Turning Piracy into Profit with Samuel Hodecker

TL;DR:

• Samuel Hodecker nearly left Pornhub due to piracy and content leaks, but transformed his approach by recycling older content, leveraging our massive traffic and using our content protection service to regain control of his views and earnings.
• By uploading leaked and older content to his verified Pornhub account, he earned back lost traffic, monetized his content through ad revenue, and improved his Google search results and overall SEO (search engine optimization).
• Pornhub’s free content protection service available for all Models helps safeguard content and revenue by sending DMCA takedown notices to authorized sites hosting his content.
• Samuel’s journey shows that creators can thrive—even in the face of piracy—by using Pornhub as both a marketing billboard and content protection service.
• Pornhub also encourages the promotion of your other fan or clip sites so that you can redirect traffic and grow your earnings through subscriptions, tips and video sales on other platforms! We are part of an ecosystem with massive traffic that you can redirect to other sites to earn more money!

Stolen content appearing on unauthorized sites can be a major challenge in the adult industry. Pornhub Model Samuel Hodecker knows this struggle firsthand. Like many creators, Samuel faced the frustration of having his content leaked and shared on unauthorized sites, resulting in lost revenue and control. Instead of letting piracy hold him back, he turned it into an opportunity. Keep reading to learn how he did it.  

Meet Samuel Hodecker

Samuel Hodecker is a high-performing Brazilian Model on PornhubGay, boasting impressive achievements:

• Over 50 total videos
• 16M video views
• 18K subscribers
• Ranked #17 among all PornhubGay Models
• Nominated for Favorite Gay Model (and went viral on X for meeting Diplo at the party!) at the 7th Annual Pornhub Awards

Our team first connected with Samuel at the Grabbys Europe in 2024, when he was determined to climb the Model ranks (then at rank #158) despite facing upload and verification hurdles. Rather than giving up, Samuel worked with us and received ongoing support from Freedom, Pornhub’s Content and Community Manager. We were able to collaborate to help Samuel overcome these obstacles, resulting in a better Model rank and more income.  

The following year, we met up with Samuel again at the 2025 Grabbys Europe in April. By this time, Samuel achieved a remarkable 62% increase in his Model rank, reaching #97, and was a panelist in one of our seminars at the event. He spoke in detail about how he leveraged Pornhub to increase his revenue and grow his audience.  

We built a great relationship with Samuel and saw a partnership forming. He expressed an interest in wanting to work with us more, so we asked him to participate in a merch campaign. Samuel was featured in our Swimwear Collection launch alongside popular performers such as Violet Myers, Elly Clutch, and Asa Akira.

Turning Piracy into Profit: Samuel Hodecker’s Journey on Pornhub

A few months later, in September 2025, Samuel Hodecker publicly announced his intention to leave Pornhub. Frustrated by persistent piracy, content leaks, and the struggle to maintain control over his work, Samuel, like many creators, was losing both revenue and motivation.  

We were concerned and reached out to him and asked if something had happened. Samuel Hodecker told us, “Many people don’t realize how much we invest in travel, content production, and filming scenes. Sometimes we upload a video to a paid platform, and it leaks the same day on other websites. When that happens, part of the return on something we invested in disappears. For us, every video is also a product that needs to cover production costs.”

We were devastated to hear about this and respected his decision to leave the platform. But a few months later, in January 2026, Samuel shared an insightful article on X, describing how he completely transformed his approach and discovered that Pornhub could actually be a creator’s best weapon against piracy.

“What ultimately made me reconsider was seeing my earnings grow on Pornhub.” Samuel told us, “There was also a level of support and concern from the Pornhub team when they realized I was considering leaving, which meant a lot to me.”

Samuel saw his earnings growing with older content that he was no longer promoting or actively selling on other sites. The saying goes, “old content, new money.” Samuel shared, “There is a video I filmed with Blessed Boy that reached millions of views on Pornhub, and at first, I didn’t even realize it was performing that well. I only discovered how successful it was when the Pornhub team told me about it. That moment really opened my eyes to the potential of my page and how content can gain a second life on the platform.”

