CHATSWORTH, Calif.—Nick Orlandino, CEO of Pipedream Products, one of the largest manufacturers of pleasure products in the world, announced he has retired, effectively immediately.
“I started in this industry when I was 15 years old,” he told AVN. “I worked my ass off for 35 years, and I have worked every side of the business. The business has changed and, well, you know, I’m a little tired.
“I’m ready to retire,” he added. “I worked my ass off, I did everything I wanted to do and I won all the awards, but I have a life. I want to go out on my terms and not limping out 10 years from now.”
Orlandino got his start at the age of 15 in the adult and gift industry unloading trucks for Forum Novelties in New York and eventually worked his way up to general manager. In 1992, he relocated to Los Angeles and joined Pipedream Products as vice president of sales and marketing. In 1994, he became a partner in the corporation and then ran all day-to-day operations at Pipedream.
Pipedream Products started selling glass pipes and adult-themed gag gifts. Today, the brand offers various best-selling and high-quality lines, including Icicles, Fetish Fantasy and Ceramix.
Orlandino and his companies—Giant Media and Diamond Products—have made headlines in adult and mainstream publications for his acquisitions in the novelty and movie sectors of adult.
In recent years, Orlandino and Diamond Products—a holding company for which Orlandino serves as chairman and CEO and that owns Pipedream Products—acquired design-centric pleasure products manufacturer Jimmyjane.
While Orlandino is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations, he will maintain shares in Diamond Products, he said. He still owns other companies throughout the industry as well.
“I don’t know if I’m done,” he said. “You never know what’s gonna happen. But I’ve lived a great life, traveled the world, seen everything and built a great company. Now it’s time for me, and my family and my friends.
In the coming months, he said, he will move back to his hometown in New York, where he still has a big family.
“These days, I’m happiest when I’m home,” Orlandino said. “My mom and everyone else is asking me what I want to do, and right now I just want to go to the old neighborhood and get a few slices of pizza. … I am building a house back in New York, and I want to enjoy my life. It’s time. I love New York, I love my family and friends, I love history and I want to enjoy all of that. I want to be able to have the time to do what I want and do things like get in the car and go for a week somewhere.
“This is a nice feeling,” he added. “Right now I am sitting in my living room and relaxing, and I am relaxed. I haven’t had that feeling for a long time.”
Orlandino—whose most recent titles were chairman and CEO of Pipedream Products and Diamond Products, CEO of Giant Media, and CEO and founder of the ANME Founders Show—is also a former treasurer of the Free Speech Coalition. In 2012 he was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame.
In addition to his corporate duties, Orlandino has always been committed to civic responsibilities. He’s the founder of the Frank N. Orlandino Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing tuition assistance for students with financial difficulties. Orlandino is also recognized for his charitable contributions to Rock Out Cures, a nonprofit organization based in New York that provides financial assistance to the American Cancer Society, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He stays active in the local community through volunteer activities and charitable endeavors, including annual contributions to the Sierra Canyon School Foundation.
For more, visit PipedreamProducts.com.
