Karl is the site’s developer and the “brains behind the operation” of DirtyLittleMe.com. He told XBIZ that and with no marketers or affiliates in place, the site’s models control their success.
“It’s up to the models to market themselves and they get a fat chunk of the money,” he said. “We pay the hosting fees and the payment processors.”
Karl described the current process of joining the site as a model as being manual. The first step includes filling out a form online and submitting test shots. A member’s initial video content or photo sets are submitted to the payment processor for approval, which usually has a turnaround time of 24 hours, Karl said.
Once the profile has been established, models can log in and see their sales and member traffic.
Launched in September, DirtyLittleMe.com currently features three models, including Brooke Lee Adams, who is part owner of the site.
According to Karl, the first phase of building DirtyLittleMe.com was creating an online home for Adams. He said that she mainly drives the site’s traffic, which is generated on social-networking sites and Twitter.
“Brooke is not your typical porn star,” Karl said. “She’s cute and smart. People like to hear her talk.”
The site’s other models include Heidi Hanson, a blond self-described cougar, and Katie Michaels — who both were recruited by Adams.
“I used to work with Heidi and her husband as a model and photographer,” she said. “I met Katie while shooting in Miami. She is an old soul that has a real grasp on who she is.”
Adams told XBIZ that since entering the adult industry in 2006, she’s realized how rigid the business is.
“I see the frustration among young performers,” she said. “Their longevity is limited. They are paid once for a scene, while a company will continue profiting from it.”
As for online, Adams said she believes performers should have control and offer the content they want and be able to remove it for any reason — including those that are personal.
“You shouldn’t have to live the stereotypical life of a porn star to have your content online,” she said. “Girls get taken advantage of; paying thousands of dollars to have someone run their site. It shouldn’t be that hard for girls to upload content.”
According to Karl, DirtyLittleMe.com’s tools are effective and models are trained to use them and are offered tech support. While welcoming feedback, Karl said he is working on making the tools more user-friendly and setting it up so models are paid directly by the payment processor.
Adams said that the motto that drives DirtyLittleMe.com is “build it and they will come.” Her ultimate goal for DirtyLittleMe.com is that it becomes the first name surfers think of when they want an amateur website, she said.
Karl said his future plans for the site include building a search engine that will narrow down searching for a model by specific aesthetic traits and a design that will rotate models featured on the homepage.