profile

WIA Profile: Fiona Patten

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS?

I came to this industry via politics which I guess is not the normal path. After running as an independent in a small election on a civil liberty platform I was approached by the adult industry to establish a national organisation that lobbied state and federal politicians on their behalf. That was a lifetime ago when the adult industry was simpler!

Getting governments to recognise that this is a valid industry with a large consumer base is still a major challenge.

WHAT IN YOUR BACKGROUND PREPARED YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW?

After 20 years lobbying for the adult industry I feel ready to run for the Senate. As a lobbyist for adult businesses you develop a very keen sense of when people are being straight with you and when they are not. Sex is the universal truth serum on Capitol Hill! I know how politics works now but I know better how it doesn’t work! As a politician with a background in porn, you will give everyone a go. There’s no casting couch in the porn industry and I wouldn’t have one in my Senate office either.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE CHALLENGES OF WORKING IN THE ADULT ONLINE BUSINESS?

Getting governments to recognise that this is a valid industry with a large consumer base is still a major challenge. Many of our younger customers have never known a world without the internet. We need to be able to convince our customers to change their vote on the basis of these personal freedom issues and to politicise censorship and prohibition issues. Child protectionists and feminists who call for increasing censorship without proof or evidence of harm are still gaining traction in political circles and there is an enormous challenge there for adult industry advocates to get adult companies to put more of their profits into this crucial area.

DOES YOUR WORK LIFE AFFECT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE?

My work is now 24/7 and personal and professional seem to blur. This has made it hard to stay in close touch with friends and family although fortunately so many of my friends are my colleagues. And like so many of us we have found a family in the adult industry. I try and swim every second day and I now get up at 5:30 every morning to deal with the enormous amount of email and Facebook correspondence that I get. That affects my ability to have a big night out but at 48 I feel like I’m entering the power decade of my life, so I’m OK about leaving behind some (only some) of the party culture that I have embraced for the last few decades!

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. Women like Fiona Patten, Executive Officer, Eros.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

WIA Profile: Reba Rocket

As chief operating officer and chief marketing officer of Takedown Piracy, long at the forefront of intellectual property protection in adult entertainment, Rocket is dedicated to safeguarding the livelihoods of content creators and producers while fostering a more ethical and sustainable industry.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

Protecting Content Ownership Rights When Using AI

In today’s digital age, content producers have more tools at their disposal than ever before. Among these tools, artificial intelligence (AI) content generation has emerged as a game changer, enabling creators to produce high-quality content quickly and efficiently.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

How Payment Orchestration Can Help Your Business

An emerging payment solution is making waves in the merchant world: the payment orchestration platform (POP). It’s quickly gaining traction as a powerful tool for managing online payments — but questions abound.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Fine-Tuning Refund and Cancellation Policies

For adult websites, managing refunds and cancellations isn’t just about customer service. It’s a crucial factor in maintaining compliance with the regulations of payment processors and payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Laurel Bencomo

Born in Cambridge, England but raised in Spain, Laurel Bencomo initially chose to study business at the University of Barcelona simply because it felt familiar — both of her parents are entrepreneurs. She went on to earn a master’s degree in sales and marketing management at the EADA Business School, while working in events for a group of restaurants in Barcelona.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Gregory Dorcel on Building Upon His Brand's Signature Legacy

“Whether reflected in the storyline or the cast or even the locations, the entertainment we deliver is based on fantasy,” he elaborates. “Our business is not, and never has been, reality. People who are buying our content aren’t expecting reality, or direct contact with stars like you can have with OnlyFans,” he says.

Jeff Dana ·
opinion

How to Turn Card Brand Compliance Into Effective Marketing

In the adult sector, compliance is often treated as a gauntlet of mandatory checkboxes. While it’s true that those boxes need to be ticked and regulations must be followed, sites that view compliance strictly as a chore risk missing out on a bigger opportunity.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

A Look at the Latest AI Tools for Online Safety

One of the defining challenges for adult businesses is helping to combat the proliferation of illegal or nonconsensual content, as well as preventing minors from accessing inappropriate or harmful material — all the more so because companies or sites unable or unwilling to do so may expose themselves to significant penalties and put their users at risk.

Gavin Worrall ·
opinion

Know When to Drop Domains You Don't Need

Do you own too many domains? If so, you’re not alone. Like other things we accumulate, every registered domain means something to us. Sometimes a domain represents a dream project we have always wanted to do but have never quite gotten around to.

Juicy Jay ·
opinion

Understanding 'Indemnification' in Business Contracts

Clients frequently tell me that they didn’t understand — or sometimes, even read — certain portions of a contract because those sections appeared to be just “standard legalese.” They are referring, of course, to the specialized language used in legal documents, including contracts.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
Show More