When Salima first entered the adult space in her mid-20s, becoming a power player wasn’t even on her radar. She was simply looking to learn. Over the years, however, her instinct for strategy, trust in her teams and commitment to creator-first innovation led her from the trade show floor to the executive suite.
Today, Salima leads the charge as executive director of creator experience for Clips4Sale — a fetish space pioneer currently undergoing a dynamic evolution — and as vice president of growth for the site’s parent company, Centro Ventures. After years of building her career on the digital marketing and studio side with Paper Street Media, her move to Centro Ventures and the creator economy marked a pivotal shift. It was, as she describes it, “new and challenging in all the right ways.”
I don’t need to be everywhere or do everything. My role is to lead where it counts, stay aligned with the team and create space for others to thrive.
“My day-to-day is never the same,” she says. “I spend a lot of time talking with creators, really trying to understand how people are using the platform and where we can innovate. Of course, the business strategy side of it is important — the meetings, the numbers, the data — and I pride myself on being a strong leader. But what matters most to me is staying connected to what creators need and how we can keep improving the experience for them.”
For Salima, the transition was about stepping into a more connected version of leadership. While she remains proud of her time helping to grow Paper Street into a key player in adult, she was drawn to Clips4Sale because it felt like the future.
“Creators are building businesses on their own terms and shaping the future of the industry in powerful ways,” she reflects. “That’s something I want to be part of.”
No matter where she finds herself, Salima adheres to a leadership philosophy grounded in trust and humility.
“I’ve learned that the only way to really juggle high-level roles is to build trust in the people around you,” she says. “I don’t need to be everywhere or do everything. My role is to lead where it counts, stay aligned with the team and create space for others to thrive.”
That approach has proved especially effective when it comes to Clips4Sale’s Creator Success team, whose members she credits with inspiring her from day one.
“Their work was one of the things that impressed me when I first joined,” she says. “I saw what could happen if we really listened to them and invested in them.”
Under her guidance, the Creator Success team has grown stronger, with better communication, more support and an expanded capacity to help creators build their businesses.
“Whether it’s walking someone through their stats, identifying new market opportunities or just being available to talk things through, the team goes above and beyond,” she affirms.
Beyond internal leadership, Salima also keeps a close eye on the broader market. She believes kink and fetish content are currently at the forefront of a significant cultural shift.
“Even a few years ago, it was regarded as a separate market, in part because studios and billers regarded it that way,” she explains. “But creators have blown it wide open, and so have fans. People are more open to exploring than ever before.
“There’s less shame,” she adds. “That’s huge.”
Salima also cautions against outmoded thinking when it comes to how creators operate.
“Executives are so used to treating our sectors as silos — the fan market, the cam market, studios, clips, phone sex, sexting — but that’s not at all how creators view things,” she notes. “They are constantly dipping between sectors, jumping between markets and platforms as the market changes. They are incredible entrepreneurs, and we should spend more time following their lead and less time dictating what we think they need.”
Salima’s own growth has been shaped by mentorship and community. She fondly recalls her early days in the industry, when a solo trip to her first trade show introduced her to now-close friends and professional allies like Megan Stokes of NMG and Liz Rek of Streamate.
“Smart women and powerful women, but also women who really dedicate themselves to bringing other people up,” she says. “To this day, they are mentors and friends. We keep weekly check-ins. Half the time it’s family and personal stuff. The other half is work, new tools, ideas. It’s collaborative. I don’t know that I’d be where I am or who I am without them.”
That’s one reason why Salima always makes a point of expanding the circle.
“This isn’t a zero-sum game,” she attests. “You only gain by supporting people.”
Though quick to acknowledge the lingering effects of the old “boys club” mentality, these days Salima is more focused on rewriting the narrative.
“The adult industry would barely exist without women,” she says. “So it sometimes strikes me as odd that we talk about it like we’re not already running it. In my experience, women in adult are more likely to prioritize ethical practices, consent culture and be open to broader representation. As a woman of Pakistani descent, I want to make sure the platforms I work with are inclusive of all creators and communities. These values are essential for building creator-first ecosystems.”
She sees collaboration as a defining trait among women in adult.
“Creators have vast networks and Discord servers where they talk about what sells, what platforms are reliable, how to grow,” she says. “Women in executive roles are doing the same. I think we need to encourage more crossover between the execs, the staff and the creators. There’s so much we can learn from one another.”
Despite the high demands of her role, Salima also makes time to recharge. Weekends often begin at the farmers market and end in the kitchen.
“I love to cook,” she shares. “A few years ago, I enrolled in a cooking program at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, and it’s an experience I wouldn’t trade. There’s something so rewarding about taking beautiful ingredients and transforming them into something entirely new. And you get to feed people! I love that.”
Those themes of transformation and nurturing are reflected in the way Salima chooses to lead.
Looking ahead, Salima says she’s energized by what’s yet to come.
“We are just a few years into this industry transformation, so it’s like watching history unfold,” she says. “There are times in your life when you just know something special is happening. This is one of them.”
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 businesswomen.
