Jack Morocco must be in the right career. They’ve been hit on by Nina Hartley and already had to fend off Ron Jeremy, all in their short one-and-a-half years with San Francisco boutique outfit Crave. “[Nina] once told me she loved women with my look, and I think I turned 100 shades of red,” says Morocco. Judging by Jack’s success, they’ll have a lot more wild stories in the coming years. As Crave’s channel manager, a hybrid position of sales, trade shows, and product trainings, Jack has made fast friends with some of the pleasure industry’s biggest business icons. However, Morocco’s encounter with Jeremy is one of their favorite trade show tales.
Having learned of Morocco’s new gig, a pal had dared them to nab a photo with porn’s favorite Hedgehog while working the booth at the International Lingerie Show in Las Vegas. “My co-worker had texted me: “If you see Ron Jeremy, you have to get a pic,” recalls Jack. “This was my third or fourth ILS and I had never seen the infamous Mr. Jeremy there before, so I really didn’t give it much thought.” The stars were apparently aligned in Morocco’s favor, as they soon found themselves face-to-face with Ron in an intimidatingly empty hallway. “I walked over to him and said, ‘Mr. Jeremy, so sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could get a picture with you to send to a coworker, he’s a big fan,’ says Jack. And here’s where the story gets decidedly Ron-like. “As we posed for the picture, Jeremy leaned in and asked me if I was a lesbian, to which I chuckled, ‘Yeah, what gave it away?’ Morocco recalls. “He then proceeded to ask if my partner would be upset if he tried to kiss me. I was so flabbergasted — c’mon, look at my photo, I am NOT Ron Jeremy’s type and he is certainly not mine — that all I could do was laugh and shove him away. It was absurd.” Morocco, however, handled the situation with a sense of humor and a grain of salt. “He made a few more raucous comments and I called him a dirty old man, and we parted ways rather amiably,” she laughs. “My coworker lost it when I sent him that photo.”
If we can talk about our bodies and our anatomy freely, we can stop hurting each other based on body parts. -Jack Morocco, Crave
Like most pleasure industry players, Morocco’s entrance onto the scene was mostly by chance. Morocco wasn’t exactly gunning for a position with a pleasure company, but a fresh career in their new home city was top priority for the burnt-out Morocco. “If I’m being honest, what initially attracted me to Crave was the prospect of a new job,” says Jack. “I was at a weird point in life where I was desperate for a change from my increasingly unbearable position at a crap bar in L.A.” After considering their lackluster job options, selling sex toys didn’t seem so far-fetched. “I was thinking to myself, ‘When was the last time you were really happy with a bill-paying job?’ and my instinctual answer was ‘working in the sex toy industry,’” says Morocco. “It’s always been a place I’ve felt drawn to, especially after working at a brick-and-mortar [sex toy shop] in Philadelphia.”
Jack’s path to their home base at Crave was like a labyrinth of seemingly linked events. Like many Los Angeles newcomers, Morocco’s original intent was to test the acting circuit. “I have a degree in theater and moved to L.A. to pursue a career in the film industry,” says Jack. However, their journey started long before their cross-country move, with every step more foreshadowing than the last. While in college in Philadelphia, Jack landed a rather apropos project. “I was directing and producing ‘The Vagina Monologues’ and thought it’d be fun to throw one of those pleasure parties as a cast ice breaker,” says Morocco. The party host was none other than Pamela Luu, who eventually went on to a brief stint in sales with OhMiBod. “[Pamela] and I stayed friends afterwards,” says Morocco. “I loved the idea of her lot in life, it was terribly appealing.” After graduating college, Jack’s first job was another step up the ladder of the pleasure industry: a sales position at a local sex toy boutique. “[It] really opened my eyes to the big, wide world of sex toys,” says Morocco.
Upon relocating to California, Jack’s destiny was about to make its’ debut. “My friend [Pamela] at OhMiBod was headed to ILS to promote their release of Bedroom Kandi and she needed help at her booth, and since I was sorely missing my position at the brick-and-mortar in Philly, I volunteered to help out,” recalls Morocco. As luck would have it, Crave was debuting the Duet vibrator during the show and hosted a high-class launch party at the Palms hotel. Morocco and Luu were the last to leave, closing down the shindig around 4 a.m. The two spent the evening chatting with Crave’s founder Michael Topolovac and designer Ti Chang. Jack was impressed with the team’s creations. “I was blown away by the innovation, design and technology Crave was touting,” says Morocco. Cut to 2015: the final pieces fell into place, and Jack’s labyrinth had finally reached its end. “Ti and I stayed friends on Facebook, and two years later, Crave needed a volunteer at the Sexual Health Expo,” recalls Jack. “Cue me in my desperate phase of job searching — I volunteered.” Topolovac, Chang and Morocco shared fantastic working chemistry, and by the end of the show, Crave’s creators knew Jack was their missing link. “Over the next few months, we developed a position for me within the Crave family,” says Morocco. “I suppose I have pleasure parties to thank? Or perhaps OhMiBod,” says Jack. “And most certainly Ti and Michael for taking a chance on me.”
Morocco’s position as Crave’s channel manager supports their team while offering an enviable work/life balance. They are immersed in a dream job of interactive sales presentations, building relationships with customers, and world travel, all while working from their apartment and chasing personal goals in their free time. “[Crave has] offered me the flexibility to pursue my passions as well as the stability of solid employment,” says Jack. “I’ve traveled internationally for this company, which is incredible when you consider that I work from home.” Jack’s experiences are a testament to Crave’s understanding of the changing career field. Young workers are seeking more than a scripted 9-to-5. Personal growth, shared values and a relatable atmosphere are just as important as keeping the bills paid. “They’ve allowed me to see the industry from a multitude of angles, which inspires open-minded problem-solving and creative critical thinking,” says Morocco. “And they’ve become lifelong friends. They are some of the most brilliant and well-intentioned folks I have the pleasure of knowing.”
The evolution of the pleasure industry fits Jack like a glove. Rising tides of awareness on sexual health and wellness extend a welcoming platform for forward social motion. As a member of the LGBTQ community, social justice issues and equality are close to their heart. “I’ve been drawn to the industry because it exists in the margins, and I’ve lived in the margins for most of my life,” says Morocco. “Sex is still so often regarded as taboo, but so is the kink community, the LGBTQ community — it’s all linked, we’re all in the margins together. So here is where I can often find like-minded, accepting folks.”
Jack’s career timeline interestingly parallels that of their chosen field. The pleasure product industry rose from humble beginnings to become a pillar of sexual acceptance for all. Morocco is on the way to becoming the same, and in many ways, they’re already there. “If we can talk about our bodies and our anatomy freely, we can stop hurting each other based on body parts,” says Jack. “If we can enjoy the sex we like to have without fear or shame, we can have even more of it!” If Morocco’s poetic, genuine waxings are truly foreshadowing of the industry’s future, 2017 might be our best year yet. “We have a greater chance of connecting and lifting each other up, instead of dividing and keeping each other down,” muses Jack. “At the end of the day, we have so much more in common than we do in difference.”
