To be the right-hand administrative jill-of-all-trades for Chaturbate COO Shirley Lara is to juggle myriad duties. Fortunately for Ella Dorsey, her professional background prior to joining Chaturbate taught her detail-oriented focus and fast-paced flexible pivoting, making her uniquely suited for the tasks at hand.
“I’ve been lucky to merge my logistics and creative sides working for Chaturbate,” she explained. Tackling frontline challenges that range from coordinating events to overseeing promotional photoshoots and working closely with cam models to synergize mutually beneficial marketing campaigns, Dorsey has learned to juggle a shifting landscape of professional duties.
Whenever I meet with someone, I make notes of different conversation points and the interaction we had, so I can follow up with that the next time we run into one another.
As our WIA Woman of the Month for August, she takes a breather from the hectic melee to discuss her background, outline her goals and shed light on how she approaches the multifaceted demands of her role.
XBIZ: Discuss your professional and educational background prior to working in adult entertainment.
DORSEY: My background is in catering and convention services, specializing in larger groups and expos in San Diego. I also have a background in hair and makeup, managing a salon as well as helping produce fashion and bridal shows.
XBIZ: What led you to this industry and what are the biggest ways you’ve grown since joining?
DORSEY: In 2018, I was asked to be the makeup artist for Chaturbate, which was an amazing opportunity. Luck was on my side as they asked me to come back the following year, and in 2020 I was asked if I would like to apply for the event administrator position working directly with Shirley Lara, the company’s COO. Since working in the industry, I would say I’ve seen my interpersonal skills increase. I’m lucky that I’m able to meet so many fun and interesting people.
Meeting so many people who are passionate about their craft has helped with my growth personally and professionally. Helping produce photoshoots and going to the expos has helped me with reading people. I’m not only listening to what you are saying, I’m paying attention to your body language as well, because at the end of the day, it’s my job to make sure everyone is happy.
XBIZ: Discuss your main responsibilities as the right-hand assistant of Chaturbate COO Shirley Lara.
DORSEY: I help Shirley with internal projects that include working with independent broadcasters who stream on Chaturbate. The most recent project we completed was for Pride Month in June. We launched a “What It Means to Be Queer” video series on social media. The project is a collection of video shorts featuring Chaturbate broadcasters talking about what being queer means to them. It was heartwarming to hear their personal stories.
Another major part of my job is helping with exhibit needs, as Chaturbate sponsors more than 10 expos every year. I assist with logistics, from travel accommodations, restaurant reservations and creating itineraries, to filling out forms for the booth, overseeing details for Chaturbate’s appreciation dinners and attending the expo to ensure everything runs smoothly. And if Shirley attends, I also handle her travel schedule.
Additionally, I assist with photoshoots, locating and scheduling studios, inviting broadcasters and being on set during the shoots to make sure everyone looks their best. My background in hair and makeup often comes in handy for these shoots. It’s important that our creative team regularly has fresh images and videos for internal and external advertising, which is also a great way for independent broadcasters to get extra exposure.
XBIZ: How do you approach networking and forging strong community relationships?
DORSEY: First impressions are so important in our industry. I know the impression I make can have an effect on people’s perception of the company. Whenever I meet with someone, I make notes of different conversation points and the interaction we had, so I can follow up with that the next time we run into one another. It’s a small gesture, but it goes a long way in making a positive impression. It goes hand in hand with the overall goal of Chaturbate, which is to create a fun and safe space for our community to gather. If we are able to create that great first impression, it helps to build that community.
XBIZ: What are a few key business development objectives you’re most proud of helping Chaturbate achieve this year?
DORSEY: Now that things are opening back up and we are starting to attend events in person again, we are noticing that Chaturbate is setting attendance records at expos. But it’s not just from the past year or two; Chaturbate was also breaking records pre-COVID. I think that proves that the hard work we put in to make Chaturbate a great platform is paying off.
In addition to increased attendance at expos, we have worked really hard to improve our social media channels. That’s where I feel my work with our photoshoots helps. I work to coordinate the photographers, the broadcasters, the shoot locations and much more.
When we have the best images and clips, our marketing and advertising departments have much better tools to create materials. I believe our social media channels have really stepped up their game because they have much better content to work with.
XBIZ: How do you interface with other members of the team to accomplish goals together?
DORSEY: Our company has grown so much in the past few years. We are now at 200-plus employees and we are constantly hiring new people! Multi Media, our parent company, has really polished and streamlined our training and onboarding process. I am also very lucky with my COO Shirley, Natasha and everyone else at Multi Media who empower me and encourage me to ask questions. They are always more than happy to take the time to help me understand the work I am doing.
XBIZ: Tell us a bit about your personal life. Any hobbies or interests that folks might not know about?
DORSEY: I love to cook and am constantly entertaining others. Whenever I travel, I always try to take a cooking class from a local. I also collect cookbooks.
XBIZ: Describe how you strive to balance “me time” with work duties.
DORSEY: I make it a point to have a hard stop when it comes to work hours. Rarely are there situations where I have to work late or on a weekend. On those occasions, I make sure to schedule a massage or mani/pedi for the following day. I also start my day at 5 a.m. at the gym to get my mind clear before I start work, and I make it a point of meditating after work to regain balance.
XBIZ: What are the main challenges and opportunities of today’s camming market that you seek to capitalize on?
DORSEY: One of the things we have seen in camming in the past few years is the major influx of new broadcasters entering the marketplace. And these new broadcasters are mostly mainstream, non-industry people who looked for new jobs or extra jobs during the pandemic. At the same time, we started seeing more positive coverage of the camming industry than we have ever seen before in mainstream press.
This growth made competition between platforms more difficult, but for Chaturbate, we adapted quickly. We went from written tutorials for broadcasters to video tutorials. We started naming brand ambassadors who could help new people navigate Chaturbate and its features. I think it has really paid off, too, because as life is getting back to normal in so many places, we are seeing longevity with our new people. We must be doing something right, because so many people who joined Chaturbate during COVID are sticking around.
XBIZ: Discuss your professional and personal ambitions for the coming year.
DORSEY: My professional and personal ambition for this year is to continue to learn from my team and from the sex worker community. There’s always something to learn in this industry that can be applied to my personal life and make me a better person.
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.
