How did you get into the business?
Kind of a funny story. I had been working for Disney Publishing when I was getting my MBA. Once I received my degree I left Disney and began freelancing. I ended up doing some work with politicians assisting them in their social media. It was at this time that I decided to go into social media professionally. I transitioned into adult because of a stripper. At my bachelorette party I befriended the feature dancer. She and I began to talk and she asked what I did. I told her and she said she needed help with her social. I couldn’t have her in the same client pool as my politicians, at least not officially, so I started to look into social media in the adult sphere. I realized that there was no one in the industry that did what I did, the way that I did it. I saw an opportunity and jumped. Since making the leap, the majority of my clients are in adult and I no longer work with politicians. I love doing social marketing in adult entertainment.
In college I essentially studied sociology. This helped me develop excellent research skills, as well as an ability to make often obscure connections between topics, events, people and trends.
What in your background prepared you for what you are doing now?
In college I essentially studied sociology. This helped me develop excellent research skills, as well as an ability to make often obscure connections between topics, events, people and trends. Because social media is such an amalgamation of pop culture, cultural references, behavioral analysis and technology, being able to make connections is integral to coordinating a successful social marketing campaign. The combination of my liberal arts background in college and my MBA really helped me integrate the social side of social media with the tech. Understanding trending, diminishing returns, growth rates, etc., is very important to a successful social marketing campaign. You have to know how your accounts intersect, how they are growing, why they are growing and their trend patterns in order to anticipate your next step. Adult entertainment is about staying ahead of the tech trends, and that is just as important in social media. Disney helped me develop the skills to work on multiple projects at the same time and have them all doing different things.
Does your work life affect your personal life?
I am lucky to work at home. My husband, Dave, takes care of our 2 year old son. Because I work at home, and the baby is at home, I get to spend a lot of time with him. I try to have a good work/life balance. The benefit to working online is you can work whenever you need to. The disadvantage to working online is you can work whenever you need to. I work all the time but try to make sure I keep my weekends as free as possible so I can spend time with my husband and family. Thankfully, I have an amazing team that is spread out across the country and world. If it weren’t for the amazing people I work with, I would have no personal life. My team makes everything possible.
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. Women like Lauren MacEwen, CEO of 7Veils.com
