From humble beginnings in a small basement apartment four years ago, ManyVids has flexed serious industry power to become a hulking platform for adult content creators of every stripe.
Now, its brand is as instantly recognizable as the pink heart-shaped lock n’ crown logo splashed across its multifaceted platform, not to mention that ultra-stylish swag that pops up all over social media.
As a company focused on the objective of making the adult industry a better place, we wanted to help bring increased attention and awareness to our quest to promote sex positivity, as well as inclusivity for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity.
Offering a suite of features that spans video clips, live streamed shows and sex-positive activism, ManyVids has rapidly established itself as one of the biggest names in the biz.
Attracting as many porn stars as it does cam models to produce content on its site — dubbing them all MV Stars universally — the company defies categorization.
And just when it seems like ManyVids has reached its zenith, the company unveils a brand new venture guaranteed to draw eyeballs and big bucks, like the MV Mag publication, the safe-for-work MV Pop and the home-away-from-home hijinks of MV Loft visitors.
To get the inside scoop on the ever-evolving brand, XBIZ mined the minds behind that singular ManyVids magic, in this exclusive company profile!
XBIZ: Tell us about your beginnings. How did ManyVids become what it is today?
MV: The formation of ManyVids has been nothing short of a wild adventure. We launched from a small basement apartment and started with nothing but a very small team and a dream to create something big. Over the past few years, it has been astonishing to watch it grow and see how far we’ve come. With dedication, and the ability to see the bigger picture, we knew that giving up was not an option if we wanted to really transform the adult industry and give adult entertainers the safe haven that they deserved.
The MV Stars enjoy the platform because of the freedom and innovation. We are constantly developing new features that will help provide them with the tools they need to succeed. We also have no limitations on self-promotion, so the MV Stars are free to take control of their careers. We do not try to control them or limit their success with nonsensical rules. We believe that giving them the freedom to be themselves is the ultimate key.
With a mixture of all types of content creators (MV Girls, producers, MV Trans and MV Boys) our inclusivity is also what makes us the model-preferred platform. We’ve recently crossed an exciting bridge with our traffic as well. Our Alexa rank has now deemed us the No.1 clip site in the world, and we would not be where we are today without the strength of our MV Community.
XBIZ: ManyVids has no shortage of extra features, like paid memberships, texting services and crowdfunding. Which have proven to be most popular, beyond selling video content?
MV: To be honest, it probably couldn’t be narrowed down to one feature. The sky’s the limit when it comes to what the MV Stars can create and offer in their MV Profiles and that is the beauty of it. With so many great and fun features and even more to come, MV Stars will never run out of ways to get creative!
XBIZ: In 2016, ManyVids launched the MV Mag, a highly esteemed magazine that celebrates the beautiful MV Stars. How has the editorial content evolved since the very first issue?
MV: The MV Mag has come a very long way and we will continue to streamline the artistic direction of the magazine as we move forward. We are proud to develop a highly refined publication that showcases all different types of beautiful MV Stars. We are also proud to announce that we will soon be launching the very first MV Trans edition of our MV Mag and we can’t wait to show the world!
XBIZ: Let’s delve into projects like MV Pop and MV Loft. What can MV Stars look forward to and expect when participating in those initiatives?
MV: Both MV Pop and the MV Loft were projects that we were excited to work on and offer to our MV Stars! MV Pop has granted them the opportunity to create fun and comedic vids to be promoted on a SFW platform and help them reach an audience outside of the adult industry.
The MV Loft enables us to push the industry’s creative boundaries. It also allows us to interact with our MV Stars more dynamically and closely. And lastly, it gives MV Stars a creative space they can travel to together, shoot content and most importantly, build lasting friendships within their own community. Seeing the MV Stars come each week and being able to witness the bonding between them is an irreplaceable feeling.
XBIZ: ManyVids has, arguably, some of the very best swag, not to mention swagger. How do you pull off that colorful-yet-edgy vibe that MV Stars love so much?
