LOS ANGELES — Kristel Penn and her producing team for the 2020 Transgender Erotica Awards (TEAs) are keenly aware that all eyes will be on them Sunday night. They were forced to cancel the eagerly awaited red-carpet extravaganza, the annual capstone to a glittery, star-packed weekend, amid the coronavirus pandemic. After weeks of restive self-quarantine, fans are ready for entertainment, while the industry at large, with all parties and trade shows canceled or postponed, is curious for a peek at the new normal.
Penn and her fellow creatives from Grooby are up to the challenge. "Despite the setback, I think people will be happy with what we've created," she told XBIZ during a break in production prep. "It is a labor of love — and it shows."
The TEAs, presented by ManyVids, and hosted by Domino Presley, will broadcast on May 10, 7 p.m. (PDT) at Grooby247.com and follow a traditional format.
"We reached out to everyone involved to submit videos so the flow of the show would be as close as possible to the original event while minimizing potential technical issues," explained Penn. "We're still playing our category nominee videos. Domino is still our Mistress of Ceremonies and will be with us as our host for the evening. Everything has been pre-recorded, but the broadcast of the show will be live, which means we'll be experiencing this for the first time together when it airs this Sunday."
The communal aspect of the TEAs has brought solace to Penn and her team.
"I find a bit of consolation in that thought," she mused. "The TEAs have always been about bringing people together and celebrating the trans adult community. It was true when we had the show at a tiny nightclub, it was true when we were at the historic Avalon in Hollywood, and it's still true as we move to an online format for our 2020 show."
She observed this awards season been especially difficult for the Grooby team.
"Our video editor and community figure Dan Watters, aka Sparky Snakeden, passed away from cancer in late December," she said. "He was an integral part of the show, our company and the larger trans adult community. His colorful personality is always woven into our show. He generally does the TEAs nominee videos and other fun promo clips and this year he passed away before being able to do so. Our lead graphic designer and TEAs DJ, Dev, really stepped up to help with video editing duties and did a beautiful job with everything, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention how sorely missed Dan will be as part of the TEAs."
Kristel Penn wields a 2020 TEAs program printed with the ceremony's original date
Penn and Grooby experienced little pushback, apart from general disappointment, following the cancellation announcement.
"Our ideal, of course, would have been to do the TEAs live and in-person as originally planned," she said. "We were heartbroken to cancel the show at the last minute but didn't think it was safe to proceed given [California] Governor Newsom's recommendations from the night before. The morning we canceled, the Avalon had also canceled all their events for the rest of the month. By Thursday morning of the TEAs weekend, we had been ready to go for the show — with all the physical assets like the media walls, official programs, napkins and other branded items."
Overall, she said, Grooby is "chugging along as usual."
"The TEAs take up a big chunk of our time and calendar year and this year was no exception. With COVID-19 and quarantine, we've been working on initiatives focused on bringing some cheer to our performers and helping us stay connected with one another," she said. "We've started a free Discord channel for our community, host twice-a-week AMAs on Reddit with performers, and have started a free blog where we showcase the talents of our performers. We are also doing regular deals for customers who want their Grooby goodies, but are feeling the financial pinch of this pandemic."
A countdown clock to Sunday's ceremony is ticking away at Grooby247.com.
Find the TEAs online for a complete list of nominees and follow the show on Twitter for the latest updates.
A limited number of commemorative 2020 TEAs programs are available for purchase at the Grooby online store.
Image source: Penn
