As the content creation game and its players become ever more sophisticated, releasing all manner of sexy premium scenes across numerous digital platforms, another shadowy force grows equally more sophisticated as well: piracy.
To protect creators from content-stealing and privacy-invading goons, BranditScan offers a one-stop, stop-them-all shop.
Having content available for free without consent on multiple sites, and indexed in Google, will diminish legitimate organic traffic, and ultimately, sales and visibility.
From cracking down on piracy with bulk DMCA and Google takedowns through data-driven technology and hands-on customer service, to watching the web like a hawk continually for any new threats to your brand, they aim to secure you fully.
Founded by the former CTO of clips juggernaut ManyVids, Gino Sciretta is no stranger to the business of sex. That is why he built his service from the ground up with the needs of talent in mind, after years spent engaging with them as a trusted member of the biz.
As a result, BranditScan not only has a premium plan that offers 24/7 brand monitoring, access to online privacy experts, SEO analysis and a community forum (among the above-mentioned DMCA perks), they are also rolling out new features all the time.
Take their recently debuted Guardian Angel program, where fans can gift the $45 per month BranditScan service to their favorite model. That creator-centric approach to marketing and empowering talent is a cornerstone of Sciretta’s mission, as he reveals in the scope of this XBIZ company profile.
XBIZ: Tell us about your professional background in adult prior to BranditScan, and how your experiences have shaped your approach to the biz.
Gino: As the co-founder of Manyvids 7 years ago and as its CTO for five of those years, I built up the tech stack from the ground up. I came into this industry as a full stack programmer, from UI/UX design to server cloud architecture. I am also a passionate entrepreneur with a unique advantage because not only do I know how to design a product visually and programmatically, but I can also run and successfully scale a business.
Moreover, over these past years, I have gained valuable knowledge regarding high bandwidth websites, payment processing, mass payouts and many other crucial facets in the adult industry. I learned very quickly that the adult industry needed a more professional approach and that I was going to help lead that movement. Content creators deserve safe, solid and forward-thinking platforms.
XBIZ: What inspired you to launch BranditScan in today's market?
Gino: Not only do I have a passion for technology and security, but I am also keen on launching new projects and businesses. With COVID and the explosion of content creators on the web today, we are seeing an influx of people who have no knowledge on how to protect the content they are uploading and how to keep their online privacy secure. It was very important for me to create something that caters to the modern content creator, and I believe I am uniquely qualified to bring this service to them.
XBIZ: How does your service distinguish itself in this competitive field?
Gino: I am not someone who likes to compare myself to others, so I will tell you why BranditScan would be a great partner for any content creator. Our mission is to bring the technology and the tools to every content creator, at the best affordable price. Currently, it is very expensive to protect content, and I want to change that. Content creators need to have full visibility on how their brands are being used as well as access to someone who can make sure their online privacy is secure.
Let’s just say, we want every content creator to be able to afford protecting their content. BranditScan will cater to content creators, and it will be feature-driven by them. We are not only building a content and online privacy protection solution; we are also creating an informed community by helping content creators regain control of their brands.
XBIZ: Discuss the technology behind BranditScan and the ways in which it crawls the web to find content that links to creators' brand.
Gino: Searching Google and Bing and investigating pirate sites, torrents, cyber lockers, forums and subreddits are two of the methods we use to protect brands and find infringements. As more data is being collected, we will be able to use machine learning to make our system more efficient.
With tube sites going in the direction of verified content, such as Pornhub, pirate sites and underground content-sharing methods will drastically increase in the online piracy world. Compared to the technology of a site such as MV, content protection is less complex. Nonetheless, I plan to take it up a notch and bring innovation to this side of the business.
BranditScan will not be your mom-and-pop operation like I have seen so far, where one or two people are doing 100 tasks. In fact, I intend to scale it drastically and bring modern tech where it is much needed. I have already done very well in my career, so I have no interest in making a big profit for myself. What I want to do is build a highly skilled team and scale the business, using every profit earned to offer the most complete product on the market today. It will not be easy, which makes this very interesting. I love a good challenge.
