Business-related questions
Industry trends
How has the market developed since you founded your business, and what changes do you anticipate over the next 5–10 years?
Since 18 years, Eronite has been around, and today, I can say: little is as it once was, but almost everything is the same. What sounds like a paradox, a contradiction in itself, pretty accurately describes the development of the adult industry. It hasn’t gotten harder, just different. New challenges have come and continue to come our way: the replacement of DVDs with VOD platforms, illegal piracy and prohibited download sites, increasingly restrictive laws and regulations, the emergence of generative art (a part of artificial intelligence), changing moral attitudes, fewer consumers willing to pay, and a decline in payment ethics have all left a lasting impact on the industry.
What remains is the craving for sexual content, the pursuit of innovative material, fresh faces, and more boldly expressed fetishes. Those who continue to work diligently and creatively, just as they did 10 or 15 years ago, will succeed in the years to come. I believe that AI will influence the industry in a way that personal face-to-face interactions will become more important, as no one in the future will know if they’re texting or even speaking with a real person. Even a person’s voice can sound convincingly real, just as avatars, images, and photos already do. In my opinion, the chat sector will decline, while the dating sector will grow.
Challenges and Successes
What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
In 2017, there was a restructuring in the shareholder structure of the Eronite Media Group. As a result, a position had to be refilled, which was accomplished smoothly following thorough preparation and training. New strategic goals were established, and as part of this, the Eronite logo underwent a comprehensive relaunch to meet new requirements, particularly those of the digital world (https://www.eronite.com/neues-eronite-logo/), and was visually enhanced. This update affected not only all websites but also print materials, such as company apparel, promotional items, etc.—in short, the entire corporate identity of the company.
Can you share a recent success story that you are particularly proud of?
Yes, I can. In the recent ‘Venus’ month of October, we crossed a ‘magic threshold’ of one million page views within a 30-day period. We had been working tirelessly towards this with our team since the company’s founding, continuously producing and writing new content for the site, because the rule still holds: ‘Content is King.’ I believe that this will continue to hold true despite the mass publication of machine-generated content (texts created with the help of artificial intelligence). A machine has no emotions and can only put into words what already exists. Even as these systems become more ‘intelligent,’ I don’t believe that humans will lose their advantages in the near future. Empathy and the ability to connect personal experiences are incredible things that the human brain is capable of.
Innovation und Strategie
What is your strategy to remain competitive in this fast-paced market and ensure steady growth?
My strategy is simple: stay on top of things, keep learning every day, read a lot, and keep my eyes and ears open. I constantly come up with new ideas—some work, others don’t. Only those who work hard and continuously reinvent themselves or adapt to new circumstances will survive in this market. After all, dinosaurs went extinct. Insects, the most diverse group of living organisms, have been adapting for millions of years. And I am, in a way, the insect of the porn industry.
B2B-Kooperationen
What role do partnerships and collaborations play in your business model, and how do you choose your collaboration partners?
Partnerships and collaborations are the elixir of success. It’s difficult to succeed as a one-man show. I don’t see competitors, only valuable fellow players who complement my own work. For example, if I ‘borrow’ an idea from a business partner and improve it, I give them the opportunity to also raise their quality, so I, in turn, work on my own improvements. This creates a ‘quality spiral’ that only points upward. Unfortunately, not all partners see it this way, but I can live with that. If some ‘competitors’ knew how indifferent and insignificant they are to me, they might be annoyed—but even that doesn’t matter to me. Even if this statement sounds a bit arrogant or pretentious, it’s the truth.
I love healthy collaborations with win-win situations, and I stand by that. Betraying someone brings neither harmony nor lasting success, and I am a big fan of both. It’s no coincidence we’ve been in the market since 2006.
Were there any unexpected collaborations or partnerships that had a significant impact on your company?
Indeed, there have been such partnerships, and there still are. This is primarily due to the fact that we (my team and I) always show up at trade fairs, events, and conferences dressed in clothing with our company logo. This gives us a certain level of brand recognition. It also includes giving interviews as often as possible, displaying our logo in front of every camera, and conducting our own public relations efforts. The company’s image and public presentation are very important to me.
