profile

WIA Profile: Hazel Fruitman

What did you do for a living before working in the adult industry?

As an impoverished university graduate, I left school with high aspirations and hit the road to follow my dream to become a rock star. I have played the drums nearly my entire life, and lost no time getting out there on the music scene. Did I make a living doing this? Hell no! But I learned a lot and followed my heart. To support my dream I became a manager of a retail store which polished my organizational and leadership skills. My interest piqued in the industry back in 1999 when my husband Barry and I watched an episode of "Dateline." We saw how much potential there was to make money over the Internet, especially in the adult space. When Barry posed the question to me a few days later that perhaps we could do the same thing, instead of slapping him across the face, I shrugged and said, 'Sure, what do we have to lose.'

We are trailblazers and innovators!

What is the most challenging aspect of operating a major webcam network and webcam-related affiliate program?

You are waiting for me to say running a major webcam network as a woman in a male-dominated industry. Business is business and no one would ever describe me as a shrinking violet, and I almost resent hearing that from other women; I think it is a defeatist attitude. I work 24/7 with my husband and business partner, Barry. My overall goals that I keep in mind are to strive for the latest technology to attract, provide and service all our affiliates, models and members — not a small undertaking at all.

What sets WebCamCash apart from other cam networks that webmasters can promote?

We are trailblazers and innovators! WebcamCash offers programs and services which resonate with the majority of the online adult consumer community, with the big differentiator being that we are single-focused. We are all things webcams and webcams only. We listen to affiliates needs by developing products they have confidence in promoting. Our affiliate’s favorite promotional tools are the RSS blogs and Geo-Targeted I-Frames. Our latest solution for solo girl sites, the WebcamToolkit (toolkit.WebcamCash.com), has caught on like wildfire.

Do you think that growing concerns over content piracy will lead more companies to invest in live, interactive entertainment?

Our market research is showing that we have only just seen the tip of the iceberg with social media which supports my belief that webcams have staying power. People want to be in more control and be interactive and authentic. WebcamCash delivers that human interaction, with fresh content providing our users with a unique experience every time, all the time. Not to mention that live content is torrent-proof. We've always envisioned ourselves ahead of this trend.

Aside from the obvious technical infrastructure costs, what are some of the major barriers to entry for entrepreneurs who are considering a webcam-related venture?

I eat, sleep (of course my partner is my husband so I mean that literally) and breathe Webcamcash. It takes funding, a reliable and talented staff, killer technology, the ability to stay focused and not go after the "next shiny object" and know your market segment. Anyone just starting out needs to make that type of solid commitment.

Each month, industry news media organization 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.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

Navigating Age-Related Regulations in Europe

Age verification measures are rapidly gaining momentum across Europe, with regulators stepping up efforts to protect children online. Recently, the U.K.’s communications regulator, Ofcom, updated its timeline for implementing the Online Safety Act, while France’s ARCOM has released technical guidance detailing age verification standards.

Gavin Worrall ·
opinion

Why Cyber Insurance Is Crucial for Adult Businesses

From streaming services and interactive platforms to ecommerce and virtual reality experiences, the adult industry has long stood at the forefront of online innovation. However, the same technology-forward approach that has enabled adult businesses to deliver unique and personalized content to consumers worldwide also exposes them to myriad risks.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Best Practices for Payment Gateway Security

Securing digital payment transactions is critical for all businesses, but especially those in high-risk industries. Payment gateways are a core component of the digital payment ecosystem, and therefore must follow best practices to keep customer data safe.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Ready for New Visa Acquirer Changes?

Next spring, Visa will roll out the U.S. version of its new Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), which goes into effect April 1, 2025. This follows Visa Europe, which rolled out VAMP back in June. VAMP charts a new path for acquirers to manage fraud and chargeback ratios.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

How to Halt Hackers as Fraud Attacks Rise

For hackers, it’s often a game of trial and error. Bad actors will perform enumeration and account testing, repeating the same test on a system to look for vulnerabilities — and if you are not equipped with the proper tools, your merchant account could be the next target.

Cathy Beardsley ·
profile

VerifyMy Seeks to Provide Frictionless Online Safety, Compliance Solutions

Before founding VerifyMy, Ryan Shaw was simply looking for an age verification solution for his previous business. The ones he found, however, were too expensive, too difficult to integrate with, or failed to take into account the needs of either the businesses implementing them or the end users who would be required to interact with them.

Alejandro Freixes ·
opinion

How Adult Website Operators Can Cash in on the 'Interchange' Class Action

The Payment Card Interchange Fee Settlement resulted from a landmark antitrust lawsuit involving Visa, Mastercard and several major banks. The case centered around the interchange fees charged to merchants for processing credit and debit card transactions. These fees are set by card networks and are paid by merchants to the banks that issue the cards.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

It's Time to Rock the Vote and Make Your Voice Heard

When I worked to defeat California’s Proposition 60 in 2016, our opposition campaign was outspent nearly 10 to 1. Nevertheless, our community came together and garnered enough support and awareness to defeat that harmful, misguided piece of proposed legislation — by more than a million votes.

Siouxsie Q ·
opinion

Staying Compliant to Avoid the Takedown Shakedown

Dealing with complaints is an everyday part of doing business — and a crucial one, since not dealing with them properly can haunt your business in multiple ways. Card brand regulations require every merchant doing business online to have in place a complaint process for reporting content that may be illegal or that violates the card brand rules.

Cathy Beardsley ·
profile

WIA Profile: Patricia Ucros

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Ucros graduated from college with a degree in education. She spent three years teaching third grade, which she enjoyed a lot, before heeding her father’s advice and moving to South Florida.

Women In Adult ·
Show More