XBIZ: Break down the automated bulk DMCA tool you offer. How does it work?
Gino: I sat down (virtually of course) and analyzed the process of many content creators, as well as their significant others, who, unfortunately were, at times, the designated DMCA sender. Isn’t love great! They would spend hours searching for content and contact info, filling out forms and sending emails, copying and pasting links, and ensuring follow-ups.
Giving full control to a content creator has always been something I believe in. This means allowing content creators to access their data as well as the tools controlling this data, all while making it simple and efficient. With help from our team, a content creator can flag potential false positives and send DMCAs for hundreds of links at a time, with a click of a button. It is as simple as that.
XBIZ: What are the biggest threats creators face in terms of their brand, if they don't use a service such as yours?
Gino: Well, first and foremost, not using BranditScan means losing a lot of time doing things manually. And I do not think I need to say that time is money, especially as a content creator. Another threat would be a loss of traffic. Having content available for free without consent on multiple sites, and indexed in Google, will diminish legitimate organic traffic, and ultimately, sales and visibility. Finally, having BranditScan in your corner to help you along your journey as a content creator is a must. We will protect your content and educate you on how to remain safe while opening yourself to the dangers of the online world.
XBIZ: While BranditScan is an automated service, how do you handle more hands-on customer service issues as they arise, and ensure in-house scalability as you grow?
Gino: Automating redundant work as much as possible is the key to freeing up time for our hands-on support. This type of service still requires a lot of hands-on tasks, follow-ups, legal measures, etc. Therefore, it is essential to have a well-trained and experienced team. I know this, for I have been there before, not only while handling customer support during the earlier years of my professional career, but also when scaling one of the best customer support teams in the adult industry. I plan on injecting a lot of time and resources to scale up my team and accommodate the growth of the company. The response has been so positive and overwhelming that I will be doing this sooner than later. We are already growing our support team as I write this interview. It is very exciting!
XBIZ: With a variety of premium BranditScan subscription options for users, unpack a few of the high-end perks like the personal agent, identity privacy analysis and more.
Gino: Currently there are two paid plans: Pro and Premium. Pro is really for power users who simply need a scanning tool to assist them with their searches and who wish to use our database of “Brandits” (brand bandits). They can also have access to our SEO tool and be part of the community forum.
Now, let’s take a look at Premium. In addition to having access to our automated DMCA and search engine delisting tools, content creators will also be able to reach out to us and get a more personal and customized service revolving around their brands. With regards to identity privacy weaknesses, we will design unique threat models that are different from one content creator to the next. For example, you live in a dorm, and you do not want your roommates/university to find out what you do. Or perhaps your family is unaware of your business, and you want to make sure that your privacy is not leaked.
For brand security analysis, consider the following: how secure are your accounts? Your emails? Your passwords? We will be there to ensure that all your accounts and services are protected in the right ways. Plugging your emails and username to data breaches will also give you alerts and visibility when breaches happen and your accounts become vulnerable to hackers.
XBIZ: How do you manage so much data securely and efficiently?
Gino: Having extensive knowledge on application development and how to secure it is the key. Our site alone was built to be impenetrable. At BranditScan, we are experts not only on taking down content and protecting online security, but also at building an architecture that is hacker-proof. We know all the tricks of the trade, and we live on paranoia. Every feature is thoroughly analyzed and penetration tested. In short, we are security geeks. I have a long list of sites that have vulnerabilities, but their owners do not even bother to fix them. To secure data, you must have a strategy to secure it when you receive it, as well as a gameplan to detect and quickly fix any situation that may arise. As a security expert, paranoia is your best friend!
XBIZ: What's next for BranditScan in 2021?
Gino: I do not even know where to start! We have tons of exciting partnerships in the pipeline. As we grow our client list of content creators and increase our volume of brands we protect, we want to grow our reputation as security experts as well. Without giving out too much, we want to be a haven for your private information and stop content creators from sharing their sensitive information to dozens of sites who are infested with vulnerabilities. Your personal information is valuable, and you need to store it with a company that will ensure its safety by sharing it only with the right people.