Down to the Wire

We have a major interview coming at you today, Jacob and John welcome Solomon Friedman into Down to the Wire Studios for an exclusive sit down. Solomon is a top Criminal Defence Attorney in Canada and is now the Co-Founder of Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), which just acquired MindGeek, thus acquiring Pornhub.

We discuss the details of this purchase, the core values of ECP and their approach to the adult industry. ECP acquired Pornhub a day after the Netflix documentary ‘Money Shot: The Pornhub Story’ was released. It details legal issues and controversy surrounding MindGeek, the adult platform that faced public scrutiny stemming from a viral New York Times article.

Solomon answers concerns raised in the documentary, along with how he believes adult can be done properly. We discuss the future of Pornhub along with the adult industry, including details on some groundbreaking technology that will reshape the internet as a whole. 

Conversations also lead into the legal battles they face, how ECP is going to be sex worker driven, the financial discrimination they face, content restrictions, age verification technology, collaborating with other tech giants and so much more.

Today's episode is fuelled by Red Bull Canada, we thank you for your support!

Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠Down to the Wire on IG⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ Channel, check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ & read our ⁠⁠⁠⁠blogs⁠⁠⁠⁠, be a lot cooler if you did.

(0:00) Intro 

(0:47) Guys Beings Dudes

(1:12) Meet Solomon Friedman

(1:52) Incognito Browser 

(2:15) Lame Search History

(3:08) How Much is Pornhub Worth?

(3:41) Process of Buying PornHub

(4:43) Who is MindGeek?

(6:38) How is Porn Done Properly?

(7:58) This technology is the future

(9:41) How PornHub Detects Illegal Content

(11:32) What is SafeGuard?

(13:29) Preventing Non-Consensual Content

(15:42) Adult Industry Will Save the Internet / History of Adult Entertainment

(18:14) Is the Internet a Safe Place?

(18:41) Sex Jokes

(19:25) AI Facial Recognition 

(20:25) Why Buy Pornhub?

(20:58) Groundbreaking Technology

(24:06) Age Estimation Software

(25:20) Operating a Tech Giant

(28:06) Industries That Need Ethical Leadership

(30:22) MindGeek Should Be Boring

(31:33) The Future of the Internet

(34:09) Regaining Public Trust / Verified Uploaders

(41:18) Removing Content on Pornhub 

(43:07) MindGeek’s Next Level Technology 

(45:13) Collaborating with Other Tech Giants

(46:28) MindGeek’s Legal Battle

(48:24) Avoiding Echo Chambers

(50:12) Ethical Capital Partners Advisory Board

(53:25) TraffickingHub (Exodus Cry & NCOSE)

(56:07) Abolishing Porn and Adult Content

(59:09) Shoutout RedBull

(59:31) How Dangerous Can the Adult Industry Get?

(01:01:20) Cannabis Industry vs Adult Industry

(01:03:29) Porn is a reflection of society

(01:04:50) Freedom of sexual expression

(01:06:23) MindGeek’s Culture 

(01:09:40) How Does it Feel Owning Pornhub?

(01:11:48) Financial Discrimination

(01:14:01) Sex Worker Driven

(01:17:03) Stigma on Sex Work

(01:19:02) Visa and Mastercard

(01:20:27) ECP Approach to Mental Health

(01:24:57) PornHubs Corporate Social Responsibility 

(01:26:05) Parents Restricting Pornhub

(01:27:08) Device Based Age Verification

(01:29:12) Working with Apple, Microsoft and Google

(01:30:56) Being at the Table with GAFA

(01:33:41) How Long Until the Adult Industry is Accepted?

(01:35:09) Is this a No Brainer?

(01:36:20) The Facts

(01:39:18) Who is Solomon Friedman?

(01:41:25) Sex Work Without Exploitation

(01:44:30) What’s in it for you?

(01:46:40) Why do you do this?

(01:47:44) Public Enemy Number One

(01:49:33) What’s (Really) in it for you?

(01:51:42) How Much Does Money Influence You?

