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.
Just under a decade ago, the adult industry — especially the DVD sector — was still blatantly a man’s world, but that didn’t stop Tracy Leone from daring to break ground with her own style of business savvy and candy-sweet approach to customer service.
It is connecting with the customers and learning from them that really makes this position a vibrant source of light in my life.
Today Leone is director of sales at Rocky Candy Toys, but she spent 14 years working various administrative roles for myriad companies in the adult film world before, sensing that DVD production was about to change for good, she found what would become her first sex toy gig and dream job.
Leone had longed to make the switch to the pleasure products sector, and she found the perfect opportunity to dig her fingers into that big bowl of vibrating sweets as a sales executive at then-newcomer company Rocky Candy Toys, which focused on flirty, fun and feminine sex toys.
Leone’s days now consist of hopping between roles as circumstances demand, often playing marketer, sales representative and product designer all in the course of a few hours. But one thing remains constant in Leone’s work ethic: her amicable personality and dedication to doing right by her customers.
This month’s edition of Women in Adult honors Leone for rising above the industry’s prior sexist standards to help blaze a more equitable career path both for herself and for all female professionals to follow.
XBIZ: What was your first gig in the adult space?
Tracy Leone: My first gig in the industry was with Goalie Entertainment back in the day, with owner Eddie Wedelstedt, Dave and Lynn Swanson, and the lovely Laura Sweet. For those who don’t know, Goalie is now Romantix!
I heard through word of mouth, from someone in my immediate family, that the company was looking for a bilingual receiving manager. During the interview, they asked if I was over 18, and if I was OK working with an “adult” company. I was totally surprised, but open to it! I started as a receiving manager in the warehouse, managing incoming VHS and DVD shipments.
For a while I didn’t tell anyone outside of my family. I am a first-generation Central American, so it can be an interesting cultural tightrope to walk. I had just graduated high school, and I kept the new job pretty hush-hush in my personal life.
A year later, Goalie Entertainment promoted me to receptionist and executive assistant. I was there for a total of five years before taking a purchasing assistant job with Scott Field at Triplex Distribution.
XBIZ: What was the adult video space like for women back when you began? Were things starting to become more accessible for women who wanted to participate in the business side?
Leone: When I started as a buyer, the industry was about 98% male-dominated back then. When I decided to jump into sales, there were maybe seven women, including Bonnie Kail, Michelle Liss and Belle Casten. The rest were all male sales reps. So, picture that!
I did have certain occasions where older buyers only wanted to deal with the people they knew and had relationships with. A couple of times, I was told “I don’t deal with women” by a few accounts. But luckily, most of the customers were very receptive and kind to me. This dynamic is much different these days. I would like to see how a similar situation would shake out today!
The industry has changed as more women and women-identifying individuals have joined over the last 10 to 15 years. Together, we have advocated for each other, and strength in numbers has helped evolve the industry. Gender equity has resulted in more resources, opportunities and visibility for women.
XBIZ: What was it like to transition from working in the adult video business to the sex toy sector of the industry? What called you to make this change?
Leone: The video industry was changing rapidly, and DVDs were not cutting it the way they had in the past. After investing 14 years in video, I was ready to pivot to something new. I was curious about the novelty side, and I was also starting to embrace my sexuality a bit more. I had a desire to learn more about the sex toy side of the industry, and decided to pursue that.
XBIZ: Rock Candy is your first job in the toy sector. What was your initial take on the brand and company?
Leone: I fell in love with the brand immediately. Not only was it so cute and accessible, but I loved that it was so colorful and evoked feelings of fun and playfulness, versus more “mechanical” sex. I was also eager to work with Lewis Adams and David Joseph.
XBIZ: How have you climbed the career ladder during your time at Rock Candy?
Leone: I have been with Rock Candy for four years, and I am very thankful. Much of my growth here has been organic. I joined the company’s sales department when it was a relatively new brand, and have since transitioned to director of sales.
XBIZ: Tell us about your responsibilities as sales director and how you keep things running smoothly.
Leone: The short answer is “Fun and stressful, but all worth it!” We have a small team, so everyone has the opportunity to jump all in and wear multiple hats. I run the sales department, and my primary responsibilities include domestic and foreign sales, with a lot of trade show travel in between. I also assist the marketing team. My favorite parts of the job are the social and relationships aspects. It is connecting with the customers and learning from them that really makes this position a vibrant source of light in my life.
XBIZ: Since this is Women in Adult, which industry ladies deserve a shoutout for continually inspiring you?
Leone: Gosh, there are so many that I have looked up to since first joining the industry, who have always taken the time to help me! I will forever be thankful for their kindness. This is the reason why we created our annual Rock Candy “Ladies of Industry” series on social media. We’ve been doing it for the last three years, where we highlight a multitude of baddies during Women’s History Month. If I have to choose a few, I would say Michelle Liss, Lynn Swanson, Tracy Chelis, Signe Jarvis, Sheila Hostler, Shelonda Jones, Jade Leon-Buchan, Luz Corvera, Lynda Mort, Char Lopez, Brianna Honz-Watkins, Kelly Jamison, Susanna Molina, Sara Ramirez, Ariana Rodriguez, Melissa Van Horn, Megan Swartz, Pettus — and of course Colleen Godin, for always bringing out the best in us ladies with her lovely XBIZ articles.
