Before I start, I just want to make clear that I won’t be trying to convince you to start at or to leave a physical studio. This will be about my experience and how some of my perspectives changed, because most of my previous perceptions were based on the simple fact that I did not had enough information. I will also explain the word studio because I’d like to clarify first what I mean by it. In the camworld the word studio is used quite a lot, but it often has a very different meaning.
The Virtual Studio (aka Agency)
You have the “virtual studio”, which basically is an (recruitment) agency. There is no actual building you go to. They promise to help you with marketing and signing you up with a camsite. You sign a contract with them, you perform on a camsite. The camsite pays the agency and the agency pays you. You however still work from your home.
A lot of content selling sites also use the word studio. What they actually mean is that you as a producer can open a store with them to sell your content. Here the word studio is a different word for store.
This article will be about neither of them. I’m talking here about the “physical studio”. A workplace. An actual building where you go to, perform for an x amount of time and go home afterwards. You sign up with the studio, they do your marketing and training. They get paid by the camsite you perform on and they pay you.
When I first heard the word cam studio years ago, I didn’t know these differences. I thought that a cam studio was simply an agency that handled your things. Soon it turned out that a lot of these cam studios where nothing more than people trying to get a piece of your pie (percentage of your cut, because they signed you up with a camsite) with big promises (We’ll get you on the frontpage of every camsite! We'll handle all your marketing and make you famous on social media!). There are of course agencies that put their money where their mouth is, but for a lot them it is just an easy way to make money.
The Physical Studio (aka an actual Studio)
Not so long after, I came across the concept of the physical studio. I heard that they were mainly in Romania and my mind created this idea of dark filthy rooms where poor girls were performing in very bad circumstances. I could not have been more wrong…
It all started a few years back when we were attending a Romanian cam conference. My first experience with a studio was, how shall I put it, quite interesting. I was sitting outside on the terrace with Rutger and two guys walked up to us and sat down at the same table. They checked our badges to see who we were and they said the following sentences I’ll never forget: “O, you WeCamgirls. You bad for business”. Before we could say a word, they simply turned their chairs around, so they were sitting with their backs to us (still at the same table).
So the first impression of meeting actual studio owners was not so great. Later on this changed, because it turned out that other studio’s actually value WeCamgirls and ask their models to join us, so that they can learn and see how for example independent models (i.e. models that do not work from a studio) handle their things. It was also the first time I read a brochure about a studio and the pictures in it did not match my previous dark filthy room concept at all! These rooms were very fancy, like 5 star hotels. There were makeup area’s. A photo studio to make glamour pics of models. Teams that did marketing. It all looked so professional. I didn’t expect that at all. So years after I heard about the Studio, Rutger and I finally got the chance to actually visit a studio (this was in 2018) that was based in a proper office building. Themed rooms, high end gear, even a bathroom with a jacuzzi that could be used for shows. Everything spick and span and everything very well done.
So I know that studio’s are not for everyone. Some models like to be their own boss and handle everything themselves, but other models like the idea that they go to work, do their show and afterwards go back home. They can purely focus on doing the show, without having to care about the marketing aspects. Studio’s you will mainly find in Romania and in the upcoming webcam country of Columbia. Models that are working from a studio are often categorized as “glamour models”, the opposite as the ones you can categorize as for example “the girl next door”. They attract a very specific audience, but a lot of them are highly successful. Especially when backed by a professional marketing team.*
Author
Tristan, co-founder of WeCamgirls, has spent the last decade immersed in the cam industry. He’s attended over 50 shows and conferences, met countless interesting people, and loves sharing his insider knowledge through articles and guides.
America is a different animal complete compare to Europe and South America. Now, United States is not the places for tons of physical cam studios. First of all, America has a puritanical view on sex and such places will get shut down by sexual repressed nutjobs if found in certain areas. Secondly, American camming often involves the self and becoming your own business person. Studios are not essential to camming in America.Third, America has a huge human trafficking problem and pimps would just use cam studios as fronts. There are physical cam studios in major cities in America but they are often for those who want to become an community at work. But they are not essential to success as an American cam model.
The concept of the physical studio will work the best in places like Romania, Russia, Colombia etc. Why? Because in these (typically second and third-world) countries lots of models don't have proper working conditions at home (eg: they share the apartment with another person, they are too poor to buy the right equipment, they don't speak English yet, etc.), so they are somewhat constrained to go to a physical studio if they want to get the best results.
Do not make the mistake of comparing USA or Canada with Romania or Colombia, though. I've lived in both worlds, so to speak.
In the USA specifically, people are waaaayyyy more puritanical than in Europe; they simply dislike nudity, kink and sex work of any kind. I also know that one would tend to immediately say "Wait, but strip clubs are legal in America!" You have to understand that those strip clubs have very strict rules: you are not allowed to build or open one within a certain distance of houses, schools and churches, which means basically no strip clubs in many cities! People go outside the city for having fun
Also, full nudity can be BANNED in strip clubs here LOL. So first of all, if somebody intends to open a physical studio in the USA, that person should check ALL the national, state and city laws and regulations regarding SOBs (sexually oriented businesses). Otherwise, you risk being shut down in a matter of days by the local authorities; not to mention the possibility of having a furious crowd of religious zealots in front of your studio, demanding your head.
Another important thing is that in America, people are encouraged to become independent from a very early age. This thing doesn't happen on the same scale in Romania or Russia etc. Americans will want to become small business owners and independent contractors instead of regular employees in a studio. Camming here is much more directed towards the INDY side of the spectrum, if that makes sense. American models are becoming successful by being themselves and not by reproducing for 8 hours a day what the studio managers teach them.
Studios can be helpful but they can be a nightmare. For me, the experience with this well marketed s 20 was a nightmare but i had the desire to rebuild myself fast. Yes, they pretend to help at the beginning. But the moment you want to leave, they will make your life miserable, especially if you are a good model. A model before me, a very successful one, was left without the 15 K when she left. Another, was fulled to work from her home but still have her account linked to them so the guru of this studio could take his share. You try to protect yourself and you don't go to the police and they know it. I know so many stories about it that i am surprised girls still want to work for them. The guy having this studio is a pathological thief. Find out his name and google it. They pay everywhere: to get awards, to appear in press as the best studio, they fuck other studios in Romania calling the police on them for various reasons... after all the decision is yours. But in Romania this business belongs to a pimp mafia. And the owner of this particular studio is a venomous greedy pimp. Against his innocent-nerdy appearance.
So please, take care of your mind sanity and your budget.
If you still want to go for a physical studio, ask everywhere first. Reviews that contain hashtags # are usually marketing. So no review that comes from the team of the studio can be trustworthy.
I am glad WCG exists so we can read and share reviews.
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