(01:54:26) The Challenge That Lies Ahead

(01:54:53) Competing With OnlyFans

(01:56:40) Why Ethical Capital Partners?

We tease an interview coming up with the Partner of a global tech giant we have in store for you all next week, so STAY TUNED. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, we have a buffet of an episode today that we need to digest first before getting to the dessert. We have a variety of segments before getting into our Back Page News, starting with Algorithm Suckjob where Pete Davidson and Miley Cyrus are making waves, along with Pop-Up Podcast where we have a compilation of the best 60 second podcast moments we recorded with strangers.

Then in Back Page News we discuss some of the weirdest news circulating the globe, such as; Spanish firm wrong to fire electrician for drinking alcohol during working day, court rules, Canada geese overrun Ottawa DND campus during annual invasion, Texas school district votes to place armed civilians in schools, and California drug dealer escapes with 60 pounds of sheriff's meth during failed sting.

Today's episode is fuelled by Red Bull Canada, we thank you for your support!

Follow ⁠⁠⁠Down to the Wire on IG⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ Channel, check out our ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ & read our ⁠⁠⁠blogs⁠⁠⁠, be a lot cooler if you did.

Intro

0:00 - PornHub Teaser

2:50 - Good Journalism Incoming

3:53 - The Best Adult Websites

4:40 - Show Breakdown

6:01 - Red Bull Canada

Algorithm Suck Job

9:50 - My Algorithm, Your Algorithm

10:54 - Pete Davidson Pushing Fan

12:41 - Atlanta Hawks vs Janet Jackson

14:39 - Miley Cyrus Meme

16:57 - Making Fun of John’s East Coast Accent

17:39 - Colored Hockey League

Pop-Up Podcasts

22:18 - Talking to Strangers

23:17 - 60 Second Podcast

28:16 - Reaction

Back Page News

31:02 - Weird News Weekly

31:55 - Spanish Company WRONG For Firing Electrician For Drinking on the Job

38:25 - GEESE Are Overrunning the Canadian Government

46:37 - Texas School District Votes to Place ARMED Civilians in Schools

55:03 - FAILED Meth Sting Results in Drug Dealer Making Off with HUGE Score

1:01:00 - Outro

General Topics:

Lil Wayne, Miley Cyrus, Miley Cyrus Smoking Weed, Miley Smoking a Bong, Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics, Pete Davidson, New York Knicks, Janet Jackson Concert, Miley Cyrus Voice Dog, Miley Cyrus Voice Star Wars, East Coast Accent, Africville, Black Hockey Players, Colored Hockey League, MLB Negro League, MLB The Show Negro League, Minute Podcasts, 60 second podcast, street videos, Godfrey Podcast, Functioning Alcoholic, Private Investigator, Canadian Geese, Department of National Defence, Dungeons and Dragons, LARP, School Shootings, Guns in Schools, Rube Goldberg, Undercover Sting, Meth Bust, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, 21 Jump Street.

This week Racco goes off-brand with an inspirational message for the people to lead things off. After we shed a few tears, we get into some giggles with our new segment Algorithm Suckjob where we talk about stuff that's clogging our algorithm such as Fyre Fest 2 and this guy who got into a beef with a baby on an airplane.

Then we get into our Back Page News where we discover the oddest stories happening around the world, such as; 'Oh Good – Over 1 In 10 People Poo In The Shower', 'National Guard member arrested after applying to work as hitman on fake website', and '2 arrested, suspect in Spiderman costume still at large after BMW pursuit ends on Beltway in Md.'

Then we close it out with our camera guys dirty little secret

Today's episode is fuelled by Red Bull Canada, we thank you for your support!

Follow ⁠⁠Down to the Wire on IG⁠⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ Channel, check out our ⁠⁠website⁠⁠ & read our ⁠⁠blogs⁠⁠, be a lot cooler if you did.

Check out Noah's blog about Tokyo Fashion week here.

