It really doesn’t seem like our 24th Annual Adult Awards show is here, but one week from today it all begins once again.
So much has happened since that very first show in 1993, not only with NightMoves but in the country and the world. We have been through some good times and some very bad, somber times as a country. We have seen our young ones grow up into productive adults and we have mourned the loss of loved ones who were a big part of our lives. It has been quite a past twenty five years plus on many fronts. Now we are ready to give Tampa Bay another exciting weekend of adult fun with our awards show weekend.
I remember that very first show like it was yesterday. Paul had come up with the idea after NightMoves Magazine was just over a year old. No one believed it could happen or that it would work but Paul never gave up and in September 1993 we presented the Central Florida Adult Entertainment Awards, as we called it then. That first show had two stars, Kelly O’Dell and Ron Jeremy, we gave out 10 awards, all local and the show was over in two hours. It was a rainy, stormy night, but the club was jam packed. The reaction was beyond what Paul or I hoped for and from that point on the show would continue to grow into what it is today. After that first abbreviated and debut show two things happened. First we changed the name to the NightMoves Adult Awards Show, which became known as “the Tampa Show”. Second, Ron Jeremy has been our host or co host at every single show since 1993. Fact is, Ron and myself are the only two that have been a part of every show. Paul would have been but a few years back he had a kidney stone attack and spent the entire awards show weekend in the hospital.
From that first one night event, the show expanded into 4 or 5 days of appearances at various adult clubs and video/bookstores throughout Tampa Bay, and in the earlier days, even Orlando and Sarasota. There was also a big porn pool party at the Paul and Tracy Allen mansion the day before the awards show which we used to hold on a Monday evening. From the two stars at the first show, the list of stars grew from just to, at times, well over 30 porn stars invading Tampa for four or five days. We even had the entire group, in 1996, spend the day at a big tailgate party and then a Bucs – Packers game at the old Sombrero! That was some experience!
In all the years of our show we have held it at a number of different non adult venues like The Krush, Hammerjax, Club XS, Dallas Bull in Tampa, Twilight Club in Ybor, Bricktown 54 and Stormin’s Palace in Clearwater and other venues. In 2013 we held our show at an adult club, The Gold Club, for the first time and did so through 2015. This year we present our show at the new and much bigger Round Up Nightclub in Tampa and we are looking forward to it.
Since the inception of our awards show we have become the third oldest in the industry behind AVN and XRCO. We were the first awards show to allow fan voting and then on line voting. This year we had close to 400,000 votes cast on line. We are also proud of the fact that many big stars received their very first award in the industry at our show. The list reads like a who’s who of porn but here are just a few of the names, Jenna Jameson, Tera Patrick, Bree Olsen, Jesse Jane, Chanel Preston, Annika Albrite, Carter Cruise and many more. Over the years we have continued to expand the national categories that began in 1995. We continuously try to keep up with the most popular genres and add new categories when we can. In these categories there is both the Fan vote and the Editor’s Choice. We are also very proud of the special awards we give like the First Choice, Triple Play and Behind the Scenes awards, plus the NightMoves Hall of Fame inductees and both a local and national Lifetime Achievment Award given. So with the local awards, national awards and special awards we have well over fifty presented at our show.
It is one of the reasons why so many of the stars want to be part of our awards show every year. It gives them a chance to meet their fans up close and personal at the club appearances and Fan Fest as well as the awards show, but it also gives them, as many have said, a working “vacation” in Florida for a few days. We are very grateful to all the various video companies and other adult businesses that have been a part of our show as sponsors, advertisers and participants over the years. Without them and the support of you, the fans, none of this would have been possible to do every year.
Now we are just a week away from the stars arriving in Tampa, It will be a very busy, fun four days with old and new friends. While we can’t wait to get this year’s show going, we are also looking ahead to next year when it will be our 25th Silver Anniversary Adult Awards show. I can tell you it will be a very special show that just might be the biggest we have ever done.
It is time for our 24th Annual NightMoves Adult Awards show weekend that kicks off Thursday Oct. 6 when the stars appear live in person at 4Play Gentlemen’s Lounge in St, Pete. Friday night they will be at Bare Assets in Holiday, Saturday from noon to 6 it is Fan Fest at the host hotel, the Bay Harbor Hotel on the Courtney Campbell Causeway, admission is just $10. That evening all the stars will be at Thee Dollhouse in Tampa. On Sunday it all wraps up with our big formal awards show at The Round Up Nightclub in Tampa. The doors open at 7 and the show starts at 8 p.m. That will be followed by an After Party at Thee Dollhouse until 2 a.m. You can get tickets for the awards show for only $24 by going to www.eventbrite.com Tickets the day of the show at the door will be $30, so get yours in advance now. We look forward to having you join us as we celebrate #24 with a great night of stars, awards and live stage performances you won’t want to miss.
Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
