Oct
11
Tim in Nebraska Needs Your Help!
Filed Under customer emails
Tim sent me this email last week, when I replied that I didn’t have a clue what he was asking for … he waited a week and sent the exact same email again?
Tim, no disrespect - but what on earth are you asking for?
Sep
24
New Blog : Fallen Angels & Lost Devils
Filed Under Uncategorized
http://www.grooby.com/fallenangels/
The hardest blog I’ve ever had to write! For years I’ve been meaning to put together something like this, to honour and inform about all the transsexual models who have died in our industry. After hearing the sad news about Giselly Lins (read here) earlier this week, I thought it was time to complete the site and to include photographers who also have died “in the service”.
The noticeable thing is how many tgirls die at a young age, many in violent circumstances and the amount that are killed in Brazil is really noticeable. I don’t want this site to gloss over the facts - many girls put themselves in danger either through their own lifestyle or my mingling (and often trying to rip off) dangerous characters. The facts remain though that many tgirls die at the hands of others, at their own hands or from HIV related illnesses.
Please link to this site and pass it onto others:
Fallen Angels and Lost Devils
Sep
6
Is she or isn’t she?
I posted a couple of photos of a new model called Harley Quinn on a few boards earlier today and within minutes, I had posts coming in that she was an internet phenoma called “Linetrap” (try a google) and people demanding that I showed her cocks.
Well remember, Grooby does have female sites like Asian-American-Girls.com - and I’ve known for my evil trickery, so did I rename some photos we were doing for a social alt. girl website (inkanddye.com) with the Shemale Yum logo to generate buzz and hits ? Yes … I mean no … oh ok, yes … or Englebert Humperdink!
What do you think. Is Harley a tgirl or a girl? Would I be such an evil bastard to do this … or is it simply good marketing … and will it backfire on me?
I’ll let you make your mind up.
The lovely, Harley Quinn - aka Linetrap.
Linetrap aka Harley QuinnCheck out this cutie - is this a tranny or a girl?
Of course, maybe I just found a girl who looks like “Linetrap” and I knew all along …
Sep
6
Personal tgirls blogs … Kimber James Blog
Filed Under steven
As an experiment I launched KimberJamesBlog to see how it would do in the search engines and was happy to see it in page 6 of Google for “kimber james” after about a week. 5 weeks later it’s on page one and making me about $150 a day for sales to Grooby sites as well as other websites. At that rate, that’s $4500 a month or $54,000 a year - on one simply blog that takes a handful of hours a week to update.
To be fair, how long the Kimber James phenomena will last is really the big question but for now she’s selling like hotcakes. So what about having 5 tgirl blogs like this, all selling different websites and making money? The potential is there. For us, it’s about making sure we get some clean sales without the affiliates. We need to operate like that as our budgets are so large and the extra sales I can get from sending them to sites like Shemale Club and Private Transsexuals, non-Grooby sites, is quite a good extra income.
So onto the next “shemale superstar” … Kelly Shore. I’ve just started KellyShoreBlog so let’s see how well that one does.
Sep
3
Vickie er, Vicki Richter embarrassment !
Filed Under buddy wood, dvd
How the fuck can the “world’s leading transsexual erotica company” make a fuck up on their premium launched DVD? Furthermore, how can the company owner (me), the photographer (Buddy Wood) and the designers not have spotted the spelling error on the latest release “Buddy Wood’s Shemale Superstars” that we’ve called Vicki, Vickie. In fact, I never spotted it until someone called me out on Vicki’s transsexual website forum Hung Devils.
I can’t blame Telly (designer) as this was only his second job in the company - the fault lies firstly with me and then with Buddy who really should be checking his releases harder but also Alex is to blame as he sells 100’s of Vicki Richter DVD’s through Shemale Video Direct of which he is in charge.
Sorry Vicki, terrible error but as the DVD is basically shipping as we speak, it will have to go with it. I promise all involved will get a flogging … bad show all round. Personally, I think it would be in good taste and classy for you to change your name to help me out?
WATCH THE TRAILER IN HD QUALITY!
WATCH THE TRAILER STANDARD SIZE TRAILER HERE!
Aug
28
Who would have thought that Wendy Williams would become almost an ambassador for Shemale porn? With her recent interviews in trade publications like AVN Online, her production (sponsored by Grooby :-)) of Shemale Gang Bang - the Interracial Version and her omnipresence on forums, websites and her own site, she’s quite the ubiquitous transsexual ambassador!
