Page 56 - AVN August 2013

JM Darling
Photographer
Joshua “JM” Darling has a long history in theater arts, primarily in
New York City, both as a director and photographer, but there’s a
special place in his heart for erotic photography, so he started
his own collective for like-minded photogs called Darling
House.
Mark Espinosa
National Sales Manager, Pleasure Works Wholesale
When Good Vibrations decided to expand its wholesale offerings in 2010,
Mark Espinosa, who had already been working with the retailer for a few years
at that point, was tapped to oversee what became Pleasure Works Wholesale.
“Mark embodies exactly who we were looking for to take over our national
But these days, his primary duties are as the “resident
photographer” for top director Nica Noelle and all of her
studios: Girl Candy, Hard Candy, Rock Candy Films and
Transromantic.
“I have been doing adult-related work for about eight
years,” Darling said. “I came up as a content shooter from back
in the day when solo girl content sites were still a feasible thing, and
paysites for nudes, but as those fell by the wayside, I started doing art nudes
and art erotica in New York, getting some traction in that.”
Darling was introduced to Noelle through his then-“romantic partner,”
actress Sovereign Syre, with whom he still works on projects. Noelle saw some
of Darling’s erotic photos of Syre and liked his non-traditional style; the two
formed a working relationship that’s now in its second year.
“I shoot ‘pretty girl’ shots for Nica, as well as sex stills, box covers and pro-
motional shots, and I use my background in theater and storytelling to add a
little more detail or emotional resonance with the character,” he explained.
That’s a step up from his having been the official photog for Eliot Spitzer’s
“Manhattan Madame” Kristen Davis during her run for NY governor in
sales position,” said Coyote Days, purchasing director for Good Vibrations.
“He’s personable, knowledgeable and represents the Pleasure Works line with
integrity.”
Good Vibrations is the in-store and online retailer trusted for more than
three decades to provide a comfortable environment for finding quality sex
products, education and information. The revitalized wholesale division offers
other retailers the opportunity to profit from these products.
“My main goal as national sales manager for Pleasure Works Wholesale has
always been to help retailers seamlessly adapt to the ever-changing adult con-
sumer market,” Espinosa said. “Unlike in the early years of our industry,
customers are now more educated about our products and have a larger
wealth of product information at their disposal. I work tirelessly to
ensure that my retail partners have all the tools and information
required of them to, not only succeed, but to thrive.
“Modern retailers need a sales rep who keeps up with trends,
supports them socially and works hard to ensure that all their needs
are met,” he continued. “I am proud to represent a product line that
is constantly expanding and growing, based mainly on the needs and
demands of our customers.”
2010!
Joey Gabra
Managing Director, Affil4You
Joey Gabra is a well-known part of the online and mobile adult business
due to his role in leading Affil4you.com to dominance in the mobile mar-
keting and billing segments of the industry. Originally he started out
working for a smaller company called AdultSpace.com in the “adult social
networking” niche of the online adult business.
s
“I was hired on to oversee all the online marketing and SEO efforts for
AdultSpace.com as well as the other sites in their network,” Gabra says.
“That was it for me, I broke my ‘adult industry cherry’ with that company
and I never looked back at the mainstream world again.”
Affil4You.com, established in 2009 by the team behind international
mobile service provider Wister, continues to lead the way with a propri-
etary mobile content platform and cutting-edge mobile billing solutions
FEATURE
Joel Drapeau
Director of Sales, Gamma Entertainment
Prior to getting his start in the adult industry online, Joel Drapeau
did direct sales door to door for a few years and then eventually
managed an office of more than 50 direct sales marketers as
the head of their sales department. “We sold everything,
from alarm systems to cell phones and even credit card
applications at sporting events,” Drapeau said. “This was
a great way to learn the ropes, and it forced me to get out
of my comfort zone.”
Eventually the direct sales position had run its course
and in 2003 Joel decided to look for a new opportunity using
a job site in Canada known as JobBoom. He saw a posting for a
sales person at a web company working in adult entertainment. “Out
of curiosity, I decided to apply and I thought I would just see a lot of
porn—but when I walked into the Gamma offices, I was really impressed. I
got hired as an affiliate manager for a site Gamma had recently bought called
Pornication.”
After almost two years working on Pornication, he started doing the sales
work for another new Gamma site called PornAccess, and the site was a huge
success. That led to a promotion to director of sales for all the paysites
Gamma had, and recently Drapeau celebrated an impressive 10th anniver-
sary as part of the Gamma organization. Now his official title is director of
sales for Gamma’s growing B2B division.
When he does get time away from his busy schedule he has a huge passion
for hockey. “Loving the Montreal Canadiens is almost as important as hating
the Toronto Maple Leafs!” said Drapeau, who also loves to play golf. In fact,
the industry is already well aware of his amazing golf dress code after years of
appearing at outings during trade shows with a foursome of snappy dressers.
(Photo by JFK/FUBAR Webmasters, at Phoenix Forum)
”That was it for me, I br oke my ‘adult industry cherry’ with that company and I never
looked back at the mainstream world again
—Joey Gabra, Affil4You
56 | AVN 8.13
that are custom tailored to remain in compliance—no matter which coun-
try, carrier or consumer is involved in any particular mobile porn trans-
action. The company utilizes mobile billing and white label solu-
tions to allow traffic partners to maximize their mobile traffic
profitability while maintaining their own branding.
When Gabra isn’t working with thousands of webmasters to
open up new mobile revenue streams, he enjoys spending time
at home with his family. He is also an accomplished musician
who still makes time to hone his skills in his own recording stu-
dio with friends—though he doesn’t have nearly as much time for
a band as he used to, now that Affil4You.com has become a main-
stay of mobile online marketing utilized by many key players of the
adult industry. (Photo by JFK/FUBAR Webmasters)