Today JFK is possibly the preeminent photographer of events for the online adult industry. His family moved in 1963 to Canada, where he still lives, outside Toronto. The Iron Curtain permanently lifted nearly a generation ago from Hungary and the other Soviet puppet states. Budapest is still a battleground, but not for political enemies. Now it's where web girls compete for Livesex.com's Live Sex Awards. JFK was there to photograph the action in May.
It was the lure of profits that originally drew JFK to the industry, he stresses, "but then the business and its aspects kind of suck you in, so here I am seven years later."
The galleries on Fubar Webmasters read like a captain's log, charting JFK's constant movements along the points of the industry's social network. He's covered everything from the Negril Net Bash in Jamaica to Eurowebtainment in Mallorca to Webmaster Access Europe in Amsterdam to dozens of events in Canada and the U.S.
JFK's interests, however, go beyond the adult industry. His online galleries include photos from the Canadian Aviation Expo and the Toronto Auto Show.
He began his career in hotel and restaurant management then went into real estate for about seven years.
A Lot of Hats
"I managed a Century 21 franchise with 28 salespeople," he says.
"This went to shit when the interest rates climbed up into the 19-20 percent
range." Among his other jobs, he's driven a cab and even had a stint as a
professional actor doing bit parts in the theater.
But it was his experience selling antique and estate jewelry online that set the stage for his entry into adult.
"I started in the adult business in 1999, after a friend told me about the potential profits," he recalls. "I had [the jewelry] site at the time, so I had a little inkling about how to get the next one started. We went into partnership for a little while, until he wouldn't keep his end up. Then I took the webmaster who built the sites on as a partner."
JFK adds cryptically that the webmaster is still in the business and some may even know him.
JFK still sells jewelry in-between his travels for Fubar Webmasters.
"I buy diamonds, gold, used jewelry, high-grade watches and some antiques for cash," he says. "This way, according to the local bylaws where I operate, when it clears the police books in 20 days, I can do with it as I please. It is a very profitable business, and I love doing it. I like to keep busy. I own some real estate as well, so it keeps me off the streets." It also keeps him young at 56.
The Hustle
Fubarwebmasters.com makes its revenue through ads on the site. Its
sponsors include hosting firms NationalNet and Got Web Host, affiliate programs
Smashbucks and Rage Cash and webmaster resource sites Oprano and YNOT.
"I am mostly happy with the income, which would put some of the more well-known boards to shame," JFK says. "This is not to brag, but my retention is fantastic, some advertisers being with me for three years or so. The way I look at it is, I am only as good as my last show, so I bust my ass at every one to bring value for the advertising dollar."
That hard work has put JFK and Fubar Webmasters in the enviable position of having advertisers come to them.
"It sure is a change from the beginning days," he notes. "But you do have to start somewhere. I spend very little time selling ads. I talk to webmasters in passing at the shows then get back to them after, to discuss details. I do not have a sales force out there hustling, although I do have Baddog of Gotwebhost.com as an authorized agent, as well as my brother PIX, who shoots for me from time to time."
Another indispensable member of the Fubar team is JFK's wife, Sandy, better known to the webmaster community as "Mrs. Fubar." By all accounts, JFK has a great working relationship with his spouse.
"Well, I better, or she'll kick me out," he jokes. "Mrs. Fubar is the person who actually does all the work. I just take the credit. She does everything with the site, including overnighters when we have to get the pics up. I get to party, she gets to do the work. I think it's pretty even. Don't you? She does everything!"
Fubar Times
JFK recently launched a quarterly magazine, Fubar Times, which is
mailed to webmasters and distributed at industry events. [As of April 2006, XBIZ
is the official media sponsor of Fubar Times, and JFK is the official event
photographer for XBIZ World.]
"The inspiration was that I had to take things to the next level," JFK says of Fubar Times. "If you don't progress, you die. I have the largest library of adult webmaster event pics in the industry, so I thought, why not print a magazine that is of interest to webmasters aside from what everyone else is doing? So far, it has been an unqualified success. Future plans involve going bimonthly — but not until I'm good and ready — then sell out to the New York Times and retire."
Given the increasing line blurring between adult entertainment and mainstream culture, that last part might not be so whimsical after all.
JFK is also getting ready to distribute the second Fubar calendar.
"The calendar is one of my babies. There are several other projects in the works, including the revamping of Fubar Webmasters," he says with the measured attitude of someone who makes a living in the fast-moving, often confusing currents of the adult industry. "But we're in no great hurry — if it ain't broke don't fix it."
