Among the longest-lasting and most successful of adult entertainment websites, bondage and kink portal Wasteland.com and its associated properties have blazed a trail through the industry, growing along with the technology that powers it.
Wasteland has also found a curiously extreme level of acceptance from a staggering range of mainstream media outlets that have embraced the brand and its saucy content, which dovetails nicely with the “50 Shades” phenomenon and other cultural phenomena.
The vast majority of our films cast real couples from the New England and New York BDSM communities who already have chemistry, and have ‘played’ together for some time.
From the humblest of roots to the dominance of a constantly growing range of content distribution and promotional platforms, Wasteland has served as an inspiration for the broader industry and fans alike for more than 25 years.
And the brand is showing no signs of slowing down.
To get a better understanding of the site’s secrets to sustained success, XBIZ turned to Wasteland CEO Colin Rowntree — one of the industry’s most popular and widely-known personalities, for his insights on the evolution of the site, the industry — and his mission to fulfill the darker side of desire.
XBIZ: What led to the launch of Wasteland and what challenges did you face along the way?
Rowntree: In 1994, Angie and I had a mail-order bondage gear and attire catalog and decided to try putting the photos of the pretty gals in kinky leather on that new thing, the internet. It became quickly apparent that a lot of people were looking at the images (and burning then-expensive bandwidth), but not buying anything, so we decided to put all the photos in a primitive members’ area and charged $10 for admission. It was immediately profitable and Wasteland.com was born.
Being one of the first adult sites on the internet, the next 25 years presented many challenges in all aspects of CMS, billing, traffic, video broadcast and pretty much every other thing involved in running a network of internet paysites and free sites/blogs. If I were to say which aspect has presented the most challenges, it would be video production and online distribution.
During the early days, we shot on VHS cameras and used PC capture cards to get the data and then “broadcast” with an archaic platform called RealPlayer, with maximum video dimensions of 240x180 pixels (think animated postage stamps)! My how times changed over the years, and a few years ago after going through all of the phases of upgrading to high-definition, we now shoot on Red Cinema Cameras in 4-6K.
XBIZ: At what point did you consider the site to be a success?
Rowntree: Up until around 1997, we offered one-time purchases for memberships (at that time only providing original photography content), and during that period, members needed to manually renew their membership with another purchase. Then, my original mentor, the founder and owner of Naughty.com, convinced me of the merits of automatic rebilling and revenue literally exploded within months and we were then what I considered a success.
XBIZ: Can you tell us about the site’s current offerings?
Rowntree: Wasteland offers well over 1,600 original movies and many thousands more that we have purchased or leased, including content from other paysites and studios using the “members’ area content/traffic exchange” model.
We lost track years ago of how many photos, but at last count close to a million. We also operate a network of free blogs that are updated many times a week with BDSM articles, photos, stories and short original video clips that all to link back to Wasteland.com’s paysite tour and form one of the foundations of our social media presence.
XBIZ: Have you always used a studio for original productions?
Rowntree: We have had a studio from day one for our original photo and then video productions. In the 1990s, our “studio” was a primitive set in the basement of our house (remember all of those Japanese fold-out screens from the 90s? You get the idea). For the past 18 years, we have owned a large “shooting house” that houses a large dungeon set, and a dozen domestic interior rooms for a diversity of visual settings.
XBIZ: What defines the Wasteland aesthetic and how does this distinguish it from the competition?
Rowntree: One of our taglines for Wastleland is “Real Couples, Real Scenes, Real Orgasms, Real BDSM,” which pretty much sums it up. The vast majority of our films cast real couples from the New England and New York BDSM communities who already have chemistry, and have “played” together for some time, which leads to a totally different vibe from other studios’ “flog and fuck” style of BDSM filming. We also mix the BDSM activities with a great deal of “psycho-drama,” which really propels the movies along in a natural and authentic manner.
XBIZ: Do your productions have any technical advantages and are you pushing the bleeding edge with VR exploits or high-K juiciness?
Rowntree: Although we do shoot some VR scenes, our primary “bleeding edge” focus is on ultra-high-definition filming with professional cameras and Hollywood indie film production standards. The results are often rather stunning and this really catches the eye of surfers and converts to sales.
XBIZ: What are your favorite types of scenes and why?
Rowntree: My favorite scenes are somewhat unusual “spy-training” and “interrogation” films. These have ranged from East German crazy Stasi officer FemDoms interrogating hapless female submissives to spy training films in which the trainee is subjected to a range of punishments to test their mettle if captured in the future by enemy agents.
An example of this is our film, “BDSM Test Pilot,” where, according to its description, “Deep in a subterranean facility, in a secret location just outside London lies the labs and experimentation facility of a secret organization. Today, thanks to a beautiful volunteer from France (Vyxen Steele), Q and his men will be testing some new and interesting equipment, that is guaranteed to make their beautiful interrogation subject bend to their commands.”
I love these scenes because they have a depth of plot and energy that naturally lend themselves to BDSM activities.
XBIZ: Your wife has gained international acclaim for her own work in adult. How big a role does she play in the success of Wasteland and its associated brands?
Rowntree: My wife Angie plays a huge role in the success of Wasteland and its associated brands. She is the chief financial officer, the still photographer, onset performer advocate, and too many other valuable contributions to list!
XBIZ: Wasteland content has a reputation for being everywhere. Tell us about your favorite distribution channels and how they have evolved.
Rowntree: Indeed, Wasteland’s content is literally everywhere on legitimate distribution networks. These range from video on demand sites like AdultEmpire.com and KinkOnDemand.com, to our newest collaboration with Bree Mills and Karl Bernard at AdultTime.com. As our content is BDSM, that makes it ineligible for most cable and satellite distribution as it is too rough, but as new distribution options arrive, we are always among the first to collaborate with them.
XBIZ: What sector of adult is driving the market most these days and how does Wasteland fit into the equation?
Rowntree: Social media is probably the biggest driver of the market these days, and surprisingly, large free tube and content sites like Pornhub through their content partner program and premium partner program. We are very active on Twitter, both with our own daily Wasteland posts using content from WastelandBlog.com and with the help of 7 Veils Media for promoting Angie’s “porn for women” site, Sssh.com. As far as the tubes go, we upload both short clips from Wasteland movies three times a week as a regular content partner and one full scene per week to the Pornhub Premium program as well as to KinkOnDemand.
XBIZ: What does the future hold for the industry as a whole and for Wasteland in particular?
Rowntree: Innovate, Innovate, Innovate! That is the key to staying ahead of the curve and mission-critical for both Wasteland and all adult industry sites and services.
XBIZ: You have a wide variety of interests beyond adult. Tell us a little about these and whether you are able to devote any time to them?
Rowntree: Beyond being a BDSM porn producer and director, I also have a Ph.D. in orchestral conducting and many years “in the pit,” directing everything from opera to stage musicals like “Annie” on Broadway once upon a time. I still keep a bit of skin in that game as time permits, but over the years, I have simply gotten totally focused on my adult business.
XBIZ: What else do XBIZ readers need to know about Wasteland?
Rowntree: Anything and everything! The best way to keep track of my and Wasteland’s activities is on XBIZ.net where I am a Community Ambassador and post frequently as to our comings and goings in the adult industry. You can also follow the Wasteland Twitter feed at @wastelandmovies, which is a mixture of original content being showcased, and musings about Wasteland and the adult industry as a whole.