company behind live video chat pioneer Flirt4Free,
said he learned to adapt and pivot during his 20-
plus year career in adult entertainment.
“Looking back, our success and longevity was
not just from working hard and being ethical,
the primary reason we have survived has been
our ability to reinvent ourselves several times,
embracing and adapting to every change and
challenge that came our way,” Clayman told the
crowd.
He said no one can predict where the adult
industry is going to be in the next five or 10 years,
adding that he’s seen too many people “chase the
money” without having any real vision.
“My approach was different, more simple,”
Clayman continued. “The secrets of the success
of VS Media and Flirt4Free are embedded in the
history of staying the course while reinventing
ourselves and our methods many times along the
way. ...”
“If one person here takes away something from
today’s talk that either helps them avoid a pitfall
or helps them be a little more successful, then I
feel I’ve accomplished what I set out to accomplish
today.”
Born in Bangor, Maine, Clayman graduated from
Bentley University in Massachusetts in 1992 with
a bachelor’s of science degree in management. He
was recruited out of college to immediately begin
working in the life insurance and financial services
industry.
“After two successful years of selling probably
the most difficult product you could sell, I left New
York Life and I started my own life insurance and
financial services business,” Clayman recounted.
Then in 1995 he met “a self-proclaimed
computer genius.”
‘IF ONE PERSON HERE TAKES AWAY
SOMETHING FROM TODAY’S TALK THAT
EITHER HELPS THEM AVOID A PITFALL …
I’VE ACCOMPLISHED WHAT I SET OUT TO
ACCOMPLISH TODAY.’
—GREGORY CLAYMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF VS MEDIA
“A local talent agency agreed to supply us with performers and after six months of playing pingpong and
smoking a hell of a lot of pot, we got the news we were looking for. Our merchant account was issued and we
were in business. Our first performers arrived the next day and we were online and broadcasting just hours later.
Everything was in place. All we needed now was some customers.”
The first few months were rough to say the least, Clayman admitted.
“Many of you likely have similar stories of laying it all out on the line for your business. One day in that first
year I proved that business adage completely when a male performer failed to show up for his shift,” he said with a
smile. “As they say, the show must go on. And yours truly stripped down and sat on the hood of a Chevy Impala on
the second floor of a little office in Stoughton to keep what little customers we had entertained for the next shift.”
The candid confession drew a round of applause.
“So I never, ever ask somebody to do what I haven’t and wouldn’t have done myself,” he added. “Looking back
on that time now, I’m very happy we chose to pivot from video conferencing for the financial services industry and
dove full force into the adult industry.”
Now Clayman is the only remaining founder of the Westlake Village, Calif.-based VS Media, which in June of
2016 celebrated its 20th year in business, taking pride in its position as a long-standing, ethical leader in the live
adult video chat arena.
In 2001 VS reinvented itself again with a huge push that entailed tripling the size of his office, according to
Clayman.
“I’m happy to say a number of people we hired during that push are still with the company,” Clayman said. He
then repeated twice for emphasis, “hiring the brightest people that have the skills that I don’t allowed my company
to reach its potential.”
“One of the things I’ve always tried to do over the years is put my ego aside and find the smartest people and let
them operate,” he reasoned.
“By the time we celebrated our 10th anniversary we threw a party at the Playboy mansion with Ron Jeremy
dressed as Santa Claus and I knew we had something special. So I committed at that point to make it even bigger.”
They threw another gaudy bash at the Playboy Mansion a year later and after that started the third phase of their
reinvention—getting down to serious business and “no more pissing away money.”
The rest of the partnership deals, acquisitions and shrewd moves are now part of live video chat history.
“If you only remember one thing, operate your business with the intention of being wildly successful,” Clayman
said. “If you think big things, big things will happen.”
He concluded that “none of it was easy, most of it was fun and all of it was worth it.”
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