Some things that I have learned as a producer over the years:
Have thick skin
Not everyone is going to like you or your content. Not every model will want to work with you. You will hear NO a lot in this industry especially in the beginning of your career. I used to take it personally when a model didn’t want to work with me. I now understand that there are so many reasons why models say no and it may have nothing to do with me as a producer or as a person. It’s important to be introspective in order to improve yourself, but every rejection is not necessarily a repudiation of you.
You and your content might change over time
I started off producing mostly fem/fem wrestling with no erotic component. I also featured more plus sized models in the past. Now I produce almost exclusively erotic mixed wrestling with less plus sized models as before. The changes were based on sales and wanting to change the direction of CGW. It also reflected what I always wanted to produce. I do however have 3 confirmed shoots this year with some plus sized models.
Some people will get jealous
Friends and mutuals may get jealous of your success especially if it exceeds their own success. Particularly if your success was faster than their own. They may start rumors or bad mouth you on social media because of their jealousy or insecurity. How you deal with it is your own choice. Some producers/talent will aggressively fight back, others will ignore.
You may lose fans because you change the type of content that you produce. I went from shooting lots of fem vs fem to almost all mixed wrestling because 80% of my sales is mixed wrestling. I lost some fem vs fem fans.
You will lose people that you care about
See above. I have lost people who I thought were friends in the industry to drugs, mental health issues, money issues, fame, jealousy, retirement, marriage, political ideology, etc. This happens in all walks of life including the fetish world.
Models and producers are a dime a dozen
There are thousands of amazing models and producers in this business, but what I mean is that if you are looking for a certain type of model there are dozens of models that can fulfill that requirement. For example if I am looking for a curvy redhead for a shoot, there are a lot of curvy redheads plus curvy girls who will wear a wig. Do they all have interest in sex wrestling? No. Do they have different levels of ability that can affect the quality of the shoot? Of course. If you write a script specific for one person and that person declines do you throw away the script? I wouldn’t. I may need to re-write some parts but I can use another model.
In the same way, there are dozens of sex wrestling producers out there. So models have multiple options for work if I don’t choose to work with the model or if the model doesn’t choose to work with me.
Social media is your friend and your enemy
Most of your marketing, networking, fan interaction is going to come from social media. Use it wisely. Fans want to know everything about you. Be careful about how much of yourself you want the public to see. You should look to strike a balance. Too much posting without substance (buy my videos, send me money) will turn off your audience. Too little posting and your audience quickly forgets about you. I would recommend posting at least daily, but most talent/producers post several times a day.
Have multiple streams of revenue
Clips stores, tube sites, etc can get shut down quite easily. I do recommend having your own website even if it’s just a domain name and a simple “Under Construction” title page and slowly build it up. There are resources that can create a functioning website fairly easily. If things get shut down you need a place for your fans to find you.
Monitor your sales
Know what sells and what doesn’t. Know who your best customers are. Reward them for their loyalty. The first person that renewed his membership on the website received a free custom which ended up selling well for me. So it was a win-win.
Plan for decreased sales
You will have good sales periods and bad sales periods. Save some of your money. Use the good times to bolster the bad ones. Live within your means. Create an emergency fund.
Have fun!
