Feature Articles
AEBN Reflects on 25 Years of Innovation, Success
Reflecting on 25 years of success, AEBN honchos Jay Strowd and Bishop Wages harken back to 1999, when the company that would become a storied brand first broke away from an online DVD/VHS mail-order business to evolve as an entity solely dedicated to streaming video.
WIA Profile: Jessica Jasmin
Jessica Jasmin’s heart has always been in production, but there were a number of stops along her route to becoming creative director for Gamma Entertainment.
Hayley Davies: From New Zealand Math Nerd to Fast-Rising Adult Star
Growing up, New Zealander Hayley Davies was a proud nerd who participated in mathematics competitions against students from much higher grades. Her good looks turned out to be a kind of secret weapon, causing peers to underestimate her intellectual acumen.
Elly Clutch: English Teacher Turned Creator Shifts Into High Gear
Growing up, Elly Clutch often felt a bit strange and out of place. In fact, that feeling has stuck with her for as long as she can remember. Nevertheless, she has grown a lot of confidence since her youth, and now knows that being an outgoing and fun-loving nerd makes her uniquely memorable.
WIA Profile: Ruth Arceo
In the beginning, all Ruth Arceo knew was that she dreamed of being a buyer — but when the opportunity presented itself for a career in the adult world, she found she’d struck it rich. Arceo is the lucky lady who gets to pick and choose how to line the shelves at The Pleasure Chest in West Hollywood, California.
CalExotics Founder and CEO Susan Colvin Reflects on Brand's 30-Year Legacy
Thirty years ago, back when there were only hard plastic sex toys in tan and black, Susan Colvin had a vision of what sex toys could be. And so she set out to create her own company, California Exotic Novelties, which for three decades has been a pioneer, continually reimagining and expanding the pleasure products market.
Chloe Wildd: Montreal Country Gal Seizes International Cam Crown
Wildd had always loved expressing herself, whether through drawing, dancing or singing. She wanted to “be someone,” even become a star, so when she turned 18, she began doing boudoir and nude photo shoots.
WIA Profile: Inka Winter
Award-winning erotic filmmaker and ForPlay Films founder Inka Winter knows what she wants her films to be, and what she doesn’t want them to be. She seeks to depict sexuality that is mindful, based in human connection and trauma-informed.
'Traffic Captain' Andy Wullmer Braves the High Seas as Spirited Exec
Wullmer networked and hobnobbed, gaining expertise in everything from ecommerce to SEO and traffic, making connections and over time rising through the ranks of several companies to become CEO of the mobile business arm of TrafficPartner.
Marina Valmont: From Beauty Queen to Naked News Anchor
Marina Valmont grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, spending a lot of time walking in nature and enjoying Canada’s beautiful parks and lakes. She describes her younger self as an avid reader who spent a lot of time at the library, as well as a girly girl with a deep love for Disney, fantasy movies and Barbie.
WIA Profile: Sarah Franson
When you do what you love, they say, you’ll never work a day in your life — and when your job involves educating the masses about sex toys, it’s hard not to love what you do.
Popsi Lingerie CEO Sam Golshan Discusses Brand's Growth, Mission
Lingerie: a sexy French word for an alluring little something to spark things up in the bedroom, teasingly wear out to clubs, dress up in to celebrate a special occasion or just wear under everyday clothes to feel excited and desirable.
Honey Play Box's Joreail Armstrong Reflects on Company's Growth
Today, Armstrong serves as business development manager for boutique sex toy brand Honey Play Box, but he began his role there as a one-man marketing department, assisting CEO Shirley Wang with nearly every aspect of launching the brand.
Alison Rey: Challenging the Status Quo for Success
Alison Rey was always the responsible kid. Under constant pressure from conservative Catholic parents, she felt like her value was measured solely by her academic success. She was the only girl in her junior high honors math class, then an overachieving straight-A student once she moved on to an all-girls high school.
WIA Profile: Holly Randall
If you’re one of the many regular listeners to Holly Randall’s celebrated podcast, you are already familiar with her charming intro spiel: “Hi, I’m Holly Randall and welcome to my podcast, ‘Holly Randall Unfiltered.’ This is the show about sex, the adult industry and the people in it.
Alexzandra Kekesi Takes Charge as Aylo's Head of Community and Brand
While Alexzandra Kekesi was earning her bachelor’s degree in women’s studies from the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University, feminist thinkers influenced her deeply, inspiring her passion for sex work advocacy.
Collaboration Done Differently: Adult Time Discusses Ambassador Program
Since the launch of Adult Time in 2019, award-winning director and chief creative officer Bree Mills has actively explored collaborative opportunities with members of the performer community, seeking out talent whose values align with the company’s and who appreciate the type of content Mills creates for the multibrand platform.
Q&A: Seska Discusses Enduring Legacy as a Timeless Creator
Seska was raised in the suburbs of Montreal, where she experienced what she describes as a “quintessential middle-class upbringing.” An awkward nerd keen to do well in school, she was fascinated by sex ed but only had her first kiss when she was 18.
WIA Profile: April Hoopes
When you do what you love, they say, you’ll never work a day in your life — and when your job involves educating the masses about sex toys, it’s hard not to love what you do. As director of sales for pleasure brand Edonista, April Hoopes would surely agree.
Bathmate's Tim Brown Talks Legal Standards of Penis Pump Production
Since the company’s inception in 2006, Bathmate has delivered myriad iterations of the brand’s namesake: a hydrotherapy pump utilizing warm water and suction to take advantage of the penis’s naturally hydraulic erectile function.