Energized by the potential of a robust content strategy and increased earnings, Samuel Hodecker developed a new plan.

“After that, I started uploading more older scenes.” He told us. “Another example is a video I filmed with Rhyheim, which also started performing very well and generated strong engagement and views. This helped increase the overall traffic to my profile and showed me that older content can still find a new audience".

A Turning Point: From Frustration to Opportunity

Samuel’s journey is a testament to resilience and adaptability. It also highlights the life cycle of content and how older videos can play a vital role in marketing strategies. After the exhaustion of endless DMCA takedown requests and seeing his content spread across unauthorized sites, Samuel decided to rethink his strategy. Instead of letting piracy define his career, he chose to sail with the current by uploading those leaked or older videos directly to his official, verified Pornhub account. This shift allowed him to:

• Monetize lost traffic through Pornhub’s ad revenue  
• Reclaim SEO and redirect search traffic away from pirate sites
• Build trust with fans through Model verification
• Drive new viewers to his premium platforms, like OnlyFans, where he could make more money through subscriptions and clip sales

“My perspective changed when I realized something very simple: people are going to watch content for free anyway.” Samuel told our team. “If my videos are already being uploaded to other websites without my permission, then I would rather have people watching them on my official page where I can benefit from it. Instead of fighting something that is extremely difficult to control, I started thinking about how to work with that reality. If people want easy and free access, I can redirect them to my official Pornhub page, where the views [are monetized and] support my work. In a way, it became a strategy. If piracy spreads my content for free, I can also use free content on my own terms to attract viewers and bring them into my ecosystem.”

Strategy in Action: Protecting Content and Growing Your Brand

Samuel’s case highlights the power of using Pornhub as a free marketing billboard to your advantage and also protecting your work. How? By opting into Content Protection Services, you can gain access to Pornhub’s robust, free DMCA takedown service—normally valued at $40–$100 per month. This service provides:

• Proactive Global Protection: A dedicated team actively scans top adult tube sites for unauthorized copies of your content
• Rapid Takedown Response: Quick DMCA submissions to remove pirated content wherever it appears
• Effortless Process: We do this automatically, but if we miss something you can report infringements through our support team and let us handle the rest
• Creator-First Support: Ongoing advocacy and peace of mind so you can focus on creating

It’s free to get this kind of protection—just opt in through your Core Settings. You can opt out at any time if you choose another service provider or decide to upload your content on other free sites. We’re here to help protect your brand and maximize your earnings.  

To opt-in, scroll down in your Account Details to the My Content header, tick the box shown below, add your signature, and save.  

Advice for Creators: Samuel’s Playbook

Samuel’s experience offers practical lessons for other creators facing similar challenges:

• Don’t let piracy define your career, use it as an opportunity to reclaim lost value
• Upload both new and old content to your verified Pornhub account to monetize traffic and build community trust
• Take advantage of Pornhub’s free DMCA takedown services to protect your work across the web

Samuel’s story proves that with the right strategy and support, creators can turn industry obstacles into business opportunities, grow their audience, and protect their creative work.

To achieve all this, he shared a tip for the larger community, “My strategy is to focus mostly on older content that is no longer exclusive or that has already been circulating in the market. These videos can still generate views and revenue because there will always be someone who hasn’t seen them yet. Pornhub is a powerful discovery platform. New viewers are constantly joining, so it helps introduce your work to people who may later support you on premium platforms. Another tactic is uploading shorter versions or previews that attract viewers without giving away the full experience.”

When asked if he has any final thoughts, Samuel’s shared, “As creators, we must actively work on our own careers. One of the advantages of this industry is the flexibility we have with our time, but that also means we need discipline and initiative. When you take control of your strategy and branding, things start to move forward.”

Want to protect your content and maximize your earnings like Samuel? Join the Model Program today and opt into our free content protection service. More information can be found on our Help Center here.