As a result, potential business partners recognize us repeatedly and find it much easier to approach us than if we were wandering around in a plain, worn-out shirt with odd designs. This has led to partnerships that, in some cases, have lasted for almost two decades.
Personal and Background Questions
Beginnings and Motivation
What first attracted you to the adult industry, and what still motivates you?
The diversity has always held a certain appeal for me. This industry is so complex, with so many different opportunities, that I’d have ‘eaten my hat’ if I hadn’t found a home here. I enjoy improvising and coming up with new ideas, as well as developing mid- to long-term strategies and business directions. All of this motivates me in my daily work—the variety and the multitude of different personalities of the people I work with. It’s simply fun!
Can you tell us a bit about your background and how it prepared you for this career path?
This, along with my passion for the nuances of the German language (which unfortunately seems to be nearly buried by people’s ignorance), my interest in writing (I am, by the way, a member of the ‘Verein Deutsche Sprache e.V.’), and my hobby of web design led me to create my own websites and add advertising banners—back then, still in the non-adult sector. Until a friend suggested I try promoting adult sites, as they supposedly performed better. I tried it immediately. ‘Eronite’ was born. The rest is history.
Work-Life-Balance
How do you manage to maintain a balance between your work and personal life in such a demanding industry?
At the beginning of my ‘career,’ I worked seven days a week, thirteen hours a day, earning only 300 euros in the first 30 days. If I had continued like that, I would probably be long dead by now. After about four to five months of this, I realized I needed my personal life to unwind. The best way to achieve this is by having an office 15 km away from home, where you can’t just ‘pop in’ to handle minor tasks that then turn out to be brutal time-wasters.
I try not to work on weekends, and occasionally, I simply go to the beach or just stay home altogether.
What do you do to unwind and recharge after a long day?
I now only know stress that is self-made, and since I left Germany 12 years ago, there’s no such thing as ‘a stressful day’ anymore. Often, what needs to be done today can wait until tomorrow. Usually, when you postpone something, this happens: nothing. So sometimes, I draw my energy simply from doing nothing. I take the time to sit by the sea and listen to the waves, sometimes even during the day.
I enjoy spending my free time with my family, going diving, eating tapas with friends, and simply loving life in a very beautiful part of our world.”
Inspirations and Influences
Are there mentors or personalities who have inspired you on your journey?
There are two people I should mention: first, Deike Klapproth, a veteran of the industry. He acted as a kind of mentor at the beginning. In the not-yet-fully-internationalized industry at that time, he knew practically everyone and introduced me to nearly everyone, allowing my network to grow quite rapidly. I learned a lot from him about the ‘industry before my time,’ and I am still grateful that he supported me with advice and practical help 18 years ago when I was taking my first steps in the business. To this day, we are good friends.
The second person who has deeply impressed me with his work, his spirit, and his intellect—although he has nothing to do with the adult industry—is Karl Lagerfeld. Two quotes of his have particularly stuck with me and significantly influence my actions, both professionally and personally: ‘Fortunately, I can laugh at myself, which, of course, doesn’t stop me from laughing at others,’ and ‘One only learns from one’s mistakes. Success has never helped anyone.’ A truly inspiring man with an interesting life story. I love his conversation with Alfred Biolek from 2001: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqLUXKlxdO0
To be honest, there are also many other people from whom I have picked up things. There are many who have inspired me in one way or another. They don’t necessarily have to be successful business people; they can also be ‘ordinary people,’ hard workers, or imaginative lone wolves.
Which book, film, or artwork has significantly influenced your life or work?
The book The Art of Self-Presentation influenced my path early on. Without coming across as arrogant, I learned how to present myself and my company in a way that generates interest. This also involves presenting oneself confidently—but without exaggeration.
Personal Views and Perception of the Industry
What do you think about the public perception of the adult industry, and what do you wish more people knew about it?
We still carry a ‘dirty’ image. In my opinion, people are becoming more intolerant about it, even though they now ironically champion absolute tolerance. In Germany especially, only opinions that align with one’s own are tolerated. But in a democracy, I believe in letting those who ‘oppose’ me have their say, to counter their arguments and avoid pouring fuel on the fire with exclusion and lived intolerance.
