WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — This evening, XBIZ announced the winners of the 2017 XBIZ Exec Awards during an elegant dinner reception honoring the leaders of the online industry.
XBIZ’s President & Publisher Alec Helmy and Account Executive Leah Mahi served as the event’s co-hosts, entertaining the crowd of 200-plus attendees.
The online sector’s XBIZ Exec Awards honors the outstanding achievements in a variety of prominent career fields within the adult industry.
The 2017 XBIZ Executive Award winners are:
Business Development Executive of the Year
Holly Ruprecht, Hustler
Marketing Executive of the Year
Courtney Rudolph, FriendFinder Networks
Progressive Leadership Award
Lernmond Khodaverdy, Twistbox
Tech Leadership Award
Jean-Claude Artonne, Terpon
Community Figure of the Year
Andy Wullmer, Sex Goes Mobile
Brand Ambassador of the Year
Kristel Penn, Grooby
Senior Leadership Award
Harmik Gharapetian, Epoch
Chief Executive of the Year
Eric Wexel, FreeWebCams
Businesswoman of the Year
Shirley Lara, Chaturbate
Businessman of the Year
Greg Clayman, Flirt4Free
Community Legacy Award
Julius F. Kedvessy, FUBAR Webmasters
ASACP Service Recognition Award
Colin Rowntree, Wasteland.com
Dawn Yagielowicz, ASACP
Business Development Executive of the Year Hustler’s Holly Ruprecht said “Everyone in this category works really hard. I love this industry, I love what I do, and I love Hustler.”
“I want to give thanks to the amazing team I work with,” FriendFinder Networks’ Courtney Rudolph, who won Marketing Executive of the Year, said.
After winning the Progressive Leadership Award Lernmond Khodaverdy of Twistbox said “Twistbox has been at this for about 12 years. We’ve had ups and downs, but we’ve stuck with this.”
Tech Leadership Award winner Jean-Claude Artonne of Terpon said “We are a little, small company, trying to provide you with the best VR possible.”
Andy Wullmer of Sex Goes Mobile, 2017’s Community Figure of the Year, was exuberant over receiving the award, exclaiming, “It’s a pleasure to be in L.A.!”
“I thank you from our little corner of the internet,” Brand Ambassador of the Year Kristel Penn from Grooby Productions said.
Epoch’s Harmik Gharapetian’s Senior Leadership Award was accepted on his behalf by Frank Gannon, who told the audience “Harmik is an absolute treat and joy to work with every day!”
“Thanks to everyone behind me,” Chief Executive of the Year Eric Wexel of FreeWebCams said, “and the ideas I can steal from them.”
“There’s so many people we do business with in this male-dominated industry,” Businesswoman of the Year Shirley Lara from Chaturbate said. “It’s great to be recognized like this.”
“I’ve been in this business for over 20 years and I’m very happy to get this award,” Businessman of the Year Greg Clayman from Flirt4Free said, “but I couldn’t imagine getting this without the team we have.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate this,” FUBAR Webmasters’ Kedvessy exclaimed. “It’s absolutely wonderful and totally unexpected!”
“I’m just doing what I love,” ASACP’s Dawn Yagielowicz said. “Thank you!”