AVN Expo 2017 (Part 3)
2017 AVN Expo Part III
For the third consecutive year, I returned to Las Vegas to cover the AVN Adult Industry Expo & for the second time I would be attending
the AVN Awards ceremony that caps off the industries biggest weekend, often referred to as the “Oscars of Porn”.
(Check out Parts 1 here & 2 here)
For me personally however its the 4 day AVN Expo leading up to the big night that is the most fun.
A hotbed of networking activity, but also a super fun & often times surreal environment & the best of those terms possible.
It’s also a barometer for who’s hot, rising or still on top in a world where branding is everything and being the next big thing means both career leverage and more lucrative contract offers.
Social interaction is what the Expo is all about though, and respectful requests for photos are rarely denied. Mindful behavior is expected at the parties as well, albeit in a looser nighttime atmosphere.
So what I hoped to accomplish in this final installment on the 2017 AEE Expo is simply what it looked like & for those that couldn’t or have never attended what they can expect & just an overall look at what the conference felt like this year.
We include the Girls of the Expo, Crossover Stars, Legends, After-Parties & much more.
Girls of the Expo
Just walking around you can get dizzy & nearly lost, though your in a small space from the intoxication of so much carnal activity.
Nearly every star working, or who wants to keep working & studio is represented in various exhibits on the show floors.
Rebel Lynn
Rebel was someone that I wasn’t familiar with prior to this year’s expo but someone I will remember most as she was such the genuine article.
Much is said about separation of performance & legitimacy. Spend 5 mins in her presence & you will be convinced in no uncertain terms this girl loves what she does & is a total star. One of the hottest & most performers we met all weekend.
Big things coming her way.
Cameron Canela (left)
who was Pornhub‘s Amateur of the Year in 2016
Nikki Knightly & Shavelle Love (left)
& Eliza Jane & friend (right)
Now to be clear to those that have never been to the AEE Expo – To observe certain local & national laws & to keep things from getting completely out of hand & to maintain something of a still business atmosphere, nudity (including being topless for females) is strictly forbidden & for the most part in past years it’s a rule that’s always been adhered to.
However, this year, flirting with that law was IN as everywhere I turned it was simply pasties to other cases of of straight up topless to even more extreme of being full on nude, to other acts you won’t find at any other trade show in the wolrds.
It was WILD this year!
Riley Steele
Lily Adams (left)
& The Girls of 360 Modeling
Alisha Fires always gets the party started at the Clips4Sale footprint – One of the most fun & fearless performers you will ever meet.
Ok so if that wasn’t crazy enough, I turn the corner & see newcomer Avi Love trying out a Sybian (google it) which isn’t entirely unusual (& normally the sybian ride is at the above mentioned Clips4Sale footprint & done with the device covered in saran wrap & the rider fully clothed) but in this case what else was different is that Avi gave zero fucks and took her ride bareback while being totally naked.
Either as a newcomer she was unaware of the rules/laws or mischievously breaking them on purpose, regardless the outcome was Avi creating one of the most fun & delightfully unpredictable atmospheres everywhere she went.
In turn, she created what you actually want from a show like this, with wild abandon, if only in short bursts to get the party going.
Miss Cleio & friend (left)
& Syren De Merr (right)
Kimberly Chi (left)
& the girls of Sex.Sex
Charlotte Sartre (right)
Charlotte just might be my favorite performer I met all week. While we were introduced by mutual friends outside of the industry, I still got the impression that she treats most people with the same warmth & kindness she showed me. This was also her first time at AVN & the contrast of her onscreen persona as one of the dirtiest girls in porn to in person as a quiet but still a hugger, genuinely nice girl was irresistable.
This is how you do it.
Kendra is one of my favorite performers to speak with as each year, she just gets better & better. This is both our third year so it’s fun to see how we both adapt more & more to the industry & Kendra just only keeps getting better (& somehow hotter).
Avery Adair (left)
& Kim Gold (right)
Crossover Stars
While Blair Williams maybe primarily known for her career in the adult industry I list her as a Crossover star because she literally has it all.