It’s similar with the perception of the adult, sex, and porn industry. A little more tolerance here would benefit many, particularly the big payment providers and credit card companies, who have nearly perfected the art of double standards.
People should know that most of us work in regular offices. Here’s a little anecdote: When we, back in Germany, received certification from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) required to hire an apprentice (office administrator for office communication), a representative from the IHK visited us. After concluding our conversations, inspecting the office space, and the workstation for a future apprentice, she said to me in surprise, ‘This is just a normal office! And you’re a completely normal person!’ When I asked her what she had imagined, she replied, ‘I thought you’d be two meters tall, bald, tattooed, and sitting here in a leather outfit.’ This reflects the expectations and concerns people outside the adult industry have when they come into contact with us.
Is there a misconception about your work that you would like to clear up? If so, what is it?
Everyone can think what they want; it doesn’t affect me at all. Our company motto used to be ‘We are the bad guys.’ I’ve always let talk and rumors roll off me, and that applies even more to my role at Eronite. Since some people labeled us as ‘bad,’ we quickly made it our slogan. Some things you just have to rise above, or it can quickly become unhealthy.
What I don’t like, however, is when people confuse the adult industry with the red-light district or lump them together. Sure, there are overlaps, but at their core, these are two different fields.
Advice for Newcomers
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the adult industry?
Patience. In my opinion, that is the key word. Many people think they can become wealthy quickly or achieve success overnight. But if you’re only publishing a handful of articles every six months, you’ll quickly realize that, while search engines may index the content—even with good content and careful SEO—it won’t rank highly. In contrast, we publish around 950 articles per year, which has helped us build a solid readership base and continually feed the search engines with fresh content.
And very importantly: be curious, question things, and do a lot of research, but don’t broadcast what was entrusted to you to the world without reason! Anyone who tells me something in confidence can be sure it stays with me. This approach has always served me well, and not everything needs to be made public right away. It’s often far more interesting to use that information in the background.
In your opinion, are there key skills or qualities that are essential for success in this field?
Equally important is the willingness to master multiple skills simultaneously. Anyone starting out on their own needs to be a businessperson (unfortunately, very few are, and this quickly separates the wheat from the chaff), as well as a programmer, webmaster, web designer, SEO specialist, journalist, graphic designer, and writer. Organizational talent, affiliate marketing skills, and a personal ‘idea factory’ should also enrich one’s portfolio. Additionally, being proactive in reaching out to potential business partners and clients is extremely beneficial in this industry. And a healthy dose of curiosity—it always helps!
Future Plans and Goals
What’s next for you? Are there upcoming projects or goals that you’re particularly excited about?
We are currently expanding our erotic casting series, with big plans in this sector for 2025 and beyond. For instance, applicants who make it to the ‘recall’ round and whom we consider suitable will immediately participate in a professional production without having to wait weeks. This significantly enhances our castings, as participants (both men and women) are eager to break into the adult industry and start filming as quickly as possible.
Additionally, we are looking to further professionalize this event by acquiring an ID scanner that reads data from the ID document, stores it in a database, and instantly prints a contract via mobile printer, which only needs to be signed by the participant—no need to manually fill in their details.
We’re also planning to expand some sections in our erotic magazine, such as the ‘Q&A Round’ and the ‘Domina Diary.’ Our popular erotic lexicon will also be gradually expanded. Our goal is to provide our readers with a comprehensive encyclopedia of erotic topics with at least 2,500 entries (www.eronite.com/lexikon).
Since a third of our readership is female, we’ll be developing and publishing more ‘content and sex stories by women for women.’ To date, six of our 13 contributing writers in the editorial team are women.
How do you envision the legacy you’d like to leave in the adult industry?
I’d like people to simply think that I did something right, that I made people smile with some of my articles. Beyond that, I don’t see myself as so important that I need to be remembered in any special way.
I’d prefer my ‘legacy’ to be of a more personal nature. I want my child to be able to say later, ‘Thank you, Dad, for everything. I love you.’ That is far more important to me than any professional footprint I might leave behind.
