LOS ANGELES, CA – (NOVEMBER 24, 2014) – The 2015 AVN Awards Nominations were announced at a special industry-only soiree Thursday evening, November 20, 2014 at Hollywood’s Lure Nightclub. Over the course of the evening, industry powerhouse Wicked Pictures and the lines it distributes were honored with over 140 nominations. In a company first, three of the company’s exclusive contract directors – Brad Armstrong, Stormy Daniels and Axel Braun – received Director of the Year nominations in recognition of the high quality of their output.
In addition to acknowledging the excellence of Wicked’s feature productions, Adult Video News awarded nominations to such company lines as jessica drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex, Wicked Fairy Tales 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 2015 nominations also recognized Wicked’s formidable web presence and the ongoing success of the Wicked Sensual Care line of luxurious lubricants and enhancers.
Veteran blockbuster creator Brad Armstrong‘s epic tale of forbidden love Aftermath snared nominations in virtually every feature category, including Best Actress (Wicked Girl jessica drake), Best Actor (Tyler Nixon), Best Director – Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Editing (Scott Allen) and Best Drama. Armstrong’s dramatic four-hour saga Holly…Would also dominated the feature categories, earning such high profile noms as Best Actress (Asa Akira), Best Actor (Xander Corvus) and Best Drama.
Armstrong’s impact extended to other areas of the 2015 nominations season as well, with Cabana Cougar Club snaring Best MILF Release and Asa Akira‘s Wicked debut Asa Gets Wicked earning a place in the Best Star Showcase category. And White Witch, from Aftermath editor Scott Allen, earned Best Drama, Best Director (Allen) and Best Soundtrack nominations.
Veteran Wicked director Stormy Daniels enjoyed similar success, with her hit release Switch receiving nominations for Best Comedy, Best Director – Feature, Best Actor (Michael Vegas) and Best Screenplay. In other highlights, The Real Thing, a humorous adult feature in the patented Daniels tradition, was also acknowledged in the Best Comedy category, and her atmospheric Wicked Passions release Haunted Hearts earned Best Romance Movie and Best Boy-Girl Sex Scene nominations. Her enduring success as an iconic screen performer was also recognized with a Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty: An Axel Braun Parody.
And speaking of the latest filmmaker to join the Wicked Family, parody master Axel Braun received a wealth of attention that spoke to the diversity of his work in the genre over the last twelve months. His Wicked Fairy Tales line earned a Best New Series nomination, while the line’s maiden release, Snow White XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, received such coveted nominations as Best Parody and Best Director – Parody. Cinderella XXX: An Axel Braun Parody received over ten top honors, including noms for Best Actor (Seth Gamble), Best Actress (Samantha Saint), Best Supporting Actor (Will Powers), Best Supporting Actress (Veronica Avluv) and Best Parody. Braun’s hit spoof 24 XXX: An Axel Braun Parody earned a much-deserved Best Actor nomination for Kurt Lockwood in the role made famous by Kiefer Sutherland, and several more noms, including Best Supporting Actress (Claire Robbins) and Best Director – Parody. His all-sex release Riley Goes Gonzo earned several major nominations, including Best Star Showcase for ABP Contract star Riley Steele and Best Director – Non-Feature.
Veteran contract filmmaker Jonathan Morgan‘s flair for creating hit adult comedies earned him several high profile nominations, including Best Comedy, Best Screenplay and Best Actress (Brooklyn Chase) for Odd Jobs. Another humorous couples romp, The Masterpiece, earned Morgan a Best Director – Feature nomination in addition to another Best Comedy nom and a Best Girl/Girl Sex Scene nod for Kaylani Lei & Abigail Mac. Morgan’s jeweler’s eye for erotic detail was also acknowledged with a Best Interracial Release nomination going to his hit release Samantha Saint is Completely Wicked 2.
jessica drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex saw the titular writer, director and host earning several nominations. In addition to noms for Best Continuing Series and Best Marketing Campaign – Individual Project (for jessica drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: Plus Size), her mainstream media presence, philanthropic endeavors and commitment to social justice were honored with a Mainstream Star of the Year nomination.
The latest performer to join the Wicked family, industry superstar Asa Akira, earned a coveted Mainstream Star of the Year nomination as well, in addition to her well-deserved Best Actress nom for Holly…Would. She also earned several sex nominations for her contributions to such other high profile Wicked blockbusters as Aftermath and the Best Star Showcase-nominated Asa Gets Wicked.
Among the overseas lines distributed by Wicked, France’s Marc Dorcel received nearly thirty nominations, including Best Foreign Feature mentions for such titles as Prison, Lola The Virgin and Ballerina By Day, Escort By Night. abbywinters.com was honored with several nominations, including Best Amateur / Pro-Am Series (for the second year in a row ) for Girls and their Boys, while Britain’s JoyBear Pictures earned no less than three mentions in the Best Foreign release categories.
Looking at his company’s track record in outstanding achievements in production, performance, eroticism and design, Wicked Pictures President and Owner Steve Orenstein is justifiably pleased with his team’s performance. “Our five contract director / producers, Brad Armstrong, Axel Braun, Stormy Daniels, Jonathan Morgan and jessica drake were responsible for 21 out of our 27 nominated movies. As for the contract actresses, Stormy, jessica and Asa have brought many acting, sex, and marketing nominations to the company. I’m also proud to distribute other lines like Marc Dorcel, abbywinters.com, JoyBear Pictures and Axel Braun Productions, who together were recognized for nearly thirty more titles. Thanks to AVN and our team.”
Wicked Pictures congratulates its talented performers, filmmakers, distribution partners and staff for their 2015 AVN nominations. From sprawling epics to the most intimate of love stories, this forward-thinking studio continues to prove that it is built to last.
For more information, please visit www.wicked.com.