Hot Octopuss Founder Adam Lewis On Making Stimulating, Award-Winning Adult Products

A London-based company known as a leader for stimulating male products, Hot Octopuss came about after a brainstorm from Adam Lewis. PULSE, its first product, sold out within six months based on word of mouth. PULSE has also spawned some sequels — including the POCKET PULSE, PULSE DUO III and PULSE SOLO III — and has gone on to win several industry awards.

I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with Hot Octopuss’ Adam Lewis — who founded Hot Octopuss in 2011 — on behalf of The Hype Magazine. More on Lewis and company is at www.hotoctopuss.com.

Where did the idea for Hot Octopuss come from?

Adam Lewis: Like many great ideas, it came from personal need. I’ve always enjoyed vibrations and have created some very funky homemade devices over the years that I’ve enjoyed. The time finally came when I decided that I would ditch these “Do-It-Yourself” items and instead go on the internet to find myself a male vibrator specifically designed for this purpose. To my absolute amazement, nothing existed.

Unlike many female toys that used clever technology and did things that no human could do — think Rampant Rabbit — all of the male products were phallic and looked to replicate human interaction. There was certainly nothing available that used technology or vibrations to achieve its goal. Given the size of the potential market, I then realized that if I could make a really good vibrating product for men, it could have great potential to sell.

What did you do professionally before starting up Hot Octopuss?

Adam Lewis: I began my working career as a venture capitalist in London. Leaving university with no idea of what I wanted to do, I decided the best option was to follow the money. It was safe to say that this was definitely not the sector for me. Following my time in the city, I decided to move into the events industry. From there, I worked my way up the corporate ladder, eventually becoming the managing director of the business. I really enjoyed my time in this role. It was incredibly entrepreneurial to come up with concepts and then roll them out globally. This put me in good stead for when it came time to set up Hot Octopuss.

When people ask you what you do for a living, what do you say? Do you feel there to be a stigma attached to what you do?

Adam Lewis: This depends on who is asking. On long flights, my answer is almost always that I’m an accountant, because it’s a great conversation killer. When I tell people what I really do, it usually opens a floodgate of questions, so it just depends on whether or not I am in the mood to talk shop for the next hour or so.

In all seriousness, I very rarely encounter a negative reaction when I tell people what I do. It’s almost exclusively intriguing. I am lucky in the sense that Hot Octopuss is a very different kind of sex toy company to its contemporaries. We are very progressive and create design-oriented gadgety products, often with medical or scientific heritage that don’t look like your typical sex toy. People are usually taken aback when they see how our products look and function.

Do you have a favorite of the Hot Octopuss products available?

Adam Lewis: We just debuted an incredibly innovative luxury ring called the ATOM PLUS. It is extremely powerful, harnessing intensely clever technology and truly paves the way for a whole new era of products in this category. I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve with it.

That said, my favorite product has to be the PULSE III SOLO and DUO. This is the world’s first Guybrator™ that uses oscillations — a type of vibration — to stimulate the man, rather than the age old up-and-down motion that has been associated with all of the male toys that came before it. The product can be used hands-free and without the need for the user to have an erection. It was Hot Octopuss’ first product and what catapulted us to global success. It has been on the market for some time now and is considered to have revolutionized male masturbation. The science used in this product came from the medical sector where it is used to help men with spinal cord injuries to have children. We adapted the technology and turned it into a commercial product. Because this product can be used when flaccid, it has been incredibly helpful for guys with E.D. and also popular for therapeutic use.

What is coming up for the company in the coming months?

Adam Lewis: We are currently working on our next Guybrator™, which is a very innovative product designed for the lower-end of the market that is scheduled for release this summer.

Our products are generally quite expensive, so we wanted to create something really good for guys at a lower price point. This product will blow you away, quite literally. We are also working on another female product that we are aiming to launch at the end of the year. It is top secret though, so you’ll have to wait in order find out more.

When not busy with Hot Octopuss, how do you like to spend your free time?

Adam Lewis: Free time?…sorry, say again? (laughs)

What was the last concert you attended for fun?

Adam Lewis: Good question. I believe it was a Massive Attack concert. I’m a big fan.

Finally, Adam, any last words for the kids?

Adam Lewis: Follow your dreams, however crazy they may be, as you never know where they might take you. When I was a kid at boarding school, it came about that on occasion, I would be caught in the so-called “act,” not a completely unusual thing to happen when living at school. My schoolmaster would always say, “Lewis, put that thing away, nothing good will come of this.” Well, how wrong they were. I can only imagine where I could be right now had they instead encouraged me!

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Tags: Adam Lewis, adult entertainment, England, Hot Octopuss, London, Massive Attack

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."