How did you get into this business?
I wish I could say that my life’s dream was to be a website designer; that I’ve known throughout life that this was my destiny and every step has been a strategic move towards this career. To be honest, this isn’t the case at all. I didn’t even have an email account until my second year in the Army in 2001 and for the next year I thought email was the only thing that happened on the web. My journey into the adult industry didn’t start in the design field at all and in a weird way, you could say that I’ve luckily stumbled into something that I never knew I loved so much.
Find a job you love and never work a day in your life.
After I got out of the Army, I found myself as a single mom desperately in need of some money. I saw an ad in the paper for a position as a cocktail waitress in a strip club and as most cocktail waitresses do, I eventually started dancing. Walking the path of an exotic dancer lead to a job as a webcam model with Video Secrets for several years. While I loved being behind the camera, I still felt like something was missing in my professional life. It was then that I discovered design. I started doing hundreds of tutorials to learn how to design and it didn’t take any time at all to realize that I have a huge passion for it. I was always very artistic growing up and this was such a great way to mix that artistic expression with my love of the adult industry. I could have never imagined that I would come this far with that passion, but I now realize that the feeling my job gives me is exactly what my life’s dream was all along. Apparently, every step in my life has been a move towards this career and it’s only now that I see that.
What in your background prepared you for what you are doing now?
When I was 19 years old, I enlisted in the Army as a Military Police officer and took pride in meeting all the men’s requirements instead of the women’s. This was important to me as I never wanted any special treatment as a girl and despised any implication of it. This was met with some admiration and companionship, but was also met with resistance from certain male soldiers that could never get past the idea that a female could be as successful as them. Surprisingly enough, my career now isn’t much different. While I would love to say that every person approaches me in an equal fashion, there are still those that treat a woman in the industry as a lower class. This may discourage some, but it has pushed me every day to prove myself as a female professional in this industry. My Army experience also taught me that there is no excuse for laziness… ever. I’m baffled and confused by anyone not willing to work the extra hours to meet their deadlines and a lack of passion and motivation is unforgivable in my mind.
What do you see as the challenges of working in online adult? How do you overcome them?
One of the main challenges of our industry is that it’s always changing. While many webmasters ease slowly into the next big thing, it is a designers job to become an instant expert in it as we are responsible for building and structuring the status quo for all others. We are also responsible for working with any new scripts that may accompany the new market. My personal approach to this challenge is to team up with the trustworthy script owners in order to provide my clients with a powerful combination of design and scripting. I have teamed up with Konrad from Mechbunny to provide powerful tubes and AJ from Elevated X to produce amazing websites. I’m also never too proud to learn new tricks and I constantly try to improve myself. Today’s trends quickly become yesterday’s monotonous approach and it’s important to never become complacent with your skills.
Does your work life affect your personal life?
My work life definitely affects me more now than when I first entered the adult industry and at times, becomes a well-choreographed balancing act. I have a 9 year old son and it’s important to me that he only knows so much about my job which can be difficult at times. I am an extreme workaholic, which doesn’t leave much time for a personal life. I used to work seven days a week, but since getting married last summer and now trying for another baby I have forced myself into working a Monday- Friday work week and find it be the perfect way for my professional and personal life to seamlessly coexist. At the same time, my profession also allows for amazing things with my family and I never allow myself take it for granted. The small obstacles that it creates pale in comparison to the opportunities it’s created.
Do you have a personal motto that you live by?
Absolutely. “Find a job you love and never work a day in your life”. I’ve always been a very hard working person, but have to admit that work always felt like work. I’m so in love with this profession that I look forward to the next day’s work, every single day. I feel blessed that I can find such fulfillment in what I’m doing, while at the same time pleasing my valued clients.
Each month, industry news media organization XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.