Surely this wouldn’t be the same Wendy Williams who hounded me monthly for new photo or video shoots? The Wendy Williams who had public arguments (cat fights) with some of the other leading contemporary transsexual models (no names mentioned, ahem), scared Buddy Wood into hiding under a table and threatened to give me a whipping (although I’m not sure if that was for personal enjoyment of her, or I ?). No it’s not the same Wendy and I think she’s be the first to admit that in the 6 years since she appeared in her inaugural shoot on Shemale Yum that it’s been a long, hard climb for her to get to where she is today. Only through being tenacious has she managed to attain the status she has within the industry yet by learning how the business works (with help by occasional mentor, Joanna Jet) she’s found a role that she may not have been seeking … a facilitator, a spokesperson and a friend, to many new tgirls seeking access to the industry.
The new softer Wendy, has helped some recent models get work with Grooby amongst other reputable companies and has been promoting herself and other websites through her relaunched website, Hot Wendy Williams. She’s also worked three times for us this year, in a very well received Transexdomination shoot which she’s just re-shot for and our new secret project. She also brought her friend, Jazzmen along for a shoot with Grooby photographer extraordinaire, PK Vegas.
This isn’t a sales pitch, it’s just an open letter to Wendy and to her fans (or new potential fans) on how much I’ve enjoyed working with Wendy over the last 12 months, she is an ambassador for herself as well as the industry, in a business where there are less than 5 models with whom I converse with regularly. Let’s also not forget, Wendy is a red-head and despite her being a little more mellow she’s still got that fire her in eyes, that ambition to be the best and in her performances, she’s a nasty, nasty girl!
Check out Wendy’s site at How Wendy Williams - she has a free forum linked there so see what she’s up to!
Shemale Wendy Williams on Transexdomination
New shemale Jazzmen, coming on Transexdomination
Aug
26
Transexdomination Review in AVN Online Magazine Sept
Filed Under black tgirls, transexdomination, websites
Well I already know it’s a great site but it’s always nice to get a good review and after our recent great ratings on Rabbit’s Reviews … here is AVN Online’s take on Transexdomination!
Niche : Tranny Affiliate Program : Groobybucks.com Payout: Revshare, referrals Price: $34.99 monthly. Quality: 19 Quantity: 19 Deisgn and Usability: 18 Features: 19 Value:19
AVN review of Transexdomination
I gotta wonder if I don’t have some serious issues that require serious therapy. I never would have figured myself as someone interested in transsexuals. But when you combine some great-looking people with some hardcore domination here, it’s worth checking out and sticking around for a while. Thee’s a lot of crossover potential, as the models on this site not only cover those interested in transssexuals but also those looking to explore foot fetishes, whips and chains, PVC and leather and more. If you’ve got fans of transsexuals, especially ones with fetish preferences, you will not go wrong with this site.
Review by - Shaker Basta
Aug
26
http://www.avn.com/internet/articles/31628.html
This article appeared in the August edition of AVN Online magazine … yes I just love the publicity! It’s nice to be in the same thread as Hustler 
Leveraging Your Brand Name
Successful branding takes more than name dropping.
By: Michael Pearson
Posted: 08/25/2008
Every prominently successful business reaches a point where its name becomes a brand in itself. Just think of Calvin Klein, Harley-Davidson or Budweiser. Those names are so potent that they can boost the sales of any products branded with them.
In the adult industry, there are similar powerhouse brands and those on their way to that status. So how can a company at this level leverage its brand to sell more products and services, earning even more money?
Using a gold standard to build other brands
The name “Hustler” has become synonymous with porn. This means the Hustler name is a potent marketing tool, one that transmits selling power to whatever it’s linked to. But no brand is bulletproof. If Hustler parent company LFP doesn’t carefully choose its branding opportunities, this gold standard could eventually turn into lead.
Mindful of this, LFP President Michael H. Klein is careful about what products Hustler links itself to. He said his goal is to get maximum value from this brand, driving direct product sales and building spin-off brands such as Barely Legal. “Obviously, Hustler is our most important brand,” he said. “Having been around for 34 years, it is now stronger than ever, with our ability to utilize it to grow numerous different businesses than what it was originally utilized for.”
