John Mauser, Too Much Media’s sales and marketing director, has a passion for the online adult biz. But that passion isn’t necessarily for the “porn” part.
Mauser loves the ever-changing marketing and technological aspects of his work to help Too Much Media clients keep a firm grip on their online properties. The New Jersey company develops and supports a powerful suite of web-based products for online businesses.
We officially launched our NATS for Networks platform at the end of last year and what a success it has been! The team here saw how the marketing and data landscape were evolving and developed a solution for this market.
“I am a bit of a data snob,” confesses Mauser, who, along with the rest of the Too Much Media crew, strive every day to make it easier for businesses to make informed decisions through intuitive reporting and data tracking.
XBIZ recently sat down with Mauser to learn more about his journey into the adult industry, as well as new things coming up for Too Much Media.
XBIZ: What do you do at Too Much Media?
Mauser: My official title with Too Much Media is director, sales and marketing. I am responsible for planning and implementing sales, marketing and product development programs, both short and long range, targeted towards existing and new markets.
XBIZ: How did you get into the biz, and how did you wind up with TMM?
Mauser: It was all accidental really. I was a baseball player from the age of five with a batting average of nearly .400 as a catcher. Coming from a small high school and being back in that time period, we didn’t have social media and the technology we do today to gain exposure. So my father reached out to Jeff Torborg (manager of the Mets at the time). Jeff and my father were childhood friends. That led to an invitation to spring training for a walk-on tryout with the Mets in 1992, and that’s where it all took a turn. The night of receiving the invitation, I was involved in a car accident that would leave me needing physical therapy. At that point, I knew my baseball dreams were over and I needed to change direction.
I was a club goer, and soon after I got involved in the nightclub industry it led me to the adult entertainment world. I managed a few clubs along the East Coast until an owner of one of the establishments asked if I wanted to run his gentleman’s club. Always looking for a new challenge, I accepted. I mean c’mon, I was a 20-something man lol. Fast forward to the mid-to-late 1990s and the internet was all the hype. The possibilities were fascinating so I decided to get educated in computers, marketing being a focus.
During this time, I became a father, the most wonderful experience of my life. Deciding to no longer work the crazy club hours, I pursued teaching. I taught for a couple years but I wanted more, I needed more. I applied to a company called IVD that was looking for a web admin. I didn’t know it was adult-oriented until the interview with Adam Winters. The same day I was offered the position and accepted. A few weeks later, Adam and I went to lunch after finding out he was moving on from the company. Not knowing Adam that well, I wasn’t sure what to expect. He gave me some advice and told me that if I kept my nose down with my skills and ambition, I would do well with them. He was right.
After hiring an outsider to replace Adam, I got to work and provided some new marketing strategies for their e-commerce white-label, Effex Media. The rest is history. After my efforts proved profitable and sustainable, Adam’s replacement was let go, and I assumed the position of vice president of sales and marketing. I knew I had a great opportunity so I got involved in every aspect of the business I could.
Fast forward to 2010 I was a single father; physically I let myself go a bit and decided it was time for a change. I needed more flexibility to take care of my son. After all, it was just my son and I, and I wanted to make sure I was the best father I could be.
The next five years, I did some consulting work for adult companies and started my own mainstream service company.
In 2015, I got an itch and needed a new challenge again. I was missing something. I now had an amazing woman in my life, and with her support at home it allowed me to pursue new challenges.
Being so intimately involved with many great people in this industry, I decided to see how I could get involved again. Along came an opportunity just 15 miles away at Too Much Media. I saw a job posting and had been friendly with John (Albright) and Charlie throughout my years before, so I reached out to them. Here I am a year later … happy, motivated and extremely excited for all the opportunities and growth I see with Too Much Media.
XBIZ: What part of the business excites you the most?
Mauser: Do I have to limit to just one? LOL. This business excites me in general. Not the “porn” part, which most in the mainstream would think. But the marketing and technological aspects that are ever-changing. I am a bit of a data snob, so within Too Much Media we are constantly evolving to make new advances in technology to help our clients manage their businesses in various ways. From affiliates to digital marketing analysis, we help your business make informed decisions with intuitive reporting and data tracking. Data is king.
XBIZ: What’s new at Too Much Media and are there any things coming up as we move over to 2017?
Mauser: Tons! New sites, new platforms and major upgrades to NATS. But most exciting (to me anyway), we officially launched our NATS for Networks platform at the end of last year and what a success it has been! The team here saw how the marketing and data landscape were evolving and developed a solution for this market. NATS for Networks is an all-in-one solution that provides advertisers, media buyers and publishers a solution to track, evaluate and optimize mobile and digital marketing campaigns in real-time. The mobile-tracking capabilities are a key element in our software today as we have seen an increase of consumers browsing and purchasing on mobile devices compared to just a few short years ago. So if you’re looking for a solution that can define your mobile and digital marketing efforts, check out NATS for Networks.
We also have some exciting changes coming to our industry favorite NATS software. I can’t get into specific details about it just yet, but I can tell you gathering feedback from some industry peers on the matter, there is a lot of excitement around the corner. So stay tuned in 2017.
In addition, I am hoping to launch a new updated version of our corporate site along with resources and additional pieces which I believe will help our community of clients. I am expecting this to be ready for the beginning of 2017 and for the upcoming January tradeshows.
XBIZ: Who or what companies in the adult industry inspire you?
Mauser: Now that’s a loaded question! There are so many. Let me say this: I have been extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work with so many great minds and companies within our industry. I see the hard work many of my colleague put into their work throughout the industry to become successful and just have to applaud them all. Success is elusive and not guaranteed, but we have some of the most dedicated and motivated people in our business. So that inspires me even after all these years.
XBIZ: How do you juggle work and family life?
Mauser: Actually, it’s fairly easy now. I don’t sleep much, but this is not a new development in my life. I am an insomniac, and a happy one at that. My time awake I put to good use. On average I get about four hours of sleep a day. I try to make the most of my day during those hours whether spending time with family or handling business. Traveling for business now has been something that has needed some adjustment this past year.
If it weren’t for my fiancée it would make things near impossible. She deserves most of the credit as I’m sure many of our colleagues’ significant others do as well. When we get called away to travel for business, like the recent two-week E.U. show trips that leaves a void in the household. Luckily, I have that support that allows me to do this. The company I work for is also quite helpful. When you don’t have to miss your children’s school or extracurricular events because your company puts a value on family time, it is indeed a big help also.
XBIZ: When not thinking about the biz, what do you like to do?
Mauser: I could list a plethora of things such as travel, the arts and sports but one passion outside of the business I enjoy most is gaming. I’ve been a “Call of Duty” player since “World at War” came out, to the point I was a Top 50 player worldwide for several years. Actually, from myself on down to the littlest one in the family, we all spend time gaming together. I also attend our children’s events from dance recitals to football games and other school functions they may be involved in. These are the things that bring me the most joy so they usually take most of my time.
