Jessica Drake wears many hats for Wicked Sensual Care. A much-lauded adult star for over two decades, she now serves up enthusiasm, knowledge and passion in product development and marketing for the lube brand.
“It’s been a ride, that’s for sure,” she says. “I shot my first movie at the end of 1999. Coming from Texas, being raised Jehovah’s Witness, I never imagined I’d be such a sexual person, let alone that sex would become such an integral part of my career. Once I started, I absolutely fell in love with my job, and it’s continued that way throughout the years. I was very fortunate to sign a contract with the original Wicked Pictures in 2004, and then expanded that to writing and directing as well. I always soaked in every bit of knowledge I could, always helped out behind the scenes in every way, learning the business inside and out.”
I have spent the span of my 20-plus-year career pursuing the things that I’m passionate about and the things that bring happiness and meaning to my life.
Outside of studio work, Drake became more involved in activism and volunteer work.
“I feel like my activism collided with my realization of the need for pleasure-based, consent-based, shame-free, nonjudgmental sex education,” she shares. “In 2010, I began studying to become a certified sex educator.”
As her knowledge of sexuality deepened, she took on even more roles in her career. When Wicked Sensual Care launched 11 years ago, Drake became the brand’s in-house educator. As time passed, she began working closely with then-Director of Marketing Cassie Pendleton, and Drake's title expanded to brand strategist.
“She welcomed me onto the marketing team about four years ago, and two years ago into product development,” Drake recalls. “Currently I’m doing all of the above.”
Her work at Wicked goes beyond those areas, however. Drake is intimately involved with how and why Wicked products are created to address specific markets.
“Having so many responsibilities is exhilarating,” she says. “I absolutely love the ability to help bring new products to market to better serve the sexual health and wellness needs of people in all stages of their lives and provide them with information and education so they’re able to make the best choices for their bodies.
“In the past year, we’ve launched our Sensual Massage line, and I’m in the middle of the launch of Timeless, a line of lubricants and moisturizers within the Simply collection for people experiencing perimenopause, menopause and beyond,” Drake adds.
As the resident sex educator and brand manager, Drake says she is constantly following the ever-changing demands for unique formulas of intimacy products.
“I’m constantly aware of changing market trends and I pair that with consumer feedback and retailer requests when brainstorming potential new products,” she says. “We’re always looking at the newest ingredients to enhance and enrich intimacy, as well as ways to become a more eco-friendly, sustainable brand.”
Perhaps Drake’s proudest achievement in her storied career is the upcoming release of Simply Timeless, an age-focused personal lubricant she is passionate about.
“When I shot ‘The Guide to Senior Sex,’ it was incredibly well received,” she explains. “We know the impacts of aging on sexuality and the stigma that society places on aging. What we hadn’t realized was how many people wanted even more information, more support, more community. Simply Timeless started out as one lubricant geared towards the needs of senior sex. During development, it became much more than that.”
The educational video was made with senior sexuality specialist Joan Price, who points out, “We’re all seniors in training.”
Drake adds, “The National Institute on Aging reports that more than a million women in the world experience menopause each year, yet we’re not comfortable talking about it, so I imagined that creating a line of lubricants and vaginal moisturizers with unique supportive ingredients would offer real benefits to people experiencing perimenopause, menopause and beyond. The idea of Simply Timeless then expanded into a line with four different formulas for individual needs and preferences, each enhanced with rejuvenating ingredients such as aloe, vitamin E, squalane, sodium hyaluronate and our signature olive leaf extract.”
Drake is proud of her product development work at Wicked Sensual Care, noting that she’s involved at every step, from initial concept, to developing the formulas with a production team and lab, to packaging, which she points out utilizes ECLs (expanded content labels) to allow for a legible font size and room for extra information. Drake also designs assets to support retailers and distributors.
“I’m ready to spark lots of conversation about perimenopause and menopause with the help of some very special educators and clinicians who were given an advance preview of each formula,” she says. “We’re also working on a menopause-focused ‘Survey of Pleasure’ to coincide with the release of Timeless, and we’re looking forward to sharing our findings with everyone to advance the discussion even more.”
Reflecting on the scope of her experiences, Drake expresses gratitude for discovering a path so suited for her.
“I have spent the span of my 20-plus-year career pursuing the things that I’m passionate about and the things that bring happiness and meaning to my life,” she says. “I’m thankful for every step I took along the way, both forward and backward — because even if it wasn’t a success then, it was a lesson, and where I’m at is exactly where I want to be.”
