Jacob Acosta and Harley Xavier are from the same town and were around each other quite a bit growing up, but it wasn’t until high school that Xavier made his move.
With determination, he actively pursued Acosta during a period of courtship, until the much-wooed apple of his eye relented. Persuaded to give romance a chance, Acosta attended a Renaissance fair with his newfound crush.
We always are trying to invest in ourselves, whether it’s new equipment, setups, expos or photoshoots.
They took it slow at first, but once momentum and love struck with twin flames of passion, everything moved very quickly. In fact, the duo moved in together relatively early on. Then, once Xavier lost a job, they stumbled upon camming.
“We’d made a few short videos for ourselves, and yeah, we thought they were hot,” the couple shared. “So we said fuck it, let’s just try this. The rest is history. We slowly started testing and adding more platforms and formats.”
About two years after their very first Chaturbate stream, they became full-time content creators and no longer had to pick up other non-adult work on the side to make ends meet. They focused primarily on releasing videos and engaging with fans on Peach.com and OnlyFans.com. As their popularity ballooned, their following also expanded, with nearly 200,000 followers on Twitter for their joint account, as well as tens of thousands individually for their solo handles.
They now rock 70,000 likes on their paid OnlyFans, have 7,000 followers on their free account, command nearly 150,000 followers on Chaturbate and have a potent presence on Peach. And to top it off, the duo was even nominated for Cam Model of the Year at the 2022 XBIZ Awards.
Taking the spotlight as this month’s Creator World cover models, Acosta and Xavier reveal the inner workings of their entrepreneurial dynamic, their strategies and their hopes for the future, in this exclusive interview.
XBIZ: Who is best at what, between the two of you, when it comes to running the business?
J&H: Harley is the social media guru, knows how to get things done and get into the right people’s DMs, building anticipation with the fans and maintaining a constant presence. Jacob is the technology guy, making sure the lighting and sound are perfect for each show, which is important because we cam from several different rooms in our house. Very importantly, Jacob is usually the one who remembers to hit “record”! We’re a good match, honestly, and are equally good in many other areas as well, like being dedicated to maintaining a schedule.
XBIZ: How do you handle finances as far as spending, saving and investing in your content creation capabilities?
J&H: We always are trying to invest in ourselves, whether it’s new equipment, setups, expos or photoshoots. We started out like most people, I think, on an older laptop with a built-in camera. Our first dedicated webcam was a big improvement. We felt like we took a huge leap and risk buying our first nice HD webcam for a few hundred bucks we didn’t have lying around at the time. However, we knew the higher-quality streams would pay off quickly. We’re always fine-tuning our setup, experimenting a bit. We also do some shoots with talented photographers, as well as going to industry events, which is not only fun but has also really helped us get noticed.
XBIZ: Which platforms do you most often stream or sell content on and why?
J&H: We use Chaturbate exclusively for webcamming, and our content is available across a few subscription platforms, including OnlyFans and Peach. They feed into each other, really, because on days we stream on Chaturbate, we have more people clicking through to our subscription pages. We also have two tiers of OnlyFans, one free account with clips, teasers and just a few longer videos, and a premium subscription account with full access. Twitter is of course the quickest way to fuel thirsty people, communicate and network.
XBIZ: Discuss your approach to striking a work/life balance.
J&H: I feel like when you cam and create content for a living, you’re always working unless you force yourself to switch off. We are always taking pictures, creating new videos, doing customs, etc. It definitely takes a special kind of person to do this job, to be honest. You can get so wrapped up in the hustle you have to step back and be honest with yourself and understand that it’s both possible and essential to schedule some time away for family or a vacation, or just to clear your head for a few hours at the gym or a concert.
One way we do this is by filming steadily when we’re energized and in the zone, but we don’t accelerate our release/uploading schedule. That way, we have a lot of content saved up for any time someone is sick or over the holidays, that kind of thing, or for longer vacations or breaks as needed. Right now, for example, we have months of videos just waiting for release, some from earlier this winter, some from last summer, etc.
XBIZ: How do you collaborate on content and resolve creative differences?
J&H: When we’re planning our day and getting ready to stream, we touch base and decide what the goals will be, like low for a fast show, or higher if we have a guest, etc., and obviously, we have to plan who’s bottoming. We also collaborate with other models and even studios quite often for scenes. And whether we’re together or working separately, we both know that we have to work with people we trust to stay tested! For us, in the scene itself, it’s just a matter of plenty of communication to figure out what they like, and to keep checking in that whatever you had planned still feels OK.
XBIZ: What do your fans most often request from you?
J&H: First off, we have the best fans and friends. So many of them have been with us for years. They love seeing the connection we share, so we strive to stay true to that even when we collaborate with others. People can tell when there’s no chemistry, so we try to highlight it where we can – don’t work with someone you don’t actually like! As for specific requests, people love a good flip-fuck, but that’s not always possible on cam of course, so we’ll point them to our Peach and OnlyFans. The other classic request is of course for cock measuring, so sometimes we’ll show off next to a can of whatever beverage we’re enjoying. Yes, we get the same questions a lot, but that’s a good sign because it means new people are coming in, so you have to be able to answer without coming off as bored.
XBIZ: Describe your marketing strategies for social media.
J&H: In a nutshell, hot 30-second clips go a long way. Keep the captions short and they don’t feel like an advertisement. We usually grab a clip or two on our phones during each stream. Experiment, see what works for you and develop your own thing. Don’t give up because it takes practice; it’s not easy to hold a phone steady at a good angle, especially as you’re already positioned for the live audience! And keep it fresh. So yes, retweet yourself sometimes to boost your signal, but new clips are essential.
XBIZ: Talk about your goals for 2022 and beyond, personally and professionally.
J&H: It’s exciting that life is opening back up after the worst of the pandemic, including expos, events, etc. are back as well. For 2022, we’re continuing to develop our own personal brands and integrating them with our joint brand. We want to keep growing and fueling our creativity. For example, we’ve branched out beyond Phoenix and have met a ton of new friends and potential collaborators in L.A. and other cities. Business-wise, we’re thinking about real estate and other ways to invest as much as possible in creative projects.
