For the month of August, the WIA Woman of the Month is Courtney Rudolph, FriendFinder Networks’ social media manager.
XBIZ World is pleased to honor Rudolph as WIA Woman of the Month with this Q&A interview.
I think the question of leading has less to do with gender and more to do with approach and skill. There are strong leaders who are male and strong leaders who are female.
How did you get into the world of online adult marketing?
I’ve been involved in many facets of the business since starting my career in 2008, having worked in production, performance, marketing, advertising, social media and hands-on as an entrepreneur. I’ve been fortunate enough to make some really good friends in the industry who helped introduce me to new opportunities, which is what lead me to FriendFinder Networks.
What in your background prepared you for what you are doing now as a social media specialist?
I was an early adopter of social media as a forum for self-promotion, and to expand my fan base and build relationships. The ability to run contests, instantaneously interact using custom hashtags, post pictures to grab attention, and make marketing interactive and fun for my own business has definitely transferred to my role as a social media manager at FriendFinder Networks.
In the workplace, do women lead differently than men?
I think the question of leading has less to do with gender and more to do with approach and skill. There are strong leaders who are male and strong leaders who are female. I believe it’s a matter of how effective you are and has nothing to do with gender. You either have it or you don’t.
Who inspires you in the online adult biz?
Nancy Do Roberts inspires me. Nancy is driven, intelligent, focused, and keeps pushing herself harder. She manages to juggle being a wife and mother along with her successful, decade-long career in the industry. Nancy is a woman who runs things on her own terms.
What’s a typical work day like?
There’s no such thing as a typical workday. I’m a social media manager so I manage and engage our followers on Facebook and Twitter, but I also work on the creative side and manage production/projects for our tradeshow sponsorships, collateral, graphic design, etc.
When not thinking about the biz, what do you like to do?
Balance is so key in life and happiness. I love spending time in my town of Santa Cruz, traveling to new and exotic locales, enjoying a good concert, spending time with my boyfriend, and walking my leash-trained cats to Starbucks.
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.
