View Full Version : An Open Letter : Grooby in 2013 and ongoing ...
GroobySteven
01-09-2014, 08:50 PM
2013 was one of the most successful years (if not the best) we’ve experienced at Grooby in the more than 17 yrs we’ve been operating our company and we’re entering 2014 with an extremely positive outlook on what we can accomplish in the coming years.
How do I measure success?
Financially, we had a good year with more people joining (or rejoining), taking advantage of our discounts or offers and we’ve a higher ratio of people staying members for multiple months than almost any other adult website company. This has given us the budgets to spend on improving our technology from the cameras through to a recent upgrade on the servers and the ability to work on developing new projects in the coming months.
We have the most successful group of producers and employees ever. Producers who have been with us for a long time have developed & improved their styles but the new producers have brought some much needed fresh perspectives to what we do. Our customer service is second to none and some tweaking around with our support staff means that I believe everyone are both challenged and enjoy what they do.
The Tranny Awards in 2013, was a big success for us. Something which I was determined to grow slowly, came of age on that February night when sponsors and guests turned up to see a great looking venue promoting our industry and (almost) every tgirl model turned up, not so much in their usual sexy club gear but in dresses and gowns – looking classy and fabulous. This is a show to honour the models in our industry more than anything else and if we can continue in the same spirit this Feb. I can only see this brand grow and become more inclusive.
The influx of new models in 2013 has been incredible and somewhat over-whelming. About half-way through the year I realized there hadn’t been one big break-out star as in previous years but just a steady stream of incredible looking girls, wanting to work for our sites. I get between 3-10 model applications a day and over the past decade the changes in progress of models transitions, getting earlier and better is incredible and I know Grooby and Shemale Yum has a lot of responsibility in encouraging girls who may not otherwise have came out, to do so. The downside, is that even though we produce almost 200 scenes a month, we simply can’t get as many girls shoots or re-shoots with the regularity that we’d like.
Our largest success though, is our members – both pay sites members and the extended family through our social networks and forums. Without the budgets, we wouldn’t be able to do anything. We wouldn’t be able to produce the material we want, we wouldn’t be able to put on shows, we wouldn’t be able to run free networks and we wouldn’t have the fun we do have, running a company like Grooby. We wouldn’t be able to dream of what the future might hold for all of us.
Before I talk about what we have coming in 2014, I’d like to thank all of you, from all of us, for your support, your patience, your feedback, your patronage, your requests, your promotion, your likes and your shares. Together we’ve started down the path to normalizing tgirls in erotica as well as in life and I invite you all, to join me as we turn that path into a highway before launching into space.
So what is in store for 2014?
Perhaps some dreams – and perhaps some reality.
We have a site that should launch in the coming months which will appeal to some but not all. I’m working on bringing in new photographers from Indonesia, South Africa and Europe. I’d like to see another country-centric website like the great job Kevin Dong is doing on Canadian-Tgirls.com or Hiro on ShemaleJapan.com. I’d like to see what ideas our current producers want to do this year – whether in specific scenes or DVD’s – or wider projects. I’d like to reach out to countries which have problems either in viewing our material – or promoting the girls that live there but have no outlet. These are realistic sites or ideas which may (or may not) come to fruition.
How about we reach a little further?
How about we look at ways to “sponsor” or help girls develop their transitions through support, advice and surgery? How about we encourage even more tgirls to come out – and how about we look at ways to normalize them even further within our society. How about we investigate why so many models have such problems with finance and see if we can do something to help them manage that? Why don’t we look at why so many tgirls have psychological issues – depression and suicidal – and is there anything we can do to try and help them?
Grooby is a brand. It’s a growing brand – from the nucleus of putting some scanned photos on a simple html site, we’ve grown into a whole lot more. Maybe these ideas are far-fetched, maybe they’ll spark an idea in someone reading this – or just maybe, with a little help and a lot of work, we’ll get some of them done.
What is for sure as we enter our 18th year, we’ve a long way to go before we’re finished.
A happy and healthy New Year to you all.
Steven Grooby
7th Jan 2014
SHAUN
01-10-2014, 12:44 AM
I'm loving the idea of "normalising" TS Women in society... I truly believe that Porn, despite the inevitable hang-ups and protestations of "radical" feminists, can have a positive effect, particularly where marginalised groups like TS/TG are concerned.
