LOS ANGELES, CA – (NOVEMBER 30, 2015) – The 2016 AVN Awards Nominations were announced at Hollywood’s venerable Avalon Nightclub during a special industry-only soiree Thursday evening, November 19, 2015. Over the course of the night, industry powerhouse Wicked Pictures and the lines it distributes were honored with 133 major nominations, with over one hundred going to the work of iconic contract stars and directors Stormy Daniels, jessica drake, Asa Akira, Axel Braun, Brad Armstrong and Jonathan Morgan.

In addition to acknowledging the excellence of Wicked’s feature productions, Adult Video News awarded nominations to such company lines as Wicked Comix, Wicked Fairy Tales,  jessica drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex and Wicked Passions. Many foreign-themed nominations went to the productions distributed by Wicked on behalf of such international studios as Marc Dorcel, JoyBear Pictures and abbywinters.com. The 2016 nominations also recognized Wicked’s formidable web presence and the ongoing success of the Wicked Sensual Care line of luxurious lubricants and enhancers.

Parody master Axel Braun received fifty nominations which spoke to the diversity of his work in the genre over the last twelve months. His Wicked Comix line earned a Best New Imprint nomination, while the line’s maiden release, Barbarella XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, received such coveted noms as Best Actress (Riley Steele) and Best Girl / Girl Scene (Steele & Asa Akira). His follow-up, Batman v Superman XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, received thirteen top honors, including noms for Best Actor (Giovanni Francesco), Best Supporting Actress (Kleio Valentien), Best Supporting Actor (Brendon Miller), Best Screenplay and Best Parody. Braun’s blockbuster Wicked Fairy Tales epic Peter Pan XXX: An Axel Braun Parody earned fifteen nominations, including a much-deserved Best Actor nomination for Ryan Ryder, Best Actress (Keira Nicole) Best Supporting Actor (Steven St. Croix, Jay Crew), Best Parody and Best Director – Parody.

His all-sex releases also attracted major nominations, including Best Anthology for Axel Braun’s Inked, Best Milf Movie for Axel Braun’s Trashy MILFs, Best T/A Movie for Axel Braun’s Tits Galore, and Best Specialty Movie – Other Genre for Axel Braun’s Squirt Class. Fittingly, Braun also received a Director of the Year – Body of Work nomination.

Veteran contract director, writer and performer Stormy Daniels’ epic Adam & Eve co-production Wanted led the way for the company’s in-house original productions, earning eleven major nominations. The saga’s fine performances, taut direction and outstanding production values were recognized with nominations for Best Drama, Best Director – Feature, Best Actress (Daniels), Best Supporting Actress (Amber Rayne), Best Supporting Actor (Eric Masterson), Best Marketing Campaign – Individual Project, Best Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Soundtrack, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.

Ms. Daniels’ other triumphs included Best Comedy nominations for both Dirty Deeds and Pretty Dangerous,  Best Actress (Carter Cruise) and Best Actor (Chad White) nods for her Wicked Passions romance Waiting on Love, and best All Girl release for the first lesbian-themed Wicked Passions release, Girlfriends. As befits a filmmaker whose work earned twenty high-profile nods in total, Stormy was nominated for Director of the Year – Body of Work.

A veteran AVN award winner who’s been creating Wicked blockbusters for nearly two decades, consummate director, writer and performer Brad Armstrong’s many 2016 nominations recognized the excellence of his contributions to both the parody and feature genres. His intense Hollywood drama Starmaker was nominated in nearly a dozen categories, including Best Drama, Best Director – Feature, Best Screenplay and four major acting nominations – Best Actress (Asa Akira), Best Supporting Actress (jessica drake), and Best Supporting Actor nods for both Armstrong and Kurt Lockwood.

The director’s Magic Mike XXXL: A Hardcore Parody earned Derrick Pierce a Best Actor nod for his fine work in the title role, while Ryan McLane’s memorable portrayal of Dallas was recognized with a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Other noms included Best Parody, Best Screenplay – Parody, and Best Director – Parody.

In other highlights, Armstrong’s stylish all-sex production Sinner’s Ball received recognition in the newly-created Best Polyamory Movie category, and his sexy ensemble piece Massage School Dropouts earned a Best All Girl Group scene nomination for stars jessica drake, Lezley Zen, Remy LaCroix,Katrina Jade and Vicki Chase. The consistently high-quality of his output was duly rewarded with an overall nomination for Director of the Year – Body of Work.

Writer-director-producer-host jessica drake’s innovative instructional release jessica drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: BDSM For Beginners was honored with a Best BDSM Movie nomination. The adult superstar and sexual wellness authority also received a nomination for Mainstream Star of the Year, thanks in large part to the international media attention she brings to sex education

Veteran filmmaker Jonathan Morgan’s stylish Asa Akira: Wicked Fuck Dollearned nearly a half dozen major nominations, including Best Star Showcase, Best Director – Non-Feature, and several sex scene mentions for Ms. Akira, including Best Solo / Tease Performance, Best Double Penetration Sex Scene and Best Oral Sex Scene.

The versatile director also earned Best Comedy nominations for Roomies and Sexaholics, as well as a Best Screenplay nod for Roomies’ witty and accomplished script.

Filmmaker Scott Allen, the editor of many of Brad Armstrong’s biggest hits, earned six nominations with his acclaimed couples drama Love, Lust & Longing, including Best Drama and Best Director – Feature.

Other lines distributed by the company, including Marc Dorcel, abbywinters.com and JoyBear Pictures, all received major nominations (please see list below), while the continued success of Wicked Sensual Care, the acclaimed creator of luxurious, cruelty-free and PETA-certified intimate products, was recognized in both the Best Lubricant Manufacturer and Best Enhancement Manufacturer categories.

For his part, Wicked President and Owner Steve Orenstein couldn’t be more pleased with the 2016 AVN nominations. “There is so much to be thankful for in these extensive and diverse nominations. Between Wicked Pictures, Dorcel, abbywinters.com and Joybear Pictures, we have nominations in over fifty categories. For Wicked we have twenty seven movies nominated, twenty one of which were created by our exclusive directors Brad Armstrong, Stormy Daniels, Axel Braun, jessica drake and Jonathan Morgan. And on the performing side, jessica, stormy, Asa and Brad brought many acting and sex scene nominations to the table. We appreciate all of their hard work, as well as the contributions from all the non-exclusive directors and performers who help us make movies we can be proud to release. We are grateful to AVN for recognizing and celebrating the consistently high caliber of their work.”

Wicked Pictures congratulates its talented performers, filmmakers, distribution partners and staff for their 2016 AVN nominations. For a complete list of nominations, see below. To learn more about Wicked Pictures,  please visit www.wicked.com.

###