Since last week’s posting, announcing the passing of Cliff Meador, the owner and creator of Spanking Central, a number of JockSpank readers have written to us with comments and memories of Cliff, and the impact he has had on many people’s lives.
One of these, Jack, has sent me a copy of Cliff’s final blog posting, posted on January 2nd, just six days before his death on the 8th. After some consideration, I have decided to repost this. I am doing so for various reasons, firstly, it shows that his death was sudden and unexpected, but it also shows that Cliff was at a point where he was happy and comfortable with his life and with his achievements. That is a place where I believe his fans would wish him to be.
Note: Cliff also posted a photograph, which, after serious consideration, I have chosen to include, as he appears comfortable with the way he is depicted, and also shows him in a comfortable and peaceful point in his life.
Please click on the Continue Reading Tab below to read Cliff’s final blog post
(Hat Tip Jack)
Cliff’s Final Blog Post
2023
4 years ago I was wrapping things up here for the end, with a plan to convert the site to an archive only and see how long it would last. Quiet honestly, I never would have expected us to still be here now. Without new content I just assumed demand would die and monthly expenses would soon outweigh a meager revenue stream. I’m happy to report that I was wrong.
While there have been ups and downs since, this site does continue to this day to be self-supporting (thank you!) and I’ve not had a single month in the red yet.. How much longer this will last is anyone’s guess.
If anything, I am just so proud of SC and the fact that it endures even without new content for the past 4 years. It shows that what we did here had true value which continues to this day. I can’t help but wonder if any other studio in this genre would still be living long after they ceased production of new content. Is there even another site still out there? I pay no attention. All I know is that Manshand announced some time back that it was quitting, citing the pandemic.
Well, strictly M/M Spanking was never a big market. Not enough to sustain most that tried to make a go at it. Then the tube sites appeared and pretty much wrecked the market for everyone. Yet despite all the challenging realities involved this site persisted and continues to this day, even long after ceasing production of new content.
So for now I just value every day that Spanking Central continues to live on. It’s already exceeded my dreams on so many levels. No matter what happens in the future, this was a win-win endeavor. A win for me and a win for many m/m spanking enthusiasts who discovered profound value in what we were doing here and that it resonated on a deep level in their own lives.. I would say this proves that you can do business the old fashioned way, simply offering a quality product, at a fair price, with quality service, without employing any shady marketing gimmicks along the way. Without trying to squeeze another dollar out of the mix regardless of the ethics involved, or I should say lack of ethics.
I also can’t minimize what a large, long-time, loyal customer base does here. There are a bunch of customers here who have not only been here since the beginning, but to this day continue to maintain their subscriptions even though no new content is being produced. Those that are apparently supporting SC because they feel it’s a good cause to support. I especially want to thank a great group of people who have, like family, continued to support this with their hard-earned money. These are the folks that are helping to keep this alive to this day.
Of course, if not for new subscriptions almost every day this could not be viable either. Those that discover SC for the first time, as well as those who have returned again and again after previous subscriptions have long expired. I recognize so many new subscriptions coming from names I have long seen here, coming back again and again.
Clearly SC continues to provide good value for the money and I am thankful for this. It validates the years of dedicated hard work and financial investment that went into creating all that you find here. Of delivering on promises and treating customers with respect. Well, 99% of them anyway. LOL.
Okay, enough patting myself on the back. It wasn’t just me, but everyone involved in every way. And it was all built on a foundation of principals that have proven to work to this day. Never a single advertisement, link trades or affiliates, no mining customer data to monetize, which is the norm today. I do believe that SC it the only entity in this market that has always been profitable while 100% self-sufficient and subscription funded. It can be done and we did it. And it’s still going without new content for 4 years now.
Moving forward I can’t guarantee how long this will last. It’s a rapidly changing world on many levels. I’ve got another annual $1,000 credit card fee to pay in order to continue for another year. I’m always conflicted about paying that fucking extortionate fee, on top of all other costs required in order for this to work.