I have said in other posts that str8 male celebrities who get "caught" with TS Women, or who get "betrayed" to the media by a TS Woman, are fueling their own shame and embarrasment because of their own prejudices against TS Women!... In other words, male celebrities who get "caught out" with TS Women are largely responsible for their own vulnerability in such cases!
I truly believe that very soon, hopefully this year, a male celebrity who gets "caught" with a TS Woman will respond by saying something like this: "So fucking what?... Look at her!.... Of course I'm with her!... Open your eyes! Don't you think she's gorgeous??"
And when that time comes we will see an exponential growth in the acceptance of TS Women into our world!....
Which brings me to an idea I have that Grooby could use for their own good, as well as the good of TS Women: I think it would be a great idea to give "GROOBY" t-shirts away to as many sports and entertainment Management companies as possible... These Management companies, in sports, music, tv and film, can disperse them to the more open-minded people on their roster (both to men and women) and hopefully, sooner or later, there will be a singer, a rapper, a sportsman, an actor, a talk show host etc etc, who will pictured wearing a "GROOBY" t-shirt... This in itself could start a dialogue.... Which can only be a good thing.
Better still, if the celebrity concerned agreed to it, he could be "outed" in follow up coverage as a guy who has an interest in TS Porn, thereby giving him the perfect opportunity to reply with a blase, "... yeah, so what?" kinda reply, and consequently going a long way to taking the rug from right out underneath of all the ignorant fukks that make up our society (including many men who would gladly have sex with a TS Woman but then be thoroughly ashamed of her afterwards!)
It just needs 1 or 2 cooool dudes/REAL MEN to adopt this line publicly and things could change positively for many many people.... And maybe a "grooby" t-shirt could help lubricate that change?
All the best for 2014!
blue eyed devil
PS I'm loving the new vid formats - they are crystal clear and much better :)
SHAUN
01-13-2014, 04:12 PM
All the grooby sites are introducing so many great new gals to us that it must be getting tricky to keep so many of the accomplished models happy? (I'm guessing a lot of these established models are waiting patiently for their next re-shoot, which can often take a year or more?)
I'm just wondering if you might consider another themed site to provide an "overflow" for the accomplished high-end models who subscribers go crazy for, and want to see again and again, without having to wait too long?
I know shemalexxx serves this purpose to an extent, but would you consider a another site to provide a further outlet for the most popular gals... I'm dreaming of a themed site that focuses on beautiful TS Women in nylon and lace lingerie, so that every set would feature stockings and garter belt, hold-ups, body-stockings, pantyhose etc etc...
As well as having the nylon/lace lingerie theme, the vids could also be slightly longer to allow for the models TEASING the camera a bit more than usual, stroking her feminine smooth skin and curves, especially where the model rubs and plays with herself while still wearing her panties, for example snapping the elastic back and forth, and giving herself a "wedgie" by pulling her panties right up into her crack...
And of course, all the models would be happy and confident enough to talk to the camera (i.e. the viewers, especially ME lol) saying things like: "YOU LIKE IT WHEN I WEAR MY STOCKINGS FOR YOU, DON'T YOU?", and "I BET YOU'D LOVE TO FUCK ME LIKE THIS, HMMM?" while stretching their ass wide open, or "YOU WISH THIS WAS YOUR COCK, DON'T YOU?", while sliding a dildo in and out their ass, mmmmm..... You know, seductive stuff like that, sometimes cute and girly as if they are seeking their Daddy's approval lol, and other times slutty and vixen-like, telling us how much they want to be fucked in their pussy/ass/mouth :)
And in every set these wonderful Women would be power-dressed for Feminine seduction in nylons, mmmmmmm :)
Jeeeezus, I would love a site like that :)
werwt22
01-16-2014, 02:25 PM
nice. definately loving the idea of an international website. So many girls over there that have been untouched.
raheme
01-18-2014, 03:31 AM
I think the most impressive thing you've said was the part about community outreach and helping these young women become productive in life. Hats off to you sir!
