Eric Wexel is indeed one of the pillars of the online adult entertainment industry, with his more than 25 years of creating and monetizing online projects.
These days, Wexel is focusing on FreeWebCams.com, which he built from the ground up for CECash.
I have always tried to take the best of what is out there and make it better. With cams there is stiff competition but no site seems to have it all. I created FreeWebCams to take the best from each individual site and combine them under one roof.
Described by peers as “straight to the point” and that he “speaks the truth and gets it done,” Wexel was nominated this year for XBIZ Exec Awards’ Senior Leadership Award for his leadership abilities and career success.
XBIZ recently sat down with Wexel for this Q&A interview to find out more about how he got where he is today, his latest project and the trending issues in the cams business.
XBIZ: You’ve been in the online adult industry for many years, and now you’re focusing on FreeWebCams.com. How did you get into the biz and what are some of your big accomplishments in your online adult career?
Wexel: I got into the business more than 25 years ago while in college when I invested in a company that shot and edited wedding videos. One thing led to another and the guy running the company started shooting and editing porn. He caught the cusp of the internet boom and became a multi-millionaire pioneer of internet porn, which gave me my roots and strong connections across the adult industry. Over the years I have been in and out of adult but building the FreeWebCams webcam platform is my biggest venture yet.
XBIZ: What makes FreeWebCams unique to other top live cams sites?
Wexel: I have always tried to take the best of what is out there and make it better. With cams there is stiff competition but no site seems to have it all. I created FreeWebCams to take the best from each individual site and combine them under one roof. I love the white label one-click functionality from Streammate, the organic independent model feel of MyFreeCams, and we already had CE Cash, which is one of the most successful affiliate programs in adult. We have the ability to pay more for a webcam join than most other programs out there, which gives us the edge.
XBIZ: How does social media come into play with FreeWebCams?
Wexel:It’s a game changer for the models who know how to use it. The difference we see in the earnings between a model who knows how to use social media effectively and a model that doesn’t is staggering. Basically models need to post and gain a targeted audience of fans and then they need to constantly remind them of when they will be live on cams. By doing this regularly in the days leading up to their show and then announcing that the show has started on FreeWebCams, it harnesses all of their fans where they are most beneficial. The models earnings can be 10 times what they would be without the help of social media.
XBIZ: Some mention that virtual reality combined with haptic technology as the next big thing for the online adult and live cams industries. What are your thoughts on VR’s future with live cams?
Wexel: I have tested a few options and it’s not there yet. We will be there soon and FreeWebCams will integrate it quickly. I see it as an additional niche or facet of our site that some will covet. I don’t think it will be the norm for the bulk of our audience.
XBIZ: Is there anything coming up for FreeWebCams?
Wexel: We recently launched our very flexible white label system, BuildCams.com, and we are launching our first interactive webcam house in Las Vegas on July 1.
