Site to be seen
Submitted by dtomko on Tue, 2006-12-05 20:50.Site to be seen
Girls of Philly.com features your neighbors, co-workers and exes. Naked.
By Michael Lello
Philly EDGE Correspondent
Heather, 24, says she had no qualms about posing nude for the Girls of Philly Web site (www.girlsofphilly.com). One of the original Girls, the self-described exhibitionist disrobed for the camera about four years ago. Not surprisingly, not everyone in her life was accepting of her decision at that time.
“Absolutely,” Heather says. “My boyfriend at the time — now my husband — he was one of those too, (saying) ‘The owner of the site must be a pervert.’ He wasn’t too happy about it. Now he is okay with it and he thinks everything’s cool. He goes to the site and enjoys it.”
Since its debut in February of 2004, the subscriber-driven service has overcome some stigmas to become a successful venture where viewers can find nearly 100 Delaware Valley women in the buff. Girls of Philly founder Kurt Allen (for the business, he uses his middle name in lieu of his actual last name), who has experience in Internet and telecommunications fields, and a degree from Gettysburg College, pledges to bring site viewers “the girl next door.”
And he delivers, exposing local hotties from Janet from Philadelphia to Delana from Ardmore. The majority of the models are between 19 and 23 years old, Allen says.
All are over 18, which Allen ensures through their drivers license, Social Security Number, sworn documentation and a video testimony.
“We blanket the region, from Jersey to Delaware,” Allen says. “Conceptually, we’re taking that whole footprint to truly see the girl next door. Everybody promises the girl next door; we really provide it.”
The allure of possibly seeing your neighbor, co-worker, high school crush or ex-girlfriend is part of what Allen has used to promote Girls of Philly.
“I’ll actually be at a club, and people will come up to me and say, ‘Hey, aren’t you that girl on Girls of Philly?’” Heather says. “I’ve actually heard that friends from high school have seen me (on the site). It kind of makes you feel like you’re famous or something.”
The allure of that famous feeling, coupled with the rush of showing one’s self off, helps attract new models, Heather says.
“I don’t know, it’s just like kind of being an exhibitionist,” she explains. “It’s exciting; it’s fun. Of course, most girls like pictures of themselves.”
Allen admits it was difficult to find the type of models he had envisioned when he launched the site. With nothing but a vague query in a weekly newspaper, and photo shoots conducted in an apartment, the process was not as professional as it is today.
“In the beginning, when you don’t have a brand, they don’t know you from a hole in the wall,” says Allen, who is 35 and lives in Avalon, N.J. “We simply had an ad in the back of the City Paper that said ‘Are you hot? If so come to Mexican Post for open casting.’ People don’t know if you’re a hardcore site or taking pictures of naked girls to get laid or whatever.”
After struggling to build a solid core of 10 to 15 girls for the site, the search process began to snowball through referrals. He says he is looking for “the regular girl who wants to promote herself, rather than penetrate herself,” he says; he notes that he never approaches women and solicits them for Girls of Philly; they come to him. The photo shoots are now done at two local clubs, either during the clubs’ off hours or in a V.I.P. room. (Allen has an agreement with the clubs not to reveal their names.)
Allen’s best recruiters have been former Girls of Philly models who help assure potential models of the legitimacy of the site.
“I’m female, so a lot of girls feel more comfortable talking to another girl,” says Heather, who helps promote Girls of Philly through MySpace.com but has put modeling aside to raise her child and work as a freelance makeup artist. “And since I’ve done it, they feel more comfortable when I tell them about my shoot.”
In addition to its performance as a model recruiter, word of mouth has been Girls of Philly’s best method to bring in new subscribers. Allen says the site now boasts about 1,200 subscribers, and claims about one out of 200 Girls of Philly visitors subscribe, “a great conversion rate in the industry.” Subscriptions cost $14.95 per month, and a 7-day trial subscription costs $9.95.
Allen says subscribers, on average, stay on for three months, and many re-subscribe a few months later. The business is not event-driven, but Girls of Philly sometimes sponsors promotions, such as the Dec. 19 “Sexy Santa” contest at Top Dog in
Once a woman is approved for a Girls’ shoot she is compensated $75-$150 per hour for her time, Allen says. “It depends on the limitations (she imposes on) the shoot; it ranges from lingerie/implied topless to Playboy-style photography.” More skin equals more money.
The compensation is provided “upfront” on the day of the photo session, and all Girls of Philly are given a complete copy of their photo sets. Additionally, Allen says Girls are given a banner for their own MySpace (or other) page through which they can link to the Girls of Philly site.
“We give them (a percentage) of the subscriptions we get as a result of the traffic that comes in from their banner,” he says. “So, it becomes a partnership.”
Building on the success of Girls of Philly, Allen has launched a sister site featuring women of the Miami area (www.girlsofmiami.com). The site has not been as successful as its Philadelphia counterpart, Allen says, and he has learned that to run such a site, you need to have a presence in that city. With that in mind, he hopes to grow the franchise to five cites, with local photographers in each. His next target is New York.
Despite the risqué material he offers, Allen says his job is not unlike many others, with countless hours spent on a computer and networking. But like the models themselves, he has experienced some negative feelings from people that consider him a pornographer.
“I guess I’m a little bit of the black sheep in my family,” Allen says. “I come from a traditional Catholic family, and it’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ It’s a job, and I don’t consider it a dirty job. I don’t consider a girl that does Playboy-style photography (to be) porn; I consider it art.”
That said, would Allen, who recently got out of a relationship with a woman who was a schoolteacher, have a problem with his girlfriend or wife joining the Girls of Philly stable?
“Would I date a stripper? Yes. Would I judge her for being a stripper? No,” he answers. “I believe people have the right to do what they want with their life.”
Allen was then posed a question that he admitted was difficult: Would you let your daughter pose for such a site?
“I would have no qualms if my daughter would end up doing a shoot, but I would not want her to get into hardcore,” he says. “I wouldn’t have my own daughter on my site because it would be inappropriate, but (to be on someone else’s site); more power to her.”
Allen feels that the flavor of the region’s women comes across on Girls of Philly.
“I think we’re showing that Philly is a sexier town than it is (known for) nationally,” he says. “Philly girls have more of an edge than other cities. They’re more take charge. The factor that we’re bringing to the table is we’re showing that Philadelphia is sexy, one girl at a time. The national image of Philly is cheesesteaks and unruly Eagles fans, but we’re showing the sexy girls.”
Heather agrees that there’s something unique about Philadelphia-area girls.
“I would definitely say from my experience that girls in this area are wild,” says Heather, who grew up in Long Beach Island, N.J., and moved to Philadelphia after high school. “They’re a lot different than where I’m from. All just daring and crazy and trying new things.”
Girls of Philly
www.girlsofphilly.com
Sexy Santa Party
Tuesday, Dec. 19
Top Dog
2310 W. Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, NJ
856.486.1001
Reply