Intro

0:00 - Eating Magic Mushrooms

1:45 - Alone in Montreal

2:45 - Getting Weird

3:47 - In Control of My Time

4:06 - Art That Changed My Life

5:00 - Don’t Forget to Live Life

5:46 - Bad Mushroom Trip

7:20 - Life Lessons

8:14 - Wholesome Fan Interactions

9:30 - Positive Ass Episode

10:00 - Fuelled by Red Bull

10:30 - Best Drink in the World

11:00 - Show Breakdown

Algorithm Suckjob

11:24 - Here’s What’s on our Algorithm

11”36 - Colman’s Long Legs

11:53 - Fyre Fest 2 

12:35 - Two Genders

12:44 - Fyre Fest Trailer 

12:58 - Responding to Billy McFarland’s Tweet (Fyre Fest Food and Tents)

13:42 - Going to Fyre Fest

14:03 - GOAT Scam Artist

14:48 - Fyre Fest Location  

15:31 - Guy Freaks Out at Baby on Airplane

16:53 - Punching Babies

17:00 - Fart Mystery

18:27 - Obnoxious Tax

19:03 - Travelling with Babies

Back Page News

22:27 - Weird News Weekly

22:30 - 1 in 10 People Poop in the Shower

22:44 - Peeing in Shower

22:55 - Unintentional Poops

23:17 - Waffle Stomp

23:40 - Standing Poop

24:00 - The Ultimate Bidet

24:12 - Having To Go Mid-Shower

25:30 - Showering Together

25:57 - Best Feeling in the World

26:28 - Blowing Nose in the Shower

27:21 - Poop Trick Shots

28:29 - Mac Savage

29:08 - Do You Poop in the Shower?

29:30 - Joe Biden Poops in the Shower

30:00 - So Does Mark Wahlburg 

30:13 - Mark Wahlburg Routine

30:28 - Italy Toilets

32:24 -  National Guard Member Arrested For Applying to Work as Hitman on Fake Website

32:43 - www.rentahitman.com

33:05 - Story Explained

33:53 - Hitman Headshots

34:48 - Ideal Hitman

35:25 - Masterminds Hitman

36:27 - How Much Does a Hitman Cost?

36:50 - Falling for Internet Scams

38:49 - Hitman Testimonials 

39:27 - What’s the point of www.rentahitman.com ?

40:00 - The FBI Entrapping Hitman

41:28 - Where Do You Find a Hitman?

42:09 - Taking it too Far (Almost)

42:32 - COD Player IRL

43:20 - Man in Spider-Man Costume at Large After High Speed Pursuit

43:31 - Story Explained

44:08 - Possibly Spider-Man

44:39 - Tobey Maguire Cage Fight Spider-Man Suit

45:08 - Obama Mask

45:16 - How Many People Does It Take to Steal a Car?

45:33 - Slight Racism 

46:12 - Spider-Man Fight Scene

46:49 - Amateur Wresting Spider-Man

47:35 - Spider-Man Web Shooter

47:55 - Phalen Used to be Spider-Man

48:34 - Wearing a Spider-Man Suit 24/7

49:08 - My Superhero Moment

50:13 - My Dirty Secret

Outro

50:54 - Wrapping Up

51:04 - Tokyo Fashion Week

52:03 - Logan Brown’s Comedy Special

53:16 - Mom’s Reacting to Comedy

53:37 - John’s Apology

54:14 - Dine and Dashing 

55:10 - Outro

Two time Canadian Comedy Award winner Sandra Battaglini joins the show this week and drops some knowledge on what we didn't know about the comedy industry. She explains the art of 'Clown', it's influence and how many of the mainstream comedians are actually clowns but may not realize it. Sandra also co-founded The Canadian Association of Stand-Up, Sketch and Improv Comedians (CASC), leading into conversations about flaws within the comedy industry in Canada. We talk about it from all angles, including the quality of talent, how Canada is at a disadvantage, Americans staling Canadian content, how to get out of this mess and much more.

Today's episode is fuelled by Red Bull Canada, we thank you for your support!

Follow ⁠Down to the Wire on IG⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube⁠ Channel, check out our ⁠website⁠ & read our ⁠blogs⁠, be a lot cooler if you did.

