Each month, 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.
Zuzana Kasinksi has done it all in adult, from performing to creating her own paysite, attending early webmaster conferences, balancing B2B and B2C shows (with her own booths, even) and trailblazing as one of the first Europe-to-U.S. traveling entrepreneurs.
We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback about our leveling system and have seen it reflected in user behavior.
She even graduated from the Christine Blundell Movie Makeup Academy in London, and starred in mainstream Hollywood films before her colorful journey through the entertainment biz led her to Cherry.tv.
The up-and-coming cam network, which is currently in beta and ready to go gold this fall, has gathered its own equally multitalented team.
Interfacing with colleagues throughout the week, whether she’s at the gym or driving home, Kasinksi marvels at the unique personalities she has the privilege of working with, as they span 10 countries and possess a host of skills like gamification.
As the brand’s talent manager and September's WIA Woman of the Month, Kasinski draws upon years of stardom and an intimate understanding of the online industry to onboard new models and take Cherry.tv to the next level.
XBIZ: Tell us about your industry performing background as an adult model.
KASINSKI: I had my “prime time’’ before the financial crisis in 2008 and the tube sites boom. Things were different. I fell in love with the industry, the people, the travel, the opportunities and the job itself. After 2008, the industry shifted from being all fab and glitter to weird handycam content (for some time). I’ve done a lot of B2C shows, won awards and started my own business too.
XBIZ: Describe the various roles you’ve held over the past 16 years, which include production owner, affiliate manager, and many others.
KASINSKI: I started a membership website back when it was still a thrill, shooting the content under my own production company. I also attended industry shows, the first of which was a small webmaster gathering in a restaurant garden. Then I attended a big B2B conference that I’d heard the webmasters talking about and set up my first booth as an independent model at Eurowebtainment in Vienna. You should have seen the faces of Andy Wullmer and Patrick the Hun when I asked what an affiliate program was, haha.
I was the first European model to attend the Las Vegas adult show with her own booth and was one of the first to become a Fleshlight girl, repping myself around numerous other industry conferences. I was also an ambassador for Private at Australia’s biggest sex toy B2B conference three years in a row, where I met a lot of awesome U.S. models there like Lisa Ann, Kayden Kross, Sophie Dee, etc. just to name a few.
At some point, I decided to move on from performing in erotic art to another artsy kind of work, graduating from the respected Chris Blundell Movie Makeup Academy in London. I did a few Hollywood movies too, including a very big one. And then I became a business developer and affiliate manager in the dating sector, where I got stuck for six years, but I am a loyal partner as you can see, haha.
XBIZ: How has your multifaceted career prepared you for your role with Cherry.tv?
KASINSKI: It is a perfect fit. I spent endless time around models, so I feel confident to manage and help the girls at Cherry.tv. It can be challenging sometimes, as it was with the affiliates, because the bigger they are, the more complicated they tend to be. Understanding the affiliates and the traffic sector is a big advantage too, as the connections and friendships gathered over all these years are priceless now.
XBIZ: As the business development and talent manager for Cherry.tv, what are your main day-to-day responsibilities?
KASINSKI: My main responsibilities are handling the models, social media, branding, etc. but I’m not alone in all of this. We have an awesome team that is a perfect fit. Cherry.tv put together very talented and devoted people. The SEO, affiliate team, devs, designers and copywriters are great. It feels special to come to a team this skilled and creative. There’s a lot of influence and skill from the gaming world in Cherry. tv too, with people who aren’t originally from adult. They give the whole thing a “special spice” with skills I haven’t seen anywhere.
XBIZ: How will you strive to ensure Cherry.tv is a model-centric platform that attracts and retains talent?
KASINSKI: We feel the most important thing for models is, in all honesty, how much income they can earn on our platform. Our team is comprised of members from over 10 countries (which may be the new norm in the COVID era) with diverse experience. We have a lot of features that we think will help models monetize at a higher level than they could elsewhere. We’re still in beta, so not everything is there yet, but expect to see some cool stuff over the next six months. We also have a 24-hour customer support team to help models through e-mail or live chat, a Discord channel and more. Models can get in touch with us directly any time of the day.
XBIZ: What milestones are you hoping to reach in the coming months, as Cherry.tv ramps up?
KASINSKI: We’re currently finishing up integration for our model referral program, which is now launching. In addition, private and group shows are on tap, and we expect the beta to last until October or November. Our main goal is still to get all the bugs and kinks out of the platform, improve the quality of our streams and finish off a few new features that models have been asking for.
XBIZ: Discuss the ways you interface with your company teammates behind the scenes to accomplish goals.
KASINSKI: Teamwork involves two-hour-long calls, whether I’m at the gym, in the kitchen or even when I’m driving, haha. This is not a 9-to-5, Monday to Friday job.
XBIZ: Give us a glimpse of your personal life. What kind of hobbies or unique interests do you have that people may not know?
KASINSKI: I customize my clothes. I love cycling. I don’t need much, overall, since I’m happy just being around my loved ones, working around my house or reading a book (which is becoming quite challenging lately).
XBIZ: What special features does Cherry.tv offer that has led to positive feedback from models and fans?
KASINSKI: We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback about our leveling system and have seen it reflected in user behavior. At least a few times a day we see a user saying, “Let me go get some tokens so I can help you get to the next level.” Fans have really liked our animated gifs, which play cool animations across the video window for everyone in the stream room to see.
XBIZ: Any big ambitions for the next year and beyond, for yourself and Cherry.tv?
KASINSKI: Of course! But I need to keep those for myself only, so they really happen. Thank you very much for the interview. I have been following you guys for 12 years now. First time you mentioned me in XBIZ was 2011 if I remember correctly. Who would have thought we’d still be in touch after more than a decade?
