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(Los Angeles, CA) The second time was the charm—after being nominated twice for WIA Woman of the Year from the XBIZ Exec Awards, top adult public relations firm The Rub PR’s owner and publicist Erika Icon won the coveted award.

The 2026 XBIZ Honors took place at the Kimpton Everly Hotel’s Nichols Ballroom, complete with a red carpet and a packed house. Many categories were announced throughout the evening, but the WIA Woman of the Year was among the last. Some of the industry’s biggest movers and shakers were up for the award, and Erika Icon was surprised when her name was called as the winner. She thanked XBIZ and her clients, including ProDx Health, who won Emerging Brand of the Year right before her.
“Halfway through, I forgot my speech. Most of my wins are on screen, and I didn’t think I’d win. I’ve been in the industry for 20 years, and I’m so thankful for the recognition. As a publicist (or any behind-the-scenes person), people forget how much you do for them, so it’s amazing to be recognized. And I’ve always wanted an XBIZ Award, which I can now take off the bucket list,” says Erika Icon, Owner and Publicist.
To learn more about The Rub PR’s award-winning services and incredible client roster, visit their website at therubpr.com. Look for the site to relaunch in February.
ABOUT ERIKA ICON & THE RUB PR
Born in NYC and with an East Coast attitude to match, Erika Icon is one of the feistiest women in the adult industry with over 15 years of experience. In 2008, Icon started her own firm, The Rub PR, a full-service adult PR agency that works with top studios, companies, cam models, and performers. Before working in adult, she worked as an art director and copywriter for top Los Angeles advertising agencies. She graduated from UCLA with a BA in Fine Arts, minoring in French and English.
Icon has effectively helped her clients promote their brands and bring them into the mainstream arena. In 2014, Icon got her client, Kimber James, cast on E! Entertainment’s Botched, and even appeared with her on the show. Icon has helped cast numerous clients in mainstream TV and movies, and has secured interviews for clients with prominent publications such as Cosmo, Cosmo Latina, Elle, Refinery29, Vice, Playboy, Jezebel, The Daily Beast, GQ, and many more.
The Rub PR clients have also won an unprecedented number of awards from countless awards shows, including XBIZ, XBIZ Miami, XBIZ Europa, AVN, XRCO, ALT Star, Bazowie!, NightMoves, Fetish Awards, Urban X, Inked Angels, Australian Adult Industry Awards (AAIA), TEAs, and Cammy Awards. And the nominations they’ve received are even greater.
Icon won the XBIZ Executive Award for WIA Woman of the Year in 2026, Most Popular Adult PR Agency from the Urban X Awards in 2023 and 2025, Best Public Relations Firm from the ASN Magazine Awards in 2022 and 2025, and the NightMoves Award for Behind-the-Scenes award, celebrating the stellar work she’s done for adult companies, studios, and performers in 2018. In 2025, the ASN Awards inducted her into their prestigious Hall of Fame and put her on the cover of the June issue of ASN Lifestyle Magazine. She’s also received multiple XBIZ and AVN Awards nominations for Marketing Campaign of the Year, Outstanding Marketing Campaign, Best Marketing Campaign – Company Image, and WIA Woman of the Year, ASN Lifestyle Awards for Best Supporting Business and Best Public Relations Firm, Businesswoman of the Year from the Bucharest Summit Awards, Most Popular Adult PR Company and Most Supportive Sponsor from the Urban X Awards and the Inked Awards for The Bill Snyder Achievement Award.
Cosmo interviewed Icon for an article entitled “What It’s Really Like to Be a PR for Porn Stars.” She was also profiled by PR Week for their Sex Issue and by the Wall Street Journal for her social media expertise. Icon has been featured twice in XBIZ’s WIA (Woman in Adult) and as an Erotic Sky Magazine Expert with a multi-page feature in the July 2023 issue. She’s a freelance writer for Hustler, DarkSide, and ASN Lifestyle magazines, and blogs for Medium.