Page 61 - AVN March 2018

new studio Pure Taboo dominates, Kevin Moore announces August Project
IT TURNS OUT ANGELA WHITE HANDLES THE AVN AWARDS
SHOW STAGE JUST AS WELL AS SHE NAVIGATES ADULT
MOVIE SETS.
In one of her many trips to the microphone during
the January 27 awards show, the Australian star
delivered a heartfelt acceptance speech after winning
2018 AVN Female Performer of the Year.
“I just want to say that like a lot of you here tonight
I traveled a long way to be here and the way that
I’ve been welcomed into the U.S. industry has been
incredible and at times overwhelming,” White told the
sold-out crowd at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino.
“Thank you so much for all of the love that you’ve
given me. It really means a lot to me.”
White and her studio AGW Entertainment
combined to win a total of 14 AVN Awards, four of
which were voted on by the fans in a record-setting
haul for the pride of Sydney, Australia.
She led the way on a historic occasion for adult
entertainment, teaming with live cam superstar Harli
Lotts and raunchy comedian Aries Spears to co-host
the 35th annual ceremony, presented by MyFreeCams,
that featured two electrifying performances by
Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne and for the first
time was live streamed for tens of thousands of fans
around the world on AVN.com.
Dozens of adult entertainment luminaries stepped
into the spotlight on the groundbreaking evening
that saw emotions running high. The entire cast and
crew of Half His Age: A Teenage Tragedy commanded
the room twice as winners of Best Drama and Movie
of the Year, notable feats considering the delightfully
demented feature co-directed by Bree Mills and
Craven Moorehead was the first from Mills’ Pure
Taboo studio that launched in 2017.
But what sent chills through the audience had
little to do with the gold statuettes that were being
presented and everything to do with an unexpected
moment in the second half of the show.
When Greg Lansky became only the second man
to ever win Director of the Year - Body of Work three
consecutive times, he invited his friend and fellow
director, Kevin Moore, to join him on stage, stepping
aside to allow Moore to speak instead of making an
acceptance speech.
Moore lost his wife August Ames to suicide on
December 5, sparking a national conversation about
the harmful effects of cyber-bullying.
In the final days of her life the 23-year-old Ames,
who was nominated for 2018 Female Performer of
the Year, was at the center of controversy within the
industry because of a tweet she sent out saying she
had canceled a booking because she found out her
scene partner had previously performed in gay scenes.
Her stance led to a backlash on Twitter critical of her
decision and also what Ames said in response to the
negativity she received.
In an effort to honor Ames’ legacy and prevent
other such tragedies, Moore vowed to take action in
a moving, powerful speech especially aimed at the
performers in the audience.
“You deserve to be treated like gold because
without you there is no industry,” Moore said.
“This only exists because of you guys. That means
respecting your choices. That means who you work
with is up to you. It’s your body. It’s your choice. No
agent, no producer, no company and certainly not
social media decides what you do with your body.
“And for those who don’t treat the performers with
respect, you’re part of the problem. To the female
performers I want to say thank you—for everything
that you do, for everything that you’ve endured and
for everything that you are. Because it really doesn’t
get said. In the coming months I’m going to be
launching the August Project in memory of my wife,
which will be a support system tailored for performers
in this industry. It will be a resource so that if any
of you find yourselves on the edge of a cliff, help is a
phone call away.
“Always remember August Ames, Yurizan Beltran,
Olivia Nova and Olivia Lua. Never let this industry
forget them. This is your night. This is their night,
too.”
By the time Moore walked away from the mic many
who felt the weight of his words were wiping their
eyes.
Backstage, Lansky and Moore stood side by side
once again and Lansky—who along with his studios,
Blacked and Vixen, accounted for eight AVN Awards—
didn’t want to talk about his accolades.
“What I really want to talk about is Kevin is
launching the August Project and that’s the most
important thing people need to remember about
tonight,” Lansky said.
Moore, who was wearing a black “Never Forget”
August Ames T-shirt underneath his jacket that he
had given out free during the AVN Show, said his
endeavor is in the same spirit as the Trevor Project,
whose mission is to end suicide among the LBGTQ
community.
“It’s huge and one of the women helping me used
to work for that [organization],” Moore explained.
“It’s a suicide prevention line. But what we want to
do is to make one that’s tailored to the women. The
performers. Because part of the problem is shame. …
We need to get past that shame so performers have
a hotline they can call and be like, ‘You know what, I
want to kill myself right now.’ And they can be talked
off that ledge by someone who instead of judging
them based on their work, looks at them as just a
person now.”
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