Grooby Receives Two XBIZ Industry Exec Nominations

Trans powerhouse production company, Grooby, received two XBIZ Industry Exec Award nominations for Steven Grooby and Kristel Penn.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Grooby scooped up two coveted 2022 XBIZ Industry Exec Award nominations this past week, highlighting the accomplishments of company owner, Steven Grooby, and Creative & Editorial Director, Kristel Penn. 

“I look at the fellow nominees of my friends and peers, and it’s indeed an honor to be included alongside them. Thank you for nominating me,” said Grooby CEO, Steven Grooby. “The timing of this nomination means so much to me as we’re also celebrating our 25th anniversary. We’re looking forward to another 25 years of innovating our genre.” 

Grooby is nominated for the prestigious “Businessman of the Year” Award. He is also the recipient of the 201p XBIZ Industry Exec “Progressive Leadership” Award, in addition to being a multi-year nominee in numerous categories. 

“The ‘Community Figure of the Year’ Award is a category that holds great personal significance to me,” added Grooby’s Creative & Editorial Director, Kristel Penn. “Although Grooby is, in many ways, a traditional production company, I’m proud that our company also prioritizes community outreach and support. I feel fortunate I’ve been able to use both Grooby and Sad But Rad Club as platforms to create educational mental health resources for trans performers, in addition to speaking about topics like destigmatizing sex work and advocating for competent care for performers.” 

Penn is the 2021 ‘Community Figure of the Year’ recipient and also won ‘Brand Ambassador of the Year’ back in 2017. She is also the Executive Producer of the Trans Erotica Awards and creates psychoeducational content through Sad But Rad Club. 

ABOUT GROOBY

Founded in 1996, Grooby is the leading producer of trans erotica. In addition to operating over 30 membership sites, the company produces nearly 50 DVDs a year and hosts the annual TEAs (Trans Erotica Awards) held in Hollywood, CA. Visit Grooby.com for more information or follow on Twitter at @Groobydotcom. 

Grooby’s Kristel Penn Wins XBIZ Industry Exec “Community Figure of the Year” Award

LOS ANGELES, CA - Grooby’s longtime Creative and Editorial Director, Kristel Penn, took home the coveted XBIZ Industry Exec Award for “Community Figure of the Year” last night. 

“This win holds personal significance to me because the ‘Community Figure of the Year’ category feels like an acknowledgment for being myself,” said Penn. “I spent most of my adolescence and early adulthood trying to hide my authentic self because the people around me made me feel like there was something wrong with me. As I mentioned last night, I was the weird kid, and then I was the closeted gay weird kid. At Grooby, and for the last 12 years working in the adult industry, I get to be exactly who I am. I know there is great privilege in that, and I’m honored that I get to use my privilege, my voice, and my platform through Grooby to support and uplift the trans adult community.”

In 2017, Penn won the XBIZ Industry Exec Award for “Brand Ambassador of the Year” for her work with Grooby. She was also nominated in previous years for “Marketing Executive of the Year” and “WIA Woman of the Year.” 

“Congratulations to Kristel on her XBIZ win,” said Grooby founder, Steven Grooby. “I don't believe most people really know how much goes on behind the scenes and what she does to try and reach out, and make sure that people in the trans adult community and the wider adult community are doing well, or helping them if they're struggling. She's brought a number of initiatives to the table that Grooby has acted on, and more than she does personally and through her other platforms. We look forward to continuing to encourage and support her where and when we can.  Thank you to XBIZ for honoring someone who very much deserves a win this year.”

Penn continued, “I want to extend my sincere gratitude to XBIZ and my colleagues who voted for me this past year. I also want to thank Steven Grooby for taking a chance on me 12 years ago and for giving me the guidance and space to make a place for myself in our industry. I also want to dedicate my win to my Grooby partner-in-crime, Sparky Snakeden, who passed away last year from cancer. He believed in me as ‘Kristel Penn’ long before I did. If I felt like I wasn’t important enough or cool enough to be at a work function, he’d assure me I was and he’d accompany me with a confidence that I simply did not have. His support throughout our friendship has helped shape me into the person I am today in this industry.” 

In addition to being Grooby’s Creative and Editorial Director, Penn is also the Executive Producer of the Transgender Erotica Awards, created by Grooby over 13 years ago. In 2016, she started boutique PR and marketing firm, IkigaiMarketing.com, with a roster that includes many of the trans adult industry’s top performers. Follow her on Twitter at @thekristelpenn. 

Most recently, Penn started Sad But Rad Club, an initiative to change the narrative of mental health and wellness. More information can be found at SadButRadClub.com. 

ABOUT GROOBY
Founded in 1996, Grooby is the leading producer of trans erotica. In addition to operating over 30 membership sites, the company produces nearly 50 DVDs a year and hosts the annual TEAs (Transgender Erotica Awards). The 2021 TEAs will be hosted as a virtual show. More information about the event can be found at theTEAShow.com.

Visit Grooby.com or follow them on Twitter at @GroobyDotcom.

Grooby’s Kristel Penn Nominated for XBIZ’s Exec’s “Community Figure of the Year”

LOS ANGELES, CA - Grooby is proud to announce that their longtime Creative and Editorial Director, Kristel Penn, has been nominated for XBIZ’s Exec Awards. 

“It would have been an honor to be nominated in any category,” explains Penn, “but the ‘Community Figure of the Year’ award holds personal significance to me. Grooby, in many ways, is a small business and can’t compete with the budgets of the big studios, but we utilize all of our resources and pour it back into our performers. This includes concrete things like creating more opportunities for performers shooting with us, but also extends to less measurable efforts like increasing the visibility and acceptance of trans performers in our industry and supporting the trans community as a whole.”

Penn joined Grooby in 2008 when the company was still based in Hawaii. She is also the Executive Producer of the Transgender Erotica Awards, which celebrates the accomplishments of the trans adult industry. 

The annual XBIZ Exec Awards honors the best of the best from the adult business community, celebrating outstanding career achievement across a wide variety of prominent industry roles. Nominees are selected based on a range of success factors including business acumen, community standing and overall leadership.

Voting for the 2021 XBIZ Exec Awards is now open. Industry members may cast their votes here. Winners will be announced early next year. 

Penn adds, “As always, I owe a sincere debt of gratitude to Steven (Grooby). Through Grooby, he has given me a platform to use my voice and encourages me to do as myself. Without him, there would essentially be no ‘Kristel Penn’ as a public figure in our industry. 

To a certain extent, for anyone, it is a privilege to be able to live authentically both personally and professionally. For someone like me who grew up being bullied throughout high school for being gay and just honestly different than my classmates, being nominated for my work with Grooby and in the adult industry feels like being honored for my identity. Win or lose, I am grateful for the nomination and recognition from my colleagues and friends here.” 

Follow Penn on social media at @thekristelpenn on Twitter and Instagram. She also owns and operates boutique marketing firm, Ikigai Marketing. Visit the official website at IkigaiMarketing.com. 

ABOUT GROOBY
Founded in 1996, Grooby is the leading producer of trans erotica. In addition to operating over 30 membership sites, the company produces nearly 50 DVDs a year and hosts the annual TEAs (Transgender Erotica Awards) held in Hollywood, CA. More information about the two-day event can be found at theTEAShow.com.

For more information, visit Grooby.com or follow them on Twitter at @GroobyDotcom.