AMSTERDAM — Stiletto heels clicked and clacked down Danzigerkade in tandem with the pearls taking swan dives into plunging necklines, as decked-out celebrants laughed with glee, clapping industry compatriots on the back. All the while, camera flashes cast sultry silhouettes across the red carpet, capturing every curve, chiseled jaw and million-dollar smile.
It was time for adult’s biggest night in Europe: the XBIZ Europa Awards.
Against the starlit backdrop of Dutch architecture threaded with rippling canals, the glassy Theater Amsterdam sparkled with the reflections of lined-up superstars, fantasy-made-flesh creators and luminary execs. Dressed to the nines, the jovial masses cavorted excitedly, thrilled to share such a special evening with equally special company.
Amid a heady cocktail of buzzed bantering, the theatrical foreplay in the theater foyer soon mixed and mingled its way into the grand Theaterzaal with its sweeping megascreen, where ambient music built until attendees settled into their seats. Then a voice crackled from above, the lights dimmed and a hush fell upon the audience.
Sashaying her way to the stage in a flowing pink princess gown came Tiffany Tatum, accompanied by co-host Christian Clay looking James Bond dapper in his dark navy bowtie and suit.
The pair shook off their faux stage fright amid flirtatious remarks, playfully commenting on how attractive everyone in the crowd looked and how thrilled they were to be hosting the awards ceremony, before calling up the first presenters of the evening.
Dazzling in a black power suit, Ella Hughes accompanied an equally elegant Danny D to the stage to present the award for Best Glamcore Sex Scene to Catherine Knight, Matthew Meier and Renato for their performance in “Thr3e 2” from Dorcel.
Decked out in an earthy silky dress that flared out behind her, the victorious Knight and her white-jacketed co-star Meier basked in the raucous applause, before Meier spoke on their behalf.
“I would like to thank Catherine for her amazing skills,” he enthused. “I would like to thank Renato for his professionalism. Guys, we are here to make masterpieces!”
Hughes and D also revealed the winners for Best All-Girl Sex Scene: Clemence Audiard, Kelly Collins, Lia Lin and Rikako Katayama for their work in “A Shadow in the Room” from Hentaied.
Collins, in silky white garb, exclaimed, “Thank you so much!” while a visibly emotional Audiard, in shimmering purple, clasped her chest.
“This was so amazing to shoot, oh my God, wow!” she exclaimed, expressing appreciation for director and crew before turning to co-star Collins and sealing their victory with a kiss.
Quincy then waltzed into the spotlight, stunning in a semitransparent starlit dress, to present the award for Powered Sex Toy of the Year, which went to Womanizer Next. Accepting the award with a triumphant hop to their step, WOW Tech Group’s executive Kate Hodgson-Egan offered, “Thank you, everybody who made this possible tonight. We’re the original!”
Garbed in a fashionable dark suit and bright tie, a mischievously gleeful Dan Leal was up next, joined by Josephine Jackson in a strapless green gown, to crown PayBig as Paysite Company of the Year.
Brimming with gratitude, PayBig honcho Roald declared, “Wow, what an honor! What an incredible trophy. I would like to thank everybody who has been working with us, and we’re here to celebrate all night long. Have fun!”
The next award, Creator Platform Company of the Year, went to FanCentro. Chief Sales Officer Nicholas and Influence Acquisition Manager Laurel accepted the trophy, both in sharp black outfits.
“What a great honor,” Nicholas declared, expressing gratitude to the platform’s creators and everyone who voted, before raising the trophy in salute “to the greatest team in the industry.”
After a scintillating promo from the evening’s presenting sponsor, F2F, enticing creators to hop aboard and catch the fast-moving platform’s momentum, the fiercely dominant Sabien DeMonia, in a gilded dress, resumed the proceedings by presenting the trophy for Innovative Sex Toy of the Year to Love Birds 2 from Satisfyer.
A Satisfyer rep accepted the accolade with an impassioned “Thank you for this amazing award!” before saluting the team members who made such a win possible for the brand, which she noted now carries over 300 products.
The award for Distributor of the Year followed, with Tonga seizing the title. Addressing the crowd, the company’s reps dedicated the trophy to company founder Joop, who passed away in recent months.
