Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.
As she was studying communication science at college, Catalina Bogzoiu decided to earn extra income as a cam model to cover her expenses.
I truly believe that all cam models are inspiring and change this industry through their energy and hard work.
After attaining financial success at a job she found both fun and interesting, Bogzoiu decided to pursue behind-the-scenes opportunities at camming platform Streamate.
Now, as the leader for their European team, she brings her own modeling experience to the table in working with regional talent and business associates.
By leveraging the cutting-edge streaming technology and quality traffic of Streamate with hands-on marketing, recruitment and retention efforts, Bogzoiu strives to aggressively expand the network’s footprint in the EU.
As Woman of the Month for November, she sheds light on her background, successes and ambitions for the coming year.
XBIZ: What is your role at Streamate? Discuss your main responsibilities.
BOGZOIU: I lead Streamate's team in Bucharest, working primarily with the company's new and existing European model and studio partners. I think that my most prominent role and contribution is properly sharing with the team the knowledge I have acquired as a model, which helps us create a pleasant and professional environment for the partners we work with.
XBIZ: Describe the unique opportunities and challenges of capitalizing on the European cam market, from a platform standpoint.
BOGZOIU: First of all, European models are very beautiful and can work very hard! And this combination makes the work fun for us as a platform as well, because partners have a good chance of achieving the numbers they set for themselves. Moreover, due to the fragmented nature of the European market and culture, each country’s models are different, which creates an eye-catching diversity on the website.
XBIZ: What are the ways in which Streamate responsively meets the particular needs of European models?
BOGZOIU: We have a representative in each market who is familiar with the local culture and language, so understanding the needs of the models is easier. We can develop a much closer relationship with our partners and even communicate daily.
We are also aware of the obvious differences in each market and try to incorporate the feedback we receive not only in our own work but also in our product and business development processes. For example, we focus on how local models are paid, what payment options are available, what communication channels they prefer, etc.
XBIZ: Discuss how the pandemic has affected your approach to business and leading a team.
BOGZOIU: Even before the pandemic, we were working from home or traveling around the world, so the full and then partial switch to remote work was much easier than we thought. My team has surprised me countless times with how mature and professional they all are, making it really easy to work together, and I thank them for that!
The biggest business challenge was not being able to meet face to face, which was particularly painful for social creatures like me. I truly missed our partners. Therefore, we focused on improving our online solutions, although in the long term, I think a hybrid — live and online — approach will be the best way to keep in touch with our partners.
XBIZ: Give us a glimpse of your real-life passions and hobbies. How do you spend leisure time?
BOGZOIU: The pandemic has made me realize the importance of self-improvement and taking care of ourselves. I started reading more, painting at an amateur level and recently started learning Spanish, all of which are great ways to switch off and boost my mood. But of course, I also love the simple things in life, spending a fantastic week in Italy in August, where I enjoyed the sun and the beach, the pasta and the good wine.
XBIZ: What new projects are you working on at Streamate that you're most excited about?
BOGZOIU: My most exciting endeavor is reaching every corner of Europe and helping anyone who wants to be a successful model on a platform like Streamate to achieve this goal. I must add that we sometimes get applications from "exotic" places like Iceland or Sweden, and getting to know those people’s needs is a real challenge.
XBIZ: How do you foresee the European camming business evolving in the coming years?
BOGZOIU: I don't foresee any specific European trends, but I think that, in general, being a model is becoming a more serious profession due to changing laws and regulations. And I am very proud that Streamate, both as a platform and as an organization, is by far at the forefront in providing a safe and professional environment for models.
XBIZ: Tell us what inspires you the most about the Streamate cam model community.
BOGZOIU: I truly believe that all cam models are inspiring and change this industry through their energy and hard work. For the past six years, during which I’ve worked with Streamate, I’ve had the opportunity to hear so many beautiful stories and learn so much from all the webcam models I dealt with. Each cam model is unique and can achieve great things on an individual level.
