Kellie Marsh is a restless go-getter who relishes an opportunity to diversify her skillset and tackle emerging challenges. Her instrumental role as the operations and logistics chair for adult industry mental health network Pineapple Support is no different.
With a keen eye towards managing complex systems, Marsh has worked behind the scenes for years in numerous fields, from skin care advertising to handling residential properties and chartered surveyors while honing her skills in horticulture and first aid.
I work the systems, manage the therapists, work with the clients, arrange sponsorships with donors, help on the webinars and monitor cash flow; basically anything with regards to administration, I have a part in.
She first joined forces with Pineapple Support founder Leya Tanit in 2018, building on a friendship that can be traced back to their university years. By pursuing sponsors and coordinating nearly 300 registered therapists who have aided more than 5,000 performers since the group’s inception, Marsh works closely with Tanit to continue scaling up to meet a demand that only accelerated during the COVID pandemic.
Now, she opens up about her career, ambitions and future hopes for Pineapple Support, as our WIA Woman of the Month for October 2021.
XBIZ: Tell us about your professional and educational background prior to the adult industry, as well as your longtime friendship with Leya Tanit.
MARSH: Growing up in the U.K. I attended university in Newcastle upon Tyne undertaking politics and media studies. Although I enjoyed politics, at the time of graduating we were in the midst of the Afghan war, and I just could not see myself going to work in a political system I didn’t believe in. Instead, I turned to a family business in residential property management.
After spending 10 years there, I took on a managerial position for chartered surveyors in Bedford, becoming one of the two first female associates in a business of men for over 100 years. Eleven years later I have started my own company, Kellie Marsh Management Ltd., and despite COVID, business is going well. I also work as an ambassador for a vegan skin care line and carry out advertising and administration duties for a local friend for his roofing trade business. During this time, I have always continued wanting to improve my learning; I have undertaken a horticulture degree, completed a master herbalist course, became a registered first aider and completed level two and level three of my mental health awareness studies. The mental health studies have given me such a greater respect for those who work with us, and those who have struggled with their mental health with no support.
I met Leya during my university years and our friendship has stood the test of time. Even with working together, we still haven’t killed each other! Leya is the creative cat, always with a new idea, and generally all of them are awesome. I, on the other hand, am the admin one, making sure systems are in place and cracking on “behind the scenes.” We are totally different, but one and the same, I love her dearly and am so very proud of everything she has done.
XBIZ: What led you to become involved with Pineapple Support in 2018?
MARSH: When your best friend rings you in tears, telling you about the industry event she has just been attending in which a list of performers’ names have been read out that lost their battle with mental health struggles, and you know how much stigma she has been through already from her time in the industry and she says, “I want to start a charity to provide mental health resources to performers,” the only thing you can say is, “Yes.” Through Leya’s work in adult, I have seen how strangers and friends can behave badly towards sex workers; it’s not acceptable and I did not approve. So, I was in.
XBIZ: How did your mainstream experiences influence your approach to creating a mental health support network for the community?
MARSH: I love a spreadsheet and making sure systems run well. The better a system runs, the more awareness you have, the better you can treat your clients. How much better could a job be if you are able to significantly help someone in feeling better about themselves?
Mainstream ideals are set in their ways and need adjustment. I want to help with that. The more mainstream personnel and companies that can cross the adult divide and show support, the better. We need to stop the stigmatization and help grow the realization that the adult community is filled with strong, hardworking and super supportive individuals who should be praised, not subjected to constant negative slurs.
XBIZ: Discuss the biggest milestones Pineapple has achieved over the past few years.
MARSH: Pineapple has developed faster than any of us could have imagined, which is great, but bittersweet. It means so many people are not able to get the mental health support they need. Recently, I calculated we have provided support to over 5,000 performers; it blew my mind. After three years, we are nearing 300 registered therapists and counselors, as well as a stellar lineup of companies willing to financially support us.
We recently received our first Diamond Sponsor in Streamate, with $100,000 a year to help online performers; this is generosity at its finest, but it also showed me that people believed in us and what Pineapple Support was doing. The biggest milestone I feel is something we see on a day-to-day basis: the feedback we get from individuals who tell us we have made a difference. That’s the winner, helping someone who was feeling lost and them saying “Thank you for your help.”
XBIZ: What new challenges and opportunities did the pandemic create that you pivoted to address?
MARSH: When COVID hit, our monthly requests for therapy tripled. Pineapple reached out to our donors, sponsors and therapists and they all dug deep. Therapists reduced their charges, sponsors sent more funds and increased webinar sponsorship and donors increased their one-off payments. We created more drop-in groups, upped our regular webinar events and spent hundreds of hours connecting people with therapists and resources. The admin duties for me went through the roof!
XBIZ: How do you help ensure Pineapple is scalable, funded and efficiently operated?
MARSH: We have a fantastic team with the most legendary board members: Brad Mitchell of Mojohost, Alison Boden of Kink, Emma Rainville of Shockwaves Solutions, Tim Valenti of NakedSword/Falcon Studios, Corey Silverstein of Silverstein Legal, Liz Rekevics of Streamate and Jena Field, one of our fabulous therapists. Between us, we all bring attributes to the table. I work the systems, manage the therapists, work with the clients, arrange sponsorships with donors, help on the webinars and monitor cash flow; basically anything with regards to administration, I have a part in.
XBIZ: Talk about your approach to outreach in the talent community.
MARSH: We found over the last few years that a lot of people were still a little nervous with one-on-one therapy sessions. So, I love that we started a weekly support drop-in group for everyone, which progressed to having a weekly BIPOC meeting, a monthly male-only group and now we are working on developing a trans-only group.
We have also recently launched our corporate training, specifically to help those working with performers. If you sponsor Pineapple, then your entire company will have access to our online events to help improve your mental health awareness and provide you with tools to help a performer if you ever spot one in crisis. It’s a great way to educate staff and ensure all performers are treated equally with respect.
XBIZ: What does your role entail now as the operations and logistics chair?
MARSH: Previously, I was vice president of the U.K. side of the charity, but we merged with the U.S. nonprofit and my title changed. I am still doing a lot of the same things I was before; however, since the merge, I deal with the therapists’ payments, management of the sponsor payments and contracts, donation details and helping out wherever else I can.
XBIZ: How can other individuals and organizations be better allies to performers?
MARSH: Would it be crude to start with saying “Sponsor us”? The more donations we receive, the more help we can supply, and the more events we can arrange. Our corporate training is directed at those working behind the camera, but our social presence and awareness is driven by those who have been helped. The more people who talk about their mental health, the more individuals who have not asked for help will reach out and the more people can be helped. Communication is key; talk about mental health, people!
XBIZ: In the coming months and beyond, how is Pineapple gearing up to offer an ever-evolving array of services and resources?
MARSH: Upcoming webinars include “Coming Out With Silva Neves” on Monday, October 11 at 3 p.m. (EST), “Bullying and Cyberstalking: Education, Harm Reduction and Prevention” by Sarah Kelleher on Tuesday, November 16 at 1 p.m. (EST). We have regular drop-in support groups, fundraising events and some amazing stuff not yet ready for release! I highly recommend that you head over to our PineappleSupport.org website to check in on the updates and forthcoming events, as well as watch previous events you may have missed out on. For those who want to be more involved with Pineapple Support, joining us for meetings to discuss future plans and event ideas, become a Pineapple United member by setting up a regular monthly donation. All details are also on our website.
Each month, 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.
