Her Story
About Camille
Camille Adams is the founder and creative director of The Darling Clementines, a burlesque production house based in Sacramento, California. She works as a photographer, producer, burlesque artist, and experience creator with nearly 20 years of experience in photography, event production, and the dance industry. Adams earned her bachelor's degree in arts and sciences with a major in women's studies from New Mexico State University in 2008. Her work centers on creating experiences through shows, photographs, videos, and events that allow people to feel celebrated, with a strong emphasis on the queer community, storytelling, and building worlds that bring people together. She attributes her success to the influence of bold performers like Natasha Estrada, who gave her permission to perform, and to the strong work ethic passed down from her Mexican and Puerto Rican family. Adams was nominated as Pride Grand Marshal in 2025 and is deeply involved in causes including LGBTQ+ rights and queer liberation, feminism and gender equality, body liberation and representation, racial equality in the arts, consent culture and sexual autonomy, art access for working artists, community building, and supporting sex workers. She values community, creating safe spaces, radical self-expression, self-acceptance, and community care, using her platform to support the queer community and spread awareness around sexual health.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Camille
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the influence of seeing bold performers like Natasha Estrada who gave me permission to perform, and now I try to give others that same permission through my art. I come from a long line of hard workers in my Mexican and Puerto Rican family, and I carry that work ethic into creating art and community.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've received is to stay in my lane, not compare myself to others on social media, and not write stories in my head about what success means because everyone's version of success is different.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Stop waiting for someone else to give you permission to call yourself what you already are. Pay attention to the things you keep coming back to, what excites you and what you're naturally good at. Don't assume your path has to look like someone else's for it to be legitimate.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenge has been creating a creative career that doesn't neatly fit into one box. For a long time I thought photography, burlesque, producing, directing, events, and activism were all different things, but I realized they are all just different expressions of the same creative person who loves building worlds, telling stories, and bringing people together.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Community, creating safe spaces, radical self-expression, self-acceptance, and community care are most important. Using our platform to support the queer community, create healthy safe spaces, spread awareness around sexual health, and ensure people feel seen, respected, and beloved.
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