Karen Campbell, who holds the title of vice president of business development of OrbitalPay Inc. and Global Electronic Technology Inc., truly is a leading executive in the online processing sector.
Last month, Campbell raced to the stage at XBIZ EU and enthusiastically collected an honor well deserved — an XBIZ Executive Award for Brand Ambassador of the year.
We have a diverse portfolio of clients processing everything from cams, dating, memberships, pay-per-view, video-on-demand products — basically whatever you can think of.
This month, XBIZ wanted to know more about this brand ambassador, so we sat down and had a chat.
XBIZ: What do you do at OrbitalPay?
CAMPBELL: My main function is focused on client relations, building our referring partner network and new account acquisitions. I also work with all aspects of the company including operations, risk, underwriting, technical support and business development.
XBIZ: How long have you been at OrbitalPay?
CAMPBELL: Since January 2009, almost five years.
XBIZ: How did you get into the adult industry?
CAMPBELL: By chance. I have some friends that ran adult membership sites and they decided to start a billing company. During that time I was doing some accounting work for them, and they asked me to work for them full time mostly doing the books and customer service for the adult sites. One thing lead to another, and I found myself helping them with selling as well. As the billing company grew, eventually the paysites went by the wayside and I remained the leading sales person for more than 10 years. So, here I am, 15 years later still on the billing side working for Orbital-Pay, as vice president of business development.
XBIZ: Was it an adjustment going from one billing company to another?
CAMPBELL: Absolutely, there was somewhat of a learning curve. My previous employer only offered one aspect of processing, and here at OrbitalPay we are much more of an all around billing provider. I had to become proficient with the card associations’ compliance guidelines, the ins and outs of dealing directly with our sponsoring bank and understanding the art of mitigating risk both for us and our clients. There is actually quite a lot to it. More than most people realize.
XBIZ: What is the work culture like at OrbitalPay?
CAMPBELL: OrbitalPay / GET is a family. Everyone is treated with respect and regarded as a valuable asset to the company and the organization as a whole. We all get along great, we work as a team, and we laugh together. Our president and founder Steven Bryson is compassionate and genuinely concerned for each individual’s well-being and happiness. He has instituted many company polices which ensure our health, safety, standard of living and leisure time.
XBIZ: What sector of the online adult business is driving the market these days?
CAMPBELL: We have a diverse portfolio of clients processing everything from cams, dating, memberships, pay-per-view, video-on-demand products — basically whatever you can think of. I would say the two main sectors are cams and dating.
XBIZ: Where is most of your business coming from?
CAMPBELL: U.S. and E.U.-based companies.
XBIZ: In the 15 years in the adult business, do you think the industry has matured greatly?
CAMPBELL: Absolutely! I was around in what the old-timers refer to as the “wild west days” in adult when almost anything was acceptable except what was illegal. On the billing side, we had to mature because the card association ( Visa and MasterCard) mandated it. They implemented the high-risk registration regulations for anyone selling digital material of an adult nature so they could monitor chargeback ratios by merchant. They also put into place a Business Risk Assessment and Mitigation ( BRAM) policy. So even though some content was not illegal, it was and is not acceptable by their standards. In addition, Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard is now required for all companies accepting credit cards online and offline to protect card holder information. Because of the many changes merchants were obligated into maturing like it or not.
XBIZ: What’s a typical work day like?
CAMPBELL: Interesting and challenging, always. I am typically in the office by 7:30 a.m. I check my emails, do my call backs, follow up on pending accounts and work closely with our teams’ to ensure our clients’ needs are exceeded.
XBIZ: When not thinking about the biz, what do you like to do?
CAMPBELL: Most of all I like to spend time with my family. I am devoted to my children (ages 26 and 33), my amazing grandson (age 4½) and my mom who just turned 86 and still works two days a week. We are all very close, and we try and get together often. In the summer I spend time at the pool and beach whenever possible and when the weather cools off (not so much in California) I like to cook, go to the theater and movies and read.
