Wednesday, Jul 2, 2008    Text size: 

“All the content that’s on there is exclusive,” Leone told XBIZ. “I’m ready to take my site to the next level. The last eight months of my life have been nothing but upside-down chaos and life altering-changes, and now we’re buckling down and ready to take it to the next level.”

The starlet spoke of a rollercoaster ride of events in her personal and professional life, including increasing crossover success between adult and mainstream. But there have also been lows; the passing on Leone’s mother and also the break-up of a longtime relationship.

“There are just so many things in the last eight months that have happened — it’s not been an easy road at all, in my personal life,” she said. “I think anybody who knows me, knows that — a lot of webmasters know because I’m friendly with a lot of people on that side of the industry.

“Besides, the break up — dealing with my mother’s passing has been very difficult. I didn’t work for three months basically,” Leone explained. “I did basic things for the site. Everything still functioned properly and there were still updates, and everything was working — but now, this is me saying, ‘Look, I’m still here.’”

Aside from her popularity as a Vivid contract performer, Leone has established a name in her own right and a strong online presence is a necessary part of her self-branding. Fans that seek her out online recognize the personal touch that she brings to the site, according to Leone, which she managed by herself for many years. The investment in her online product, she said, also pays off for webmasters that promote the site.

Leone will be attending the XBIZ Summer Forum, from July 8-11 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. She will be there to promote her website and will be a judge at the Miss XBIZ contest to be held next Thursday.

“I think the online presence is just as big as the production side of the industry,” Leone said. “I’ve been very heavily involved with the Internet side of the industry, going to shows, being on panels, meeting the webmasters, doing business with people on a one-on-one basis, and everybody that I know.

“It’s just giving those webmaster and everybody that I work with the signal that I’m on it, I’m still here and this is what we’re doing,” she added. “I’m not neglecting anything and even though crazy things will happen, the site still functions and it’s still gonna be amazing. It gives the members and fans everything that they wanted, which in turn gives the webmaster an incentive to keep driving traffic, because they can say, ‘Look — she’s changing it and she’s still very active in it.’”

The SunnyLeone.com relaunch party is scheduled to take place on July 5 from 1 p.m. – 3 a.m., at an undisclosed location [due to difficulties stemming from the party’s original location]. Leone said that it’s the first event that she’s hosted for the website and that she is very excited.

“The party is just a celebration of working so hard over the last few months — making sure that everything is right and perfect,” Leone said. “The party is just to have fun because we worked hard, and to say, ‘We worked hard — let’s have fun and have a good time and make money together.’”

Industry members and the public are invited, but must RSVP to (562) 325-3079 or eliteentgroup@hotmail.com in order to receive the location instructions.