Intro

0:00 - Teaser

0:13 - Pronouncing Italian Names

0:42 - Sicily 

1:18 - Italian Wedding Drama

2:33 - Italian Stereotypes + Holding a Grudge

3:16 - All Italians Do This (Italian Trash Talk)

6:00 - Best Part About Being Italian 

6:38 - Snake Festival in Italy

9:11 - Digby’s World Famous Scallops 

9:58 - Brief History Lesson 

Getting Started in Comedy

10:38 - History Major

11:25 - Post Secondary Influencing Material

12:06 - Start in Comedy

12:54 - Second City Comedy Theatre  

14:48 - Getting Hooked

Clown Comedy

15:22 - Becoming a Clown

16:44 - What is Clown?

17:52 - North American vs European Clowns

18:25 - Baskets - Zach Galifianakis

18:41 - Performers You Didn’t Know Were Clowns

19:43 - Studying Clown

20:23 - Sacha Baron Cohen

20:41 - The Anti-Clown (Bufon)

21:51 - Cabaret 

24:23 - Clown Characters

26:19 - Parents Reaction to Comedy

The Comedy Industry

27:37 - Comedian Association of Stand Up Comedians

27:57 - Why Isn’t Comedy Recognized as an Art

30:23 - Open Letter to the Prime Minister

32:24- Roasting Art Shows

34:18 - Stepping Down From Lobbying

36:46 - Prioritizing Stand-Up Comedy

37:59 - Canadian Entertainment Barriers

38:49 - America Stealing Canadian Art

40:12 - Best Comedy Scene in the World

40:39 - Why It’s Hard For Canadian Talent to Grow

41:06 - The Music Industry Blueprint

42:40 - Why Canadians Can’t Create Art in the U.S.A

44:22 - How to Break Through in America

45:13 - Why Americans Make Movies in Canada

45:58 - 9/11 Influence on Comedy Industry

46:32- Starting Over 

46:58 - Utilizing Social Media

48:11 - This Poisoned Comedy

48:55 - Sticking It to the Man

Outro

52:35 - The World’s Biggest Problem

53:48 - How I Find Balance

54:58 - Words of Wisdom

55:45 - Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

56:52 - Microdosing

57:18 - What is a Comedian?

58:25 - Andrew Santino Cheeseburger

59:36 - Go Plant Some Seeds

1:00:13 - Outro

This week’s episode begins with Racco revealing his new favourite yet questionable hobby that raises some interesting questions about his Uncle. We then followed that with a new segment tentatively named ‘Algorithm Suck-Job’ where we shamelessly plug stories that will boost us in the algo such as the NCAA Women’s March Madness Finals celebration controversy and Doge Coin’s recent jump after Elon switched it out for the Twitter logo and more trending YouTube Shorts you people love.

Follow ⁠Down to the Wire on IG⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube⁠ Channel, check out our ⁠website⁠ & read our ⁠blogs⁠, be a lot cooler if you did.

This weeks episode is a hot one with Racco opening up with a story about some interesting Southerners he met while in Boston this past weekend. Then we jump into Front Page News where we discuss PornHub being acquired locally by an Ottawa firm and what this means for security on the web moving forward.

In Back Page News we discuss some offbeat stories that may not be on your radar, such as; 'Serial sperm donor who fathered 550 children sued for increasing incest risk', 'Amsterdam launches stay away ad campaign targeting young British men', 'News anchor 'taken off air' for quoting Snoop Dogg during live broadcast', and 'Experience Regina apologizes after criticism over new slogans 'sexualizing' the city'.

In our Soapbox John talks about recently sponsoring the MTL Kickback, a comedy show in which we provided the doobies, and Racco talks about him and Dan chasing down Biden during his visit to Ottawa last weekend.

Today's episode is fuelled by Red Bull Canada, we thank you for your support!

Follow ⁠Down to the Wire on IG⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube⁠ Channel, check out our ⁠website⁠ & read our ⁠blogs⁠, be a lot cooler if you did.

