The adult industry has been through a lot in the last year, so when an opportunity comes along to celebrate those in our community, we can’t help but get excited and participate however we can. This Sunday marks the 12th annual Transgender Erotica Awards and we are thrilled to be their official Presenting Sponsor. We’ll also be streaming their virtual event on Pornhub and we encourage everyone from across the globe to come honor this year’s TEA nominees.
“We're so thankful for Pornhub's support of the TEAs and the fact they'll be using their massive platform to livestream our show,” said TEA Executive Producer, Kristel Penn. “I certainly think the rise of self-content creators on Pornhub and similar sites have given performers the opportunity to build their own brands without relying solely on larger studios to shoot them. I honestly think it's wonderful. The more diverse representation we get, the better.”
The TEAs will be giving away 24 awards, including the Pornhub Model of the Year Award, and you can expect some special guest appearances that we’ll keep hush-hush for now! There will also be a pre-party hosted by Grooby’s very own Kristel Penn on theTEAShow.com.
“I think people watching will appreciate the fact that a virtual show means that everyone has the best seat in the house. As always with selecting our presenters, we try to feature as many folks as possible (big names, up-and-comers, allies),” said Penn.
And to top it off, the one and only award-winning Domino Presley is back once again to host the event as their Mistress of Ceremonies!
"I am so honored to be hosting The Transgender Erotica Awards this year. Once again, we are holding it virtually, but unlike last year, it won't be from my living room this time,” said Domino Presley. “I will be bringing glamour in my custom Chris Tyler gown and serving sarcasm all night long (as always).”
“Let me say this -- Domino is nothing short of a magnetic force of nature. When she's on screen, you can't take your eyes off of her. Paired with her razor-sharp wit, we knew she was the perfect fit for the TEAs. She has been our Mistress of Ceremonies for multiple years now and she knows how to command a room of drunk, excited pornstars to listen to her for two hours straight. If that doesn't deserve the title of Mistress of Ceremonies, nothing does.”
We hope you’ll join us this Sunday for this important annual event and be sure to mark in your calendar!
Details
Location: https://www.pornhub.com/teashow
Day: March 7, 2021
Time: 8 pm PST
Twitter: @tgeroticaawards
If you'd like to learn a little more about the TEAs, as a special treat, we chatted with the creator of the Transgender Erotica Awards, Kristel Penn, about what gave her the idea, how it’s evolved over the years, and what her biggest challenges and successes have been organizing this special event.
What gave you the idea to create and launch the Transgender Erotica Awards?
The idea to create the Transgender Erotica Awards came from the lack of trans categories at the major adult award shows over 12 years ago. Grooby, who hosts the event, is one of the largest and oldest producers of trans erotica. This year, in fact, Grooby turns 25, and I mention this because prior to the TEAs, we accepted the fact that we weren't part of the mainstream adult industry. As a company, it's been Steven Grooby's motto to work hard, focus on our own work, and just do what we do best: make trans porn. He's not someone who gets swept up in industry politics or wants to fit in. He's always been someone who is unapologetic about his support for the trans community. It's wonderful to see the show grow to where it is now, which includes more vocal support of the trans industry within porn, but the TEAs are something we'd do whether or not it’s "trendy" or "popular.” We do it because this is the community we work in and have always worked in, and this is our way to support those we work with.
How has it evolved since the very first show 12 years ago? Where do you hope it will be in the next 5-10 years?
The show has evolved so much in the last 12 years and I'm really excited for how it will continue to grow in the years to come. Our first show was online and only had a small number of categories. I don't think we even had trophies back then. Our first in-person shows were hosted at, for lack of a better description, tiny dive bars and clubs in the Hollywood area where our guests were literally sitting on each other's laps to fit. With each year, however, we were able to expand thanks to the generous contributions of our sponsors and from Grooby's own buy-in for the event.
In 5-10 years, I hope to bring back and cultivate the fan convention we started (TEA Con) and launch other events (for fans and industry-only) so the TEAs become a weeklong event packed with activities. I'd love to see the show continued to be hosted on Pornhub as well; I think it's such a massive platform and would maximize our ability to reach as many people as possible.
As the creator and executive producer of the TEAs, what has been your biggest success and biggest challenge thus far with this award show?
I was extremely proud of our last in-person show (back in 2019 before COVID). For the last few years, we've hosted the event at the historic Avalon in Hollywood, and we welcomed guests from around the world. Our red carpet host, Natassia Dreams, looked radiant on the camera as she interviewed our nominees and VIP guests. Mistress of Ceremonies, Domino Presley, commanded the show with equal parts sass and sex appeal. Everything ran as smoothly as one could hope for when doing a live show for nearly 500 guests. The biggest challenge comes, however, from trying to run a live show for nearly 500 guests. Without fail, someone is always using the bathroom when their award is called (despite our best efforts to keep eyes on the winners in the audience), there is always a technical glitch (or five) that we need to fix on-the-fly, and it is damn near impossible to control a room full of pornstars after 1am when the drinks are strong and it's getting late! Domino, however, kept everyone in line. Myself included!
The TEAs are the first and only award show focused on the trans adult community, which is a huge deal – how do you handle that kind of responsibility? What has been your proudest moment where you realized you created something very special?
As the show gained traction in the first few years, we realized this show was more than just a "party." We saw the excitement performers experienced when accepting their awards and the amount of time, effort, and money that went into dressing up for the event. At the other award shows, the trans genre is still relatively small compared to the straight/gay industries, which I believe is reflected in who you see on the red carpet at these events. At the TEAs, however, our focus is really on celebrating the trans community and work very hard to ensure they are centered in our coverage of the show. When I see the pictures from the red carpet each year, I am humbled to see how many trans performers and allies are represented. It is a space I feel very privileged to hold for others.
What do you hope people get out of the TEAs? Is there a specific message you want to convey or goal you want to reach?
My main goal with the TEAs is to uplift the trans adult industry in a way that puts our community front and center. Because our event exclusively celebrates the accomplishments of the trans adult industry, we are able to showcase a breadth of our industry in a way that other shows cannot. We want viewers to see just how diverse and wonderful our community is.
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