GroobySteven
01-23-2014, 10:28 AM
I think the most impressive thing you've said was the part about community outreach and helping these young women become productive in life. Hats off to you sir!
Thanks. We're already trying to reach out here and at the minimum get the right places to send girls who are having troubles. After the awards we aim to have a bit more time to see if we can do something like have a financial/tax advisor.
GroobySteven
01-23-2014, 10:33 AM
I'm loving the idea of "normalising" TS Women in society... I truly believe that Porn, despite the inevitable hang-ups and protestations of "radical" feminists, can have a positive effect, particularly where marginalised groups like TS/TG are concerned.
I have said in other posts that str8 male celebrities who get "caught" with TS Women, or who get "betrayed" to the media by a TS Woman, are fueling their own shame and embarrasment because of their own prejudices against TS Women!... In other words, male celebrities who get "caught out" with TS Women are largely responsible for their own vulnerability in such cases!
I truly believe that very soon, hopefully this year, a male celebrity who gets "caught" with a TS Woman will respond by saying something like this: "So fucking what?... Look at her!.... Of course I'm with her!... Open your eyes! Don't you think she's gorgeous??"
And when that time comes we will see an exponential growth in the acceptance of TS Women into our world!....
Which brings me to an idea I have that Grooby could use for their own good, as well as the good of TS Women: I think it would be a great idea to give "GROOBY" t-shirts away to as many sports and entertainment Management companies as possible... These Management companies, in sports, music, tv and film, can disperse them to the more open-minded people on their roster (both to men and women) and hopefully, sooner or later, there will be a singer, a rapper, a sportsman, an actor, a talk show host etc etc, who will pictured wearing a "GROOBY" t-shirt... This in itself could start a dialogue.... Which can only be a good thing.
Better still, if the celebrity concerned agreed to it, he could be "outed" in follow up coverage as a guy who has an interest in TS Porn, thereby giving him the perfect opportunity to reply with a blase, "... yeah, so what?" kinda reply, and consequently going a long way to taking the rug from right out underneath of all the ignorant fukks that make up our society (including many men who would gladly have sex with a TS Woman but then be thoroughly ashamed of her afterwards!)
It just needs 1 or 2 cooool dudes/REAL MEN to adopt this line publicly and things could change positively for many many people.... And maybe a "grooby" t-shirt could help lubricate that change?
All the best for 2014!
blue eyed devil
PS I'm loving the new vid formats - they are crystal clear and much better :)
It's a great idea - similar to what Suicide Girls did with Dave Grohl (I believe) but I don't see us being there yet. We're a commercial company and not branded like someone like Playboy might be - I just can't see anyone, yet, being able to get out and say it, in sports.
I think it will come from someone like Charlie Sheen, James Franco who are comfortable in their own skin (not saying either of those are into tgirls - but they're also not afraid to speak out and be their own men).
GroobySteven
01-23-2014, 10:41 AM
but would you consider a another site to provide a further outlet for the most popular gals... I'm dreaming of a themed site that focuses on beautiful TS Women in nylon and lace lingerie, so that every set would feature stockings and garter belt, hold-ups, body-stockings, pantyhose etc etc...
As well as having the nylon/lace lingerie theme, the vids could also be slightly longer to allow for the models TEASING the camera a bit more than usual, stroking her feminine smooth skin and curves, especially where the model rubs and plays with herself while still wearing her panties, for example snapping the elastic back and forth, and giving herself a "wedgie" by pulling her panties right up into her crack...
And of course, all the models would be happy and confident enough to talk to the camera (i.e. the viewers, especially ME lol) saying things like: "YOU LIKE IT WHEN I WEAR MY STOCKINGS FOR YOU, DON'T YOU?", and "I BET YOU'D LOVE TO FUCK ME LIKE THIS, HMMM?" while stretching their ass wide open, or "YOU WISH THIS WAS YOUR COCK, DON'T YOU?", while sliding a dildo in and out their ass, mmmmm..... You know, seductive stuff like that, sometimes cute and girly as if they are seeking their Daddy's approval lol, and other times slutty and vixen-like, telling us how much they want to be fucked in their pussy/ass/mouth :)
And in every set these wonderful Women would be power-dressed for Feminine seduction in nylons, mmmmmmm :)
Jeeeezus, I would love a site like that :)
I don't know Shaun. For one, I'd absolutely love to get the girls and the photographers more work and we have some new sites but as soon as we try to niche a little further, we get into trouble. We've experienced it before.
