Page 38 - AVN March 2018

FEATURE | GAYVN AWARDS
FEATURE | By Brady Jansen
Some 30 minutes after giving an
impassioned speech about embracing
diversity in the industry, Sean Zevran
stood on stage again—this time nearly
speechless, searching for words after
being named Performer of the Year at
the 2018 GayVN Awards, sponsored by Cam4,
IWantEmpire.com and Pornhub.
“This is heavy,” he said, the weight of the
award and the moment coming over him as the
crowd erupted in cheers. “I don’t know what
to say now. I don’t have words on the screen.
There’s a lot of people I would like to thank and
I’m sure I will forget many … Randy Blue, that’s
where I started my career; then I went to Falcon
Studios Group, Raging Stallion, Hot House,
I would like to thank all of you. I’m now at
CockyBoys, and it’s been a wonderful experience
so far. I wish I had a better speech, but I didn’t
have time to prepare this like the other one!”
That was just one of many highlights from
the epic night inside The Joint at the Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino as the GayVN Awards made a
triumphant return after an eight-year hiatus.
Attended by the industry’s leading performers
and companies, the January 21 event was hosted
by entertainer D.J. “Shangela” Pierce, best
known as a three-time contestant on the smash
reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“This is Las Vegas, where anything goes
… and everyone hoes. Have fun. We are here
tonight to honor and celebrate you—those who
have excelled in the adult industry through
your hard work and hard-ons. I must say I
love this community so much—the gay adult
film community,” said the hostess, who struck
the perfect balance of showmanship, humor
and sincerity. “We are connected, drag queens
and porn stars. We both come from a walk of
life that mainstream society doesn’t always
38 | AVN.com | 3.18
CELEBRATING CULTURE
Inside The Joint, giant red letters spelled out the name of the awards show; outside the hall, adult stars posed on their way to the GayVN Awards red carpet.
Photos by Rick Garcia/@IndustryByRick