So what’s LFP’s secret to brand-building success? “The best way to make your brands work is to use your various different properties to cross-promote the other businesses,” Klein said. This translates into promoting Hustler.com in LFP magazines or using the Hustler TV channel to promote the Hustler Hollywood stores. “It could be something where we have a cable operator promote a special giveaway for consumers who purchase a Hustler TV movie to get a discount coupon for the local Hustler Hollywood store,” Klein said. “Now, you have promotion for the channel and you get the consumers into the stores, and they love it. And when they buy something, there is information on the cash receipts leading them to the websites.”
Using this cross-promotional strategy, LFP even leverages the Hustler brand to sell non-adult products. “The Hustler Casino is one our biggest successes utilizing the Hustler brand on a non-adult entertainment enterprise and has been a huge revenue source for us,” Klein said. “Also, we have strong presence in the apparel area with our Hustler- and Barely Legal-branded clothing items, including our recently successful Hustler Lingerie line. And, of course, we have been very successful in the retail arena with our nationwide chain of Hustler Hollywood stores.”
In doing all of this, LFP has been careful to not dilute its core Hustler brand. “You have to make sure that you are tied with something that is associated in some way with the theme of your company and brand,” Klein said. “People have an expectation with Hustler, and you don’t want to tie it in with something that is going to lead them to feel that it is not what they expected.”
Taking the “high road” in brand extension
You may not know the name “Grooby Productions,” but you probably have heard of its flagship site, Shemale Yum, which is in its 10th year of operation. Shemale.com has been so successful that Grooby Productions has used it to launch shemale sites such as Black TGirls, Brazilian Transsexuals and the hardcore Shemales From Hell. “Shemale Yum and Black TGirls are two domain names which have branded and stuck pretty well, among the models as much as the fans,” Grooby owner Steve Gallon said.
The challenge now is to win the same brand recognition for Grooby Productions itself. “Within the transgender adult sites [world], we’ve been able to brand the company name ‘Grooby,’ which a lot of surfers see as being synonymous with the quality and integrity of the specific sites we offer,” Gallon noted.
Gallon said “it’s hard for us to make headway with the ‘Grooby’ brand” outside of the shemale niche, “but that may just be something we need to build on as we release more non-[transsexual]-type sites.”
In the meantime, Grooby Productions is working hard to extend its brand as a trusted producer of quality adult content. “All the sites and projects we have, have ‘Grooby’ on them,” Gallon said. This includes promoting new sites as “Grooby” sites to alert webmasters and surfers that the sites are being produced by an experienced, proven content provider. Meanwhile, Grooby is promoting itself online, in stores and in non-traditional marketing areas such as clubs, Gallon said. “Although it’s hard to measure sales,” he said, “keeping the name out there for the potential models is just as important as potential customers.”
According to Gallon, Grooby Productions takes the “high road” when extending its brand into new areas to make sure the brand extension “won’t damage the rest of our brands.” When trouble occurs, the company swiftly moves to protect its image. “We have tried projects in the past that didn’t work out because the material dried up,” Gallon said. “I’ve been very fast to distance myself from them as soon as they stopped working out and jettisoned them from our brand, whilst keeping the customers informed. Being upfront and honest with surfers is extremely important.”
Using a name to drives brand extension
Everyone who grew up hiding Penthouse in their bedrooms knows Earl Miller’s name. He probably is the most erotic and artistic photographer ever featured on the magazine’s pages, from the glory days of Bob Guccione up to the present day.
In 1999, when Penthouse and other men’s magazines were still riding high, Miller decided to venture out into cyberspace. “At the time, it seemed like another way to market my photos,” he said. “I just didn’t realize the full potential of the Web at that time.”
Today, Miller has made this realization. That is why he is putting serious effort into extending the EarlMiller.com brand by sending TGPs lots of free watermarked galleries. Also, Miller has just released a line of branded XXX DVDs, which he produces and directs, aimed at extending the reach of his brand.
In doing all of this, Miller emphasizes his status as “Penthouse magazine’s most published photographer,” as he puts it on his home page. Because this is the real brand value behind his name, Miller said he is “making sure it is attached to everything I do.”