Just to give you a little perspective (and you won't find many people giving this sort of information away) but a site like Shemale.XXX which is expensive to run, probably won't turn profit for another 2+ yrs. That means it's had a lot of money laid out for years, before we break even and get a return. We make comparatively little per set/shoot across our network. It's ok for our company to a point as we can afford to absorb until it does turn profit which for this site (.XXX) I'm confident of it doing as it's heading the right direction but on something with a smaller appeal, it's very difficult to invest and project when that investment will comeback. SMC tried something similar with TgirlPinups and I'm confident that they have problems with that site given the lack of updates.
What we WILL have this year, is a an "a la carte" system when you can buy individual scenes from across our networks or exclusive scenes for one price. I'll make you a deal. I'll invest in a handful of scenes as you suggested. If they can break even - then I'll be able to produce more.
SHAUN
01-23-2014, 11:14 PM
I don't know Shaun. For one, I'd absolutely love to get the girls and the photographers more work and we have some new sites but as soon as we try to niche a little further, we get into trouble. We've experienced it before.
Just to give you a little perspective (and you won't find many people giving this sort of information away) but a site like Shemale.XXX which is expensive to run, probably won't turn profit for another 2+ yrs. That means it's had a lot of money laid out for years, before we break even and get a return. We make comparatively little per set/shoot across our network. It's ok for our company to a point as we can afford to absorb until it does turn profit which for this site (.XXX) I'm confident of it doing as it's heading the right direction but on something with a smaller appeal, it's very difficult to invest and project when that investment will comeback. SMC tried something similar with TgirlPinups and I'm confident that they have problems with that site given the lack of updates.
What we WILL have this year, is a an "a la carte" system when you can buy individual scenes from across our networks or exclusive scenes for one price. I'll make you a deal. I'll invest in a handful of scenes as you suggested. If they can break even - then I'll be able to produce more.
Awesome idea... And I don't mind laying my cards on the table and saying that I would not be able to resist buying a la carte vids that featured your top models in nylon stockings/hold-ups/pantyhose/bodystockings etc... Stockings and garter belts on a babe are iconic examples of Femme power and seduction to me and I'm a sucker for it every time :)
As for the t-shirt idea: it would be great if grooby could find someone manly enough and comfortable enough in their own skin to promote TS Women (and your site)... someone like Dennis Rodman, Macklemore, or Johnny Knoxville... Also, don't forget, the mesage would be just as powerful, if not more so, if it came from a woman... just think, if men see a hot woman is comfortable with TS women then that will go a long way to dispersing many of their cowardly fears?
Shaun
SHAUN
01-23-2014, 11:24 PM
Forgot to say: the main problem with TGIRL PINUPS was that guys like me were not able to download their vids... The actual content was superb, absolutely magnificent, beautiful and hot as hell.... But their vids are streaming-only, so they would never get my business again while that remains so...
I have to admit tho, like I said, if their vids were available to purchase and download a la carte, I would buy plenty of 'em (so long as they didn't take the piss too much on each download price, obviously)
Shaun
nyxxx386
02-09-2014, 08:32 PM
Awesome idea... And I don't mind laying my cards on the table and saying that I would not be able to resist buying a la carte vids that featured your top models in nylon stockings/hold-ups/pantyhose/bodystockings etc... Stockings and garter belts on a babe are iconic examples of Femme power and seduction to me and I'm a sucker for it every time :)
As for the t-shirt idea: it would be great if grooby could find someone manly enough and comfortable enough in their own skin to promote TS Women (and your site)... someone like Dennis Rodman, Macklemore, or Johnny Knoxville... Also, don't forget, the mesage would be just as powerful, if not more so, if it came from a woman... just think, if men see a hot woman is comfortable with TS women then that will go a long way to dispersing many of their cowardly fears?
Shaun
I second that, Nylons regardless if it's Stockings or Pantyhose always work!
Even if there's a site devoted to all nylons all the time!
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