All Adult Network | Reflections of the NightMoves Adult Awards Show History

It really doesn’t seem like our 31st Annual NightMoves Adult Awards show is almost here, but in less than a month 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 thirty five years on many fronts. Now we are ready to give Tampa Bay another exciting weekend of adult fun with our 31^st Annual NightMoves Adult Awards Show and Dancer Invitational.

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 Stinger’s on Dale Mabry in Tampa 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 show and its success Paul decided to change a couple of things. One was the name of the show which would now the NightMoves Adult Awards Show, which became nationally known as “the Tampa Show”.

The second change was from that first one night event, the show would expand 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 were included. There was also a big porn pool party at Paul and Tracy’s home the day before the awards show which used to be held on a Monday evening for several years. From the two stars at the first show, the list of stars grew with as many as 30 or more 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 a Bucs – Packers game at the old Sombrero! That was some experience!

In the first ten years of our show we 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 locales. In 2013 we held our show at an adult club, The Gold Club, for the first time and did so through 2015 and again in 2017-2018. With one exception, the 2022 show was held at Mojitas in Tampa, we have held it at an adult venue every year since. This year we present our show at the fabulous TNA Club on Gandy Blvd next to Derby Lane and it will be a tremendous venue that everyone will enjoy.

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. 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 not just the local categories, but the national categories that we began in 1995. We continuously try to keep up with the most popular genres and add new categories when we can. We are very proud of the special awards we present like the First Choice and Triple Play awards, the NightMoves Hall of Fame inductees and both a local and national Lifetime Achievement Award.

It is one of the reasons why so many of the stars want to be part of our 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.

Yet, with all that and the accolades our show has gotten, one of things we are extremely proud of is that during the Coronavirus pandemic the NightMoves Adult Awards show was the only show in the entire adult industry to be presented live with an audience. It was held at Thee Manor in Clearwater and not viral on the internet. We took all the precautions that were necessary and had an incredible live show that everyone was thrilled to be part of and we had no problems healthwise.

Now we are just one week away from the stars arriving in Tampa for this year’s big show weekend. It will be a very busy, fun four days with old and new friends. We can’t wait to get this year’s show going and can promise you that between the club appearances, Fan Fest and the award show and the Dancer Invitational it is going to be a very special evening with some surprises. It will be a time you do not want to miss being part of, so make your plans now. Check this out.