They were originally marketed as a means of recording such special occasions as weddings or graduations, but not long after hitting the market, it became apparent that the humble camcorder was being used to film a different kind of activity. When couples began making and sharing their own tapes, it created an underground market that didnt go unnoticed by film companies (many located in Southern California) who distributed the films professionally. Today, such fare is streamed free on numerous websites, but in the days of VHS, amateur porn was a business worth hundreds of millions of dollars.