Miller also makes sure his website and DVDs feature the lush, beautifully shot erotic imagery that has always been his hallmark and the heart of his value as a provider of branded content. “I celebrate the joy of sex,” he said. “That’s always been my style, which is why my work features beautiful models beautifully shot, having hot and believable sex. It’s what made my name back in Penthouse in the 1970s and what I still do today. After all, there’s a whole new generation of surfers coming of legal age, looking for exciting material on the Web. Through my free galleries, my website and now my DVDs, I am trying to reach them with quality, joyful erotica - and making sure my name is front and center on all of it.”
Based on what Hustler, Grooby Productions and Earl Miller have said, successful brand leveraging requires staying true to your brand. It’s fine to put the Hustler name on a casino if the casino is in line with what people expect of Hustler. As for Hustler-branded baby wipes and diapers? No, we don’t think so.
Aug
16
Shemales.net sells for $60,000 …. why ?
Filed Under Uncategorized, steven, websites
A moniker auction at the Internext show in Miami on Friday, listed among it’s sales, Shemales.net for $60,000. Now given that Shemales.com sold recently for a whacking $500,000 this might seem like a good deal but is a .net domain worth anything, even with a good name, if your not doing fuck all with it?
The buyers of these domains tend to buy them up - and then sit on them, possibly with a little traffic redirecting, they’re not building sites and they’re not out to create traffic with them (which would seem to be the most obvious thing to do). It’s a bit of a shame as a mega-site at Shemales.com would have to do well (even at shemales.net).
$60,000 ? I think the money would be better spent on a lesser known domain and then try to get traffic or build a site. I just don’t get it.
Aug
9
I hate agents and managers … especially as hapless as this one!
Filed Under buddy wood, customer emails
Ok so they might have a place with celebrities and even in the adult mainstream industry but the transgender adult industry is so small that their is no place for managers or agents … they’re just worthless. Usually the type of people that we get touting a new model is a wannabe pimp type or more often just someone who wants to be a player and get in the girls panties. While I welcome guys sending in referrals for models, that’s all it should be, a referral. When a company like the one I received an email from this morning, claiming to be professional, yet don’t have a webpage (and are emailing from an Earthlink account) and nothing shows up on Google, it pisses me off even more.
Here is the most hapless email - whether this company is big or not, a little research into their client would have been advisable … and to get the “noted photographers” name correct. You would have even thought they could have found where we are based, instead of assuming a three hour time difference from NYC.
VERDICT : FAILURE
PS - Olivia … we love you, we think you are awesome and we are so excited that you’d work with us on Shemale Yum but you don’t need an agent! Email reputable companies, talk to the girls you trust who have worked with other companies … or drop me an email at admin@grooby.com and I’ll give you some referrals! Don’t waste your money with these people.
“To Whom It May Concern,
My name is XXXXX and our company ‘XXXXX Entertainment” represents Transsexual Adult Film star and TS model Olivia Love.
Olivia doesn’t need much introduction. Having starred in over 65 films and hundreds of photo shoot layouts during her carrer, Olivia is one of the most recognizable faces in transsexual adult content.
After a short retirement, Olivia is back living in Los Angeles and looking for video and photography assignments to reintroduce herself to the transsexual community and her fan base. We are currently working on a new official website for her but in the interim we’d like to get her image back out to the masses and feel a site like Grooby.com would be a great place to start. Based on the company’s brand recognition, reputation, internet traffic and the optimum target demographic Grooby would be the perfect vehicle to re-launch Olivia’s career.
I have attached some sample photos of Olivia taken just last month in Los Angles by noted TS photographer Buddy Woods.
If you need any additional information please don’t hesitate to contact me. If I am unavailable please reach my partner XXXXXXXXX. We are based in New York City so please allow for the 3-hour time difference to E.S.T.
Thank you for your time and consideration.”
Shemale pornstar Olivia Love by Buddy Wood
Shemale pornstar Olivia Love photo by Buddy Wood
Shemale pornstar Olivia Love photo by Buddy Wood
My response;
“Hi
Apart from my dislike of so called “managers” especially ones who don’t do their research and know nothing about the industry but have you done any research at all?
Buddy Wood works exclusively for Grooby Productions. Olivia’s comeback photosets have already appeared on Shemale Yum from Grooby and her comeback DVD “Buddy Wood’s Shemale Superstars” should be in the stores within 4 weeks. The current renewed interest in her is specifically because of Buddy’s work with her.
We’ve never used managers or agents and I hope the time will never come when we need to - we recruit and find out own talent and pay them 100% of the fee they are due. ”
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