I can safely say that I will never return to producing content again. That time has passed for me. Been there, done that. I am very happy being retired. I paid my dues over the past 50 years and have no ambitions at this point. It’s time to enjoy the fruits of my labors as I get older. I am doing so.
So, keep on keeping on for now. Thank you for your support!
Happy New Year
Cliff
PS: My older brother died a few days before Christmas. Estranged for over 40 years there was no love lost between us, but this,of course, mattered much more to mom. Still, she seems to be dealing with it pretty well, all things considered. When you get to her age (93) I think most things roll right off.
So sad in many ways but especially for him 93 year old mum who lost both sone in such a short period.
Exactly the same thought occurred to me.
Interesting reading I think that he left on a good note.
The market for MM SPANKING is so tiny and I wish more people would support quality and talent for example Sting Pictures is probably the last studio around to produce MM SPANKING content of pure quality in terms of everything you’d expect from a high quality production down to the camera’s, filming and talent and methods used in each film. There’s many MM spanking studios but very few have the quality they you’d expect from studios like SC, Man’s Hands Films, Control T Studios the one’s who put in to creating the illusion of real MM SPANKING FILMS creating believable honest content fit for purpose. A lot of people don’t realise there is so much that goes into creating good content and sometimes simply just having a camera isn’t enough you have to have that passion I believe to really be good at what you do.
Reading the post and looking at that wonderful photo, I am even more sad about Cliff’s untimely passing. I was a customer of Spanking Central too. Once he wrote: “Thank you very much for your kind letter and comments. I really appreciate it. I’m happy to hear that you have found value in my site, and I hope that I can continue to provide that for you. If I can be of any future assistance with the site, please don’t hesitate to let me know. And feel free to say hello anytime. Thanks again and best wishes! Cliff”.
I enjoyed conversing with him (via email) many times through the years. That response is so typical of the approach he took with people. Warm, kind and open. I really enjoyed our conversations. The last message he sent was the 5th, and he died 3 days later. Still in shock, still left wondering what happened to him. Perhaps I’ll never know. Such a great guy, I hate that he left us so soon.
So is there any chance to get premium account of Spanking Central or not anymore?
Thanks so much for posting this Bruce – means the world to me to know he was happy and content then. And thanks to Jack for sharing this with you – from us all.
Very sad, he was a legend. I was a full member for a while and that gave you full access to videos of him constructing the videos with his ‘actors’. It was fascinating to see the way he did it, and although he was whacking them, he seemed to treat them well, not just during the shoot, but he posted bail for some of them when they got in trouble. It would be interesting to hear from some of them.
I was a long-time subscriber, I was a member almost his entire run.
The bonus videos (Behind the Scenes) were my favorites. You got to see everything from the models coming through the door, the set-up of the videos, all the extra footage. And of course, Cliff’s personality coming through with his commentaries afterwards.
On a side note, he had recently starting posting “Blast from the Past” videos from, well, the past. I would message him after almost every one, and he’d always respond. I miss that voice, and I miss not being able to connect with him anymore. He was really wonderful.
I wish I knew what happened. I might never know what happened, but either way, its just very very sad that he’s gone. I already miss him greatly and will continue to do so.
Would anyone know how to purchase the videos?
Hi Ethan, at the moment it is not clear what Cliff’s family plan to do about his film legacy . If we hear anything we will make an announcement.
Sadly, at the time of writing, the site is no longer online
So sad, Cliff gone, his brother gone, his 93 year old mother childless. Cliff did great work, was fun to chat with online and if that is a current picture still had a beautiful, spankable bottom!
It was not a recent picture. I had asked him about it too, and he responded to me 3 days before his death.
I was sad to learn of Mr, Meadors passing today. I never had the opportunity to meet him. Through his site though it was as if I had. Fondly remembered and thought of. The streets of heaven became a bit more crowded the day Mr. Meador passed.