An incandescent Angelika Grays and entrepreneurial maven Mariska then glided onto the stage, festooned in sparkling dresses, to present the Glamcore Movie of the Year trophy to “Club VXN 13” from Vixen. Sauntering up in a sea-green dress, director Julia Grandi giddily proclaimed, “This goes to all the performers, because without you, I couldn’t make these movies. Thank you very much, I love you all!”
Now near the halfway mark of the awards program, fetishista Goddess Lilith took the stage in an alluringly lacy lingerie outfit that glinted beneath the stage lights, and crowned Hentaied as Paysite of the Year. Founder and creative force behind the brand Romero and his crew confidently ascended the steps.
Taking the mic with a beaming smile, Romero said, “I would like to thank all my team. Without them, I would not be able to do this. Thanks to all the haters and all the supporters, my friends. Cheers!”
Next, Lilith presented the award for Creator Platform of the Year to F2F.com, and an elegant-in-black Naomi and her coterie graced the stage to offer their thanks.
“F2F exists because of my amazing team, and we have our developers here tonight too, who are enjoying a night out. Of course, I would also like to thank our creator community!” enthused Naomi.
A splashy Dorcel promo then sizzled across the screen, offering plenty of eye-catching glamcore footage, followed by another from BongaCams, colorfully and energetically beckoning streamers to explore the many perks of camming.
Masters of ceremonies Clay and Tatum returned to the stage with a sprightly step, to cheers from the crowd.
“Hi, everyone. We’re back!” Clay said. “And we promise not to be so nervous this time.”
Appearing bashful, Tatum added, “We also promise not to spend so much time telling everyone how hot they are.”
The co-hosts pointed out a few of their favorite best-dressed attendees in the crowd, eliciting laughter aplenty, before bringing up the next presenters.
Drawing many an admiring glance, the fairy princess-like Misha Cross and a revealingly draped and braided Amirah Adara were aglitter as they opened the envelope for Best Gonzo Sex Scene, revealing Eve Sweet and Troy Francisco as the winners for their performance in “Sweet and Petite Eve Takes BBC All Night Long” from Blacked.
Adorned in a fierce leopard-spotted dress, Sweet celebrated her big moment before her raucous peers, taking the mic to say, “This first of all goes to Julia Grandi. And secondly, this goes to my divorce!” At this she raised the trophy as the audience voiced their support.
A smartly-dressed Francisco added, “Thank you to the team and thank you, Julia. I couldn’t be here without you guys.”
Next up was the award for Best Sex Scene in a feature movie, with the trophy going to Agatha Vega, Hollywood Cash and Jack Rippher for their performance in “Hotel Vixen, Season 2” from Vixen Media Group. Bedecked in a spicy red dress with fierce angles that accentuated her form, Vega was joined onstage by a bow-tied Cash in a genteel white jacket.
Vega remarked, “Thank you to Julia for giving us this opportunity to make this great scene with such handsome guys. I hope those of you who watched really liked this scene!”
Cash then leaned forward and added, “I want to say thank you to Julia, thank you so much for this opportunity. I want to say thank you to the whole Vixen team. And Mike Moz for sending me to Europe and believing in me. And to OC Modeling for believing in me. Thank you!”
Next, Kelly Collins returned to the stage, this time as a presenter, to reveal the winners for Male Streamers of the Year: Callum and Cole.
Impish in casual gear, Callum exclaimed, “I just want to thank everyone who voted for us, and my amazing boyfriend with whom I make content.”
For his part, Cole exhorted the audience, “Let’s have a good night! Let’s go!”
The Female Streamer of the Year award followed, with the title going to Hotbella. Sleek in a bust-revealing black dress, she exclaimed, “Thank you to everyone who voted, and thanks to my management team. Without you, this wouldn’t be possible!”
Collins then bestowed the title of Cam Site of the Year on BongaCams. The site’s delighted reps converged on the stage en masse, led by Julia.
“Cheers to everyone who voted for us,” she said. “And cheers to everyone, because we’re here celebrating the best fucking industry!”
