"Men, Money, & Power - not necessarily in that order." Women in Adult (WIA) is open for business, and they're here to help themselves, but even more important, to help the industry as a whole.
You know that old saw, "There's a woman behind every man"? Never has it been more true. More and more often, we're seeing women lead the way for many of the top online adult companies owned and operated by men. From VP of Sales to Marketing Manager to Head of Department for Technology and Development, women are an important part of the engine that runs this entertainment machine.
WIA, a group for professional women who are on the business side of the adult industry, has a mission: to "support the recruitment, education and advancement of women in the adult industry." WIA assists women in coming together and feeling positive about what they do and who they work for. Its goal is to help women gain the knowledge, experience, and contacts they need to get ahead. It could be the best thing to hit adult since... since... mmm... Jenna?
Adult is already going mainstream, but think of the possibilities when women stand side-by-side with men and fight the stigma of "porn." Tack on women's advancement, and you now understand the mission of WIA. The senior (not in age, but in years in adult) lioness and founder, Holly Moss, led the first Los Angeles WIA meeting Aug. 22, 2003. She and a small but growing group of women executives met at the beautiful Paycom offices August 22. (Side note: Thank you, Paycom, for the pretty shiny pens and pads of paper, which everyone feverishly took notes on!)
The meeting included Aly with Python, Tina with VideoSecrets, Ani with AdultLounge, Amparo with Epoch, Lori with XBiz, Janice, with Cybersocket, Joan with ASACP, Holly's sister Bonnie with HMoss Consulting and this reporter.
We got off to a good start with fresh food and conversation revolving around the big topics in the industry, such as Acacia, the dot-xxx domain, alternative processing, and the gossip train of who's doing what. After shoptalk, we got down to the work at hand. The proud women jumped in with ideas about what WIA should be and why. I think most men would be surprised to know that a main concern was that we not be perceived as "man-haters." Bottom line, the issue is equality, nothing more and nothing less. Men should feel and understand that WIA is good for business, and is not meant for female members exclusively.
This was a productive meeting peopled with savvy women who want to help each other accomplish bigger and better things. Moss is now looking to build a Board of Directors for the WIA - so gals, if you're reading this, go to the site and make your own decisions - to join or not to join, that is the question. I, for one, am on board. And guys, don't feel left out - go to the site and show your support. For more details, contact Holly Moss at (818) 687-1140. And visit the WIA message board at XBiz.com.
