The article describes Lincoln native and current resident (real name Melissa Harrington) as an entrepreneur and delves into her day-to-day activities operating her burgeoning business, which includes MelissaMidwest.com. The website is 3,994th most visited in the world, according to web analytics tracker Alexa.com. According to the statistics, 41.8 percent of visitors are U.S.-based and the rest are from overseas.
Six years into the adult entertainment industry, Melissa “owns multiple websites, real estate and a hair salon,” the article states.
Harrington spends many nights working past 3 a.m. “to edit video and pictures, update the sites, chat with my affiliates, work on advertising and marketing.”.
Each morning, the webmaster checks her websites' statistics, browses her online forum and responds to fan email. She shoots new sets for the Internet a few times a week and performs a live webcam show on Sundays.
Melissa’s career took off when she posed for pictures in magazines such as Maxim and FHM, then decided to send nude pictures to all of the adult magazines following a performance at an amateur strip night at a Lincoln bar.
"I sent in some pictures to all the adult magazines, and all of them called back with offers," she told the Nebraskan. "After that, I decided I needed a Web site, so the few fans I was starting to get could follow my career."
At one point, her name was the ninth most searched-for on the Internet, according to the report.
With increasing fame came controversy. In 2004, Melissa was fined $150 for posting nude pictures of herself online, then in 2007 she sued the city, alleging that police officers were harassing her in public and asking businesses to avoid working with her. She eventually dropped the suit, but not before making a point.
"It was one of those things I did to let them know I won't be pushed around," she said. "I have had so many people come up to me and say how brave I was. I have had older women and moms e-mail me or come up to me and say, 'I wish I could be more like you.'"
With celebrity status in her hometown, Melissa is able to resist the lure of the big city.
"If I had moved to L.A., I would have gotten caught up in that scene, and my work would have went to shit," Harrington said. "[Here in Lincoln] I can stay focused, and I love that. Also, all my family and friends are here, and I could never leave them for good."