Knight also returned to the stage, to present the Best Acting trophy to Nikita Bellucci for her performance in “Beyond the Frame” from Bellucci/Dekan. Arrayed in a midriff-displaying silky shirt and white pants combo, the luminous thespian delivered her acceptance speech entirely in French, offering thanks and appreciation to her team and co-stars.
The much-coveted Director of the Year award was next, going for an unprecedented fifth time to Julia Grandi, who regally strutted forward amid a jubilant wave of applause from the crowd.
“To win this for a fifth time in a row… it’s a different feeling,” she shared. “I would like to thank my incredible team for their talent. Without you, I could not make it.”
In her wake came the next presenter, pretty-in-pink Evie Rees, to proclaim Johnny Bravo as Male Clip Artist of the Year. Draped in a light plaid jacket and tie, the gallant creator offered, “Thank you very much for the award. It’s my first year in this industry, so this is incredible!”
Taking the crown for Female Clip Artist of the Year was Octokuro, gussied up in a shimmery gown.
“Wow, just wow!” she said with elation, as the crowd lent vociferous support. “I must give thanks to my full team, the people who watched my videos and to my friends in the industry. Thank you so much!”
A second F2F promo then captured imaginations, promising success and creative contentment to those who embark on newfound content journeys with the brand. When it concluded, Kazumi took the stage in a tigress-like dress, accompanied by fellow presenter Maximo Garcia, his muscular build resplendent in form-fitting black.
As the pair called out Sepanta Arya as Male Premium Social Media of the Year, he ebulliently charged forth, hulking in his silk shirt.
“Thank you, everyone who voted. I did not expect this," he said. "Very happy! The F2F family, thank you! You are amazing. Watch out for F2F!”
This was followed by the Female Premium Social Media of the Year category, for which MDEMMA was named the winner.
Beguiling in a tight black dress, she declared, “This is my dream come true. I just want to say, thank you all!”
The next presenter, Vanna Bardot, thrilled onlookers with her classy dark-green gown as she presented the award for Feature Movie of the Year to Digital Playground’s “Evermore.”
Danny D and crew celebrated their victory, with the maestro offering, “This is our first feature movie win. I’ll keep it short, but thanks to my crew and to the two Sams.” At this, he glanced at one of the Sams, namely co-star Bourne. “Have a good night!”
Best New Performer honors went to Ashby Winter, looking every bit the blonde femme fatale in a black slitted dress. Taking up her mantle of glory, she offered simply, “Thank you, and I love you!”
To present the final three awards of the night, acclaimed performers Anissa Kate and Clara Mia strolled onstage, a contrast in their black and light dresses. They first announced Sir Peter as winner of the Gay Performer of the Year award. A royally-attired proxy thanked everyone on behalf of the winner.
“I’m one of his best friends and also one of his biggest fans, so thank you to everyone who voted!” Peter’s emissary said.
Male Performer of the Year was up next, garnering much applause for Christian Clay as he reclaimed the crown. Humble and abashed, he offered, “Guys… you make me shy like this. Twice, wow. That’s really nice. Thank you so much, everybody!”
An expectant silence then fell upon the auditorium as Kate and Mia announced the climactic Female Performer of the Year category. The grand reveal of Agatha Vega as the winner triggered explosive applause.
Holding court her scarlet regalia, Vega enthused, “Thank you to all my fans, thank you to all my people who performed with me. Thank you to all the productions, for the opportunities!”
Making their final appearance for the evening, hosts Tatum and Clay materialized anew from the wings.
“Wow, what an incredible show!” Tatum marveled. “I can’t decide which Faspeech was my favorite.”
“How about this one?” offered Clay. “Thank you to the entire European community for coming together in lovely Amsterdam to show your support for one another. We are an amazing community of passionate artists and innovators, and we couldn’t be more proud to stand here before you.”
Tatum chimed in, “And I’d like to thank you all for making our first time hosting so incredibly amazing!”
“It was fun, wasn’t it?” bantered Clay.
“It was a blast and I’ll cherish tonight forever,” Tatum concurred, beaming.
Then, as one, they adjourned the evening’s festive proceedings with an upbeat “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you and good night!”
