Europe's David Awards Commence

BERLIN — Close on the heels of the Barcelona Erotic Film Festival HeatGay Awards, come the David Awards, sponsored by GAYeLINE and handed out in conjunction with the recent Venus Fair Berlin.

GAYeLINE is a European gay adult magazine aimed at retail stores. The awards, presented at the popular Berlin disco Haus B on October 19, are named after Michelangelo's David, the world's most famous male nude sculpture and considered the epitome of male beauty.

Of the David's 17 categories, four are set aside for "foreign" or non-European competition. U.S. winners are Chi Chi LaRue, named Best Non-European Director; Titan Media, Best Non-European Studio; Spencer Quest, Best Non-European Performer; and Barcelona Nights, from Lucas Entertainment, which was voted Best Non-European Film.

Of additional interest because of