00:00 - Boston Southerners

28:13 - Serial Sperm Donor

38:28 - Stay Away From Amsterdam

45:44 - Fo' Shizzle

53:26 - Experience Regina

1:00:45 - Soapbox

This week we welcome on multi-talented artist Logan Brown ahead of his upcoming comedy special next month. Once a member of a Jazz duo who caught the attention of The Weeknd and others in the Toronto music scene, he has now pivoted to a career in stand-up comedy where he has quickly risen in the local scene. We talk about his start in music, a conversation with "the biggest rapper in Toronto's" manager that turned him off from the music industry, his quick ascent in the comedy scene and his style of musical comedy that sets him apart from others.

We then get into some Back Page News with Logan, featuring stories such as; ‘Stop Masturbating and Go to the Front’ – Russian Mercenary Group Wagner Launches Porn Site Recruitment Drive', 'Gods in the machine? The rise of artificial intelligence may result in new religions', 'Dallas Journalist Fired For Calling Mayor 'Bruh' On Twitter'

Today's episode is fuelled by Red Bull Canada, we thank you for your support!

Follow ⁠Down to the Wire on IG⁠ Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube⁠ Channel, check out our ⁠website⁠ & read our ⁠blogs⁠, be a lot cooler if you did.

We have a loaded episode this week featuring a range of personalities. From random strangers off the streets to the Hanover Chief of Police, and of course yours truly, hosts of The Down to the Wire Podcast Jacob Racco and John Balser.   We kick today's show off with a compilation of 60 second podcasts we shot with random people in public. Catch us on the streets of Ottawa this weekend at the Rideau McDonalds March and next week in the Carleton University tunnels if you want to guest on the show!

We then kick off our Back Page News with an exclusive interview we have with Hanover Chief of Police, Christopher Knoll, as we try and get to the bottom of the following headline, 'Suspicious man who offered chocolates to boy was actually participating in Random Acts of Kindness Day'. After our phone call with Chief Knoll we get into other headlines such as; 'Jordan Peterson Very Concerned by Milking Porn Factory' and 'Giving the middle finger is a ‘God-given right’, Canadian judge rules'. 

Today's episode is fuelled by Red Bull Canada, we thank you for your support!

Follow Down to the Wire on IG Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, check out our website & read our blogs, be a lot cooler if you did.

This week's episode of the Down to the Wire Podcast is blessed with the presence of Hassan Phills who stops by DTTW HQ while in Ottawa for his comedy tour. After a sold out show at the Laugh Lounge the prior night, the Scarborough native talked about his short yet impactful career, how playing professional basketball helped his stand up comedy career and his perception of the Canadian comedy industry as it currently stands.

In the second half, we get into our Back Page News, but we decided to mix it up this week. We read him headlines, he decides which ones are true and which are fake. This takes us down some wild conversations about religion, spirituality, his white friend named Grady (classic) and his beef with Greta Thunberg.

Click here to check out the Red Bull Doodle Art Competition!

Follow Down to the Wire on IG Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, check out our website & read our blogs, be a lot cooler if you did.

This week we have a pair of exclusive interviews from DC Defender fans who were at 'The Lemon Game' (9:57), a historic moment for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's XFL revamp. They give us insight to what really went down once beer snakes got taken away, the lemon tossing and look ahead towards what we can expect at the next home game coming up in just a few days. 

After a compilation style interview with two new friends of the show, we get into our Back Page News, where we discover and discuss odd headlines circulating the globe. Such as; 'Idaho bill would bring back execution by firing squad' (36:18), 'Naked girl enters wrong hotel room, League of Legends gamer continues playing' (44:48), and 'BBC News Says Presenters Can Relax Formal Dress Code As “Sweaty & Dirty” Look Is More Trustworthy' (52:01). We then wrap things up with our Soapbox (59:08) and vent about voice notes. 

Click here to check out the Red Bull Doodle Art Competition!

Follow Down to the Wire on IG Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, check out our website & read our blogs, be a lot cooler if you did.