For many, the recent BBC3 documentary ‘Webcam Boys’ was a real eye opener. From JMatt exploring fetishes in the shed at the end of his parent’s back garden, to straight boys Will and Martyn jacking off together for cash, the show left us with a lot of questions…
So who better to give us some answers than David Thomas, UK Marketing Director at CAM4, the UK’s largest adult webcam site.
In the show we saw a wide range of guy have chosen to perform on webcam. Can anyone do it?
Certainly. We encourage anyone over the age of 18 to give it a go. We love how diverse CAM4 is, no matter your age, background, or looks. And with over six million unique visitors to the site each day, you’re sure to find someone who’ll enjoy what you have to offer.
Can we really make £800 a day working on CAM4?!
Absolutely! Our top performers regularly earn in excess of £7,000 per month, broadcasting on webcam in their spare time. Performers often quickly build a dedicated fan base who are willing to tip for requests.
Guys might be concerned about privacy. What safeguards are in place?
We do offer some great tools to help performers with privacy, for example we offer the ability to block your webcam show from appearing in selected countries!
JMatt was arguably the star of the show and his story took us from the highs of his moneymaking fetish shows, to the low points of his past.
What’s been the reaction from friends and family since the show aired?
Mixed. I’ve got friends that have been ultra supportive (as well as my mum who I think truly outshone everyone else in the show – social media seem to adore her! haha) My brother isn’t happy at all and has blocked me on Facebook (which is upsetting as I’m due to be an uncle to his daughter come May) and there’s a bit of a rift in the family on my dads side (ironically from my Nan, who hasn’t even seen the documentary herself) – I’ve also my fair share of hate mail. But I’ve got a thick enough skin to deal with it. I went as far as to call myself a whore on the show so it’s not like I’m not aware of what people are thinking. In a sense, without sounding too cocky, I feel like I’m one step ahead of the game.
Do you think you’ll continue camming from the shed, or are you planning to move to a new location?
Can I just take a moment to clarify – it’s not a shed, it’s an outhouse!! Haha that aside no, of course camming from there isn’t my long term goal. I was initially saving up to rent my own place but I think, providing things go well, I’ll probably end up moving in with my boyfriend to Bristol. We met via CAM4 so he’s really supportive and I actually think I’ve probably done more shows at his place, as opposed to in my own cam room/’shed’ these last few months
So let’s get to the juicy bits. What’s the weirdest thing someone has asked you to do on webcam?
Piss my pants? Shit on cam? There’s lots of foot fetishists out there but they rarely seem to actually tip so I try and keep my feet out of shot the majority of the time just to piss them off haha. I’ve had quite a few requests to send cum or piss stained underwear or socks out to a client in exchange for an agreed amount of tokens, all of which I’ve fulfilled.
In the program the narrator said that webcams mean that anyone can be a porn star… Do you believe that’s true? Can anyone do it?
Yes and no. You need to find your niche. When I first started camming I wasn’t being true to myself and it wasn’t until I let my personality (and all my weird quirks and eccentricities) shine through that my audience really started to grow and the tokens came rolling in.
And how is Martyn’s hunt for a girlfriend going?
You were filmed out on the hunt for girls. Do you think you’ll find a girlfriend who’s accepting of your work on webcam?
I don’t want a girlfriend at the moment. I’m having far to much fun being me and my work.
You mention in the documentary that you can make £600 to £700 a night on webcam. How much were you making at the start and how long did it take you to get to that?
It’s happened, and you can earn more or less depending on how hard you work and how far you are prepared to go for each show.
You mentioned that one of your customers loves to watch you burp, are there other non-sexual things that you’ve been asked to do for money on cam?
Cash Slaves are the main one that’s non-sexual that like to be told what to do, when to do it and how to do it. Cleaning the house top to toe, being used to make me a blog, etc…
What’s the weirdest thing someone has asked you to do on webcam?
Act as if I was Hannibal. I had to pretend I was blood thirsty to eat the customer alive.
What would you say to anyone considering getting into adult webcam work?
Expect very weird requests. Always understand that each one of these people watching you are watching you for a certain reason, whether it being the colour of your hair to the way you look.
• The BBC3 documentary ‘Webcam Boys’ is available for a short time on iPlayer.
• See what all the fuss is about at www.CAM4.com