Louisiana native Melissa Campos parlayed what started out as a temporary position with Amateur Teen Kingdom (ATKingdom) into a key leadership role within the company in less than two years. In this exclusive Woman of the Month (WIA) interview, Campos talks about her professional background, her business philosophy and her love for what she does.
Where are you originally from?
Some people work at their jobs for years and never feel like they accomplished anything. I have that great feeling every day.
I was born and raised in a very small town in Central Louisiana, the Parrish is known as the Cajun Crossroads. I moved away when I turned 18 but it is still the only place I call home. All of my family is still lives there.
What was your professional background prior to adult?
I spent 10 years in real estate law working for one of the largest real estate law firms in Florida.
What inspired you to pursue a career in adult entertainment?
To be honest it was supposed to be a temporary position with ATKingdom. After a couple months I realized that I really liked who I was working with and the industry was a huge change for me. I have only been in the industry for a year and a half which is nothing compared to others. I learn new things every day and I love it.
What does your job entail as Affiliate Manager and DVD Producer of Amateur Teen Kingdom?
Being an Affiliate Manager comes first for me. I deal directly with all of our affiliates and I pursue new business deals with other companies. I make sure our affiliates have everything they need to promote us because we are nothing without our affiliates. I set up gallery trades and such with other companies that have the same core values and business goals we do. As Head of DVD Production I get to create DVDs for our loyal followers. I choose the girls, the scenes, the cover, the copy... everything. It is so much fun to look through all of the footage and find just the right scenes to go with each other to make something people want to enjoy in their home. It is amazing when you find the perfect scene with the perfect girl. Then you have to hold your breath to find out if everyone thinks it is as good as you do. That is the hard part...trying to predict what other people are going to like three or six months down the road.
Describe a typical day at the office…
Email, pictures and movies. I am always looking at pictures and movies or answering emails. I do not like talking on the phone so much because I am a multitasker. If I am looking at pictures I can answer emails at the same time but when I am on the phone I feel that is the only think I can do so I do better with ICQ or email.
What factors do you attribute to the growth of ATK?
Our honesty, it is just that simple. If your members trust you they will continue to be a member. The moment you lose that trust is the moment your business starts to sink. We take care of our customers and in turn they take care of us. When we tell them something is a good deal they trust that we have done our research and we know what we are talking about. I do gallery trades with companies I trust so our members trust them and are more inclined to do business with them. It is like a friend telling you to go restaurant, you go because you trust them.
What is the biggest challenge with being a woman in the adult business?
I do not believe I had any extra challenges with being a woman in the business. It is just a matter of putting yourself out there and letting people know you want to do business. I look at it this way, you will either talk to me or you won’t. I don’t lose anything by approaching someone and seeing if they want to start a business relationship but I can lose all kinds of opportunities if I don’t. I have met so many wonderful people in the business and everyone has been more than willing to teach me the ropes.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
The feeling of accomplishment I have every day when I leave. It could be something as simple as helping a member with his account or putting the final touches on a DVD. Some people work at their jobs for years and never feel like they accomplished anything. I have that great feeling every day. Don’t get me wrong there is always something else that needs to be done but at least for a moment I can look back at my day and think, ‘I did that. It is amazing.
How do you maintain balance in your life?
I am lucky to have a very supportive husband who is also focused on his career. We basically tag-team everything including our personal life. We know that work is important but we also understand the importance of family so if our personal life needs attention we take turns handling issues. I am also addicted to my Android phone. It is a love/hate relationship. I love the fact that I can check my email anywhere, any time but I also hate that same fact. I live one mile from my office but for some reason I cannot leave the house in the morning without looking at my email first. I know it is crazy but I love my job. I may work every day but during the day on the weekends we try to do family things without looking at our phones.
What career accomplishment are you most proud of?
It would have to be our affiliate program. I took it over in March [2010] and I have doubled the amount of active affiliates we currently have in our program, which in turns means more money for everyone. I was the Affiliate Manager before I started working on the DVD project so that is still my main focus. Our affiliates know they can email me and I will do everything I can to help them.
What is a project you are currently working on?
I am currently picking scenes for our 123rd DVD. I am also working on a calendar for each one of our sites. I am very excited about that. This is the first time we have made a calendar and we have so many beautiful women it is so difficult to pick the 12 that I need.
Each month, industry news media organization 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.
