By Peter Berton
BURBANK, Calif. – Nominees for the sixth-annual Tranny Awards were announced earlier this week, and transsexual adult performers and their fans already are gearing up for the awards show, set to take place Feb. 16 at Beyond the Stars Palace in Glandale, Calif.
According to show coordinator Kristel Penn, the 2014 Tranny Awards will be the biggest event of its kind since the awards began in 2008.
Here’s what else she said.
YNOT.com: Organizing any awards show must require a ton of work.
Kristel Penn: It is a lot of work, but it’s gratifying to see everything come together in the end. If I’m lucky, I usually have about 10 seconds of downtime during the Awards where I can take a deep breath and enjoy myself.
This is your third year coordinating the Tranny Awards. How have they grown?
If it’s okay to look even farther back, I think it’s important to note how much the Tranny Awards have grown since its inception six years ago. Back then, the office was still based in Hawaii, and there was no actual show. Now that we’re in Los Angeles, however, it’s been easier to mold the Tranny Awards into what it’s become today.
For the past few years, the Tranny Awards were held at a local nightclub in L.A. The size was perfect for us at the time, but as the show expanded, we knew we’d need something bigger.
Our most notable improvement was when we moved to a proper theater in Glendale last year. It was the first time we were at a venue of that size, and I think it fits the scope of what we’d like the Tranny Awards to be: a formal awards show for the TS adult industry.
What’s new and different for this year?
I can’t give away too much, but we do have something cool with Stockroom scheduled during our halftime show this year. Everything is still in the early stages of planning, but I can tell you the creative minds at Stockroom really know how to put on a good show.
This year we’ll also be hosting a cocktail hour before the Tranny Awards, so we definitely recommend coming early. It’s a unique opportunity for fans to mingle with their favorite performers, and there will be a special drink menu that night.
What sort of response have the Tranny Awards generated?
I am always humbled by the amount of support we’ve received. It’s great to see so many people on board and rooting for the nominees. One thing I like is that we have a wide array of sponsors each year, and not all of them are directly related to the TS adult industry. Some sponsor simply because they want to support the industry, and I think that’s pretty neat.
I am hoping the Tranny Awards continue to gain momentum in the mainstream world. I want to see familiar and unfamiliar faces in the audience supporting our nominees.
Why do these awards matter?
Although mainstream recognition of the TS adult industry is growing slowly, we are still largely underrepresented in mainstream adult award shows. Usually, there’s only a category or two for the TS adult industry, but honestly that’s not enough. From top to bottom, we have so many talented, hardworking individuals in this industry, and they deserve a show that recognizes their accomplishments.
Every year we go to great lengths to put together a strong judges panel. We make sure our judges are part of the industry and that they’re familiar with the body of work from our nominees.
When someone wins a Tranny Award, they deserve it. Judges don’t randomly pick names out of a hat. They do extensive research for the categories, because they understand these awards are more than paperweights. When someone wins, I feel like it means a lot to both sides.
I’m proud to be a part of this event, and I’m always looking for ways to grow in the years to come. At heart, however, the purpose of the Tranny Awards has always been to offer recognition to people in our industry and, more importantly, to celebrate those accomplishments together.
What kind of experience can attendees expect at the 2014 show?
We’ll have a red-carpet media-wall area, and guests can expect a traditional award show format like last year. As I mentioned earlier, we have something fun planned during our halftime show thanks to Stockroom, and we may have a few other tricks up our sleeves.
For those who are unable to attend this year, we’ll be live-streaming the event online again thanks to Gentlemen’s Club TV, which did the live stream last year. That kind of info will be made available closer to the show date, but I recommend bookmarking TrannyAwards.com.
What do these awards do to boost T-girls, T-men and the industry?
Ultimately, I hope the Tranny Awards make our nominees feel good — not only about their work, but also about themselves. The people in our industry work hard to produce quality content, and let’s face it, it’s gratifying to be professionally recognized by your peers for your work.