The words “A Star Is Born” have never rang truer after she won the adult reality competition The Sex Factor last year.
While only less than 2 years in the biz, Blair has never seemed like an amateur & is already in that elite class that will most certainly go on to mainstream films & other high profile opportunities.
Kendra Sunderland
Forever known as the Library Girl & like Blair, some people are just born stars & Kendra is a just a Force of Nature from Day 1.
Aurora Snow (left)
& Evan Stone (right)
If it’s fair to say that everyone that is interested in consuming pornography, there is a special connection to the performers they say first.
For me that is these two legends right here.
Not only is Aurora Snow the first performer I really gravitated towards but IMO the best to ever do it. To this day I’ve never seen a more genuine performer & when they talk about academia & sophistication in porn stars it’s usually Sasha Grey & Nina Hartley & while that’s deserved,
Miss Snow is one of the smartest, articulate & gifted writers of any genre, dazzling with her recent work for The Daily Beast.
And what more can be said about Renaissance Wild Man Evan Stone is always a blast to hang with.
Sunny Lane
Another legend of the industry I always wanted to meet because their genuinity & spirit matched their attractiveness & drive for the business
is Sunny Lane. You remember here first from the HBO series Cathouse but Sunny has come so far & still a major force in the industry developing her own brand & always with the friendliest of smiles.
She was such a blast to spend time (that’s me with her on the right) with – We met through a mutual friend & just go on like gangbusters which isn’t hard to do when your as awesome as Sunny. She’s hosting Nudes-A-Poppin this Summer & stay tuned as we might just be making our first foray out there, if not for nothing just to hang with Sunny again ?
Sunny leading a panel featuring other legends of the industry.
Seeing pro wrestlers at AVN is actually not anything new, but still for me as a life-long wrestling fan still a novelty.
One thing that was unique was seeing a wrestler setup shop as a vendor. Sure you might run into Rob Van Dam at a party or pass a few others in the elevator, but to straight up advertise & sell merch was kinda odd, but Rikishi is also a dude that once tried to sell me a selfie for $20 after he was manning the snack bar at a gym he owns.
Another pro wrestler I see every year is Dolph Ziggler (usually at the White Party) He & I are both diehard Motley Crue fans (& seen here in his best Shout of the Devil attire) so it’s always fun to run into him.
Dolph Ziggler & Teagan (left)
& Celebrity Adult Industry Podcaster Mr. Skin
The Joint hosts special entertainment by “X” Rocks Dance Revue and “X” Burlesque each day
On January 19th I participated in a very unique event of The O Awards hosted by Sunny Megatron.
The O Awards, a perfect name for an awards dinner that recognizes excellence in the field of sex toys & marital aids.
Sunny Megatron (left)
& Roy Turner (right)
Parties –
One of the highlights each year (& that of of any convention) of course is the after party & at AVN there are so many (public & private) to attend hosted usually by an all-star lineup of performers.
Things kicked off Wednesday night with an AVN Party at Vanity Night Club
Thursday night took a turn for debauchery at the Saints & Sinners party inside the Hard Rock’s Culinary Dropout.
Hands down the start of the night (& for that matter of the entire convention) was Natalia Starr.
She KILLED everywhere she went, with new exciting looks each day & then saved her most daring for the party as she made a grand entrance & a gorgeous dress that could only be described as “barely there” & most of the time it “barely wasn’t”.
This was a WILD & super fun party.
and on Friday Tori Black hosted the official Expo after party at Mandalay Bay’s Foundation Room
while the 5th annual Latata White Party was going down at Vanity.
After the AVN Awards I ended the night (& the expo & awards experience) as I’ve done the previous two years with my friends in the
Burning Angel crew. This year, they were actually performing & Draven, Amber Ivy & lead girl Joanna Angel put on a great show over the Hustler Club.
Good times & until next year – Hope you’ve enjoyed the coverage as much as I enjoyed compiling it ?
Photos –
Roy Turner
Fleshbot
Morbid Thoughts
Nate Igor Smith