MV: With a team of artistic individuals from various backgrounds, we’re naturally bringing a distinguished flair to our MV Gear selection. Our perspective about our MV Gear is completely one of a kind. We realize that cam girls, porn stars and content creators have a unique lifestyle and our goal with our MV Gear collection is to brainstorm and create fashionable statement pieces that are comfortable and trendy — something that represents their luminary lifestyle and that they are proud to wear!
XBIZ: How have celebrity partnerships with the likes of Amber Rose and Farrah Abraham helped penetrate the zeitgeist with sex-positive ManyVids panache?
MV: We are now in a new era of sexual expression. Women are now sexually empowered more than ever. More and more, mainstream celebrities are promoting sex positivity, combatting slut shaming, rape culture, victim blaming and other pathological elements that harm women’s sexuality. As a company focused on the objective of making the adult industry a better place, we wanted to help bring increased attention and awareness to our quest to promote sex positivity, as well as inclusivity for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity. We are also very happy to announce that Coco Austin has now joined forces with MV. She is amazing and is truly an outstanding role model who will help us make a difference.
XBIZ: On a similar note, ManyVids launched the “#WeAreMany” campaign last fall, raising awareness and funds to help end violence against sex workers. What inspired this movement and what’s next for the company’s charitable works?
MV: Violence against sex workers has been a critical issue in the industry and it was something that we were always painfully aware of. With the rise of the #MeToo movement, as well as some vocal industry proponents for this issue, we wanted to start a campaign that would bring more attention to the dangers and risks that sex workers face in the industry. So, we launched the #WeAreMany campaign and it was one of our proudest moments in the company’s history. At the end of it, we donated $11,800 for the Sex Workers Outreach Project USA to help end violence against sex workers.
No matter what, we will continue aiming to make the sex industry a safer place with the aspiration of ending sex abuse around the world. We sponsored The Amber Rose Slut Walk of 2017 and we became the corporate sponsor of the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection, which is an organization that fights child pornography on the internet. We want to continue making the world a better place and enabling all sex workers to remain safe and be successful.
XBIZ: In late 2017, you jumped into live streaming via MV Takeover. How did that industry shakeup play out?
MV: That was a big moment for us. We’ve developed our own streaming technology and we’ve received tons of feedback from our MV Stars about how crisp and smooth their cam shows have been. Being able to put one MV Girl at a time in the spotlight for all of our members to see is great exposure for them. It helps with traffic to their profiles, gives them the ability to interact with a wider audience, and of course get showered with tokens. Our Takeover has been a great success, and it has demonstrated to all our MV Stars that we’re constantly trying to push the boundaries of what we can do. We’re also very excited to start offering the Takeover to the MV Trans Stars, so that everyone within the MV Community can experience and benefit from this feature.
XBIZ: Keeping your MV Stars happy and healthy holds so much importance, especially in the wake of so many tragic industry losses. How has your in-house hotline helped strengthen the community with that extra layer of emotional/mental support?
MV: Having someone to talk to about intimate details regarding your professional life can be very difficult, especially if you’re in the adult industry. With so many unexpected tragedies, we recognize how many models in the industry have very few, if at all any, outlets where they can express the frustration, stress and many times the trauma that they experience.
We are so excited and happy to launch the MV Community Hotline very soon, and it will help us enormously in terms of supporting our MV Stars with the critical mental health issues they may be burdened with. Moreover, we want our MV Stars to know that we’re here for them, so that they may take steps forward in their career with added confidence and self-assuredness.
We want to motivate sex workers to go further in their careers and be a supportive presence in their lives. It is very difficult mentally, as well as physically to be a sex worker, one of the big reasons being how society judges them. Our belief is that sex workers bring so much good to this world and they need to be aware of how courageous, as well as valuable they are. They have our utmost respect and we want everyone to know that we are here to stand and fight with them.
XBIZ: What’s next for ManyVids?
MV: We want to change the adult industry standard and empower sex workers from all walks of life. That is the core of MV and the drive behind everything we do. With that being said, whatever serves our grand vision — which is to transform the adult industry into a safe haven that promotes sex positivity and the fair treatment of adult entertainers — will be our next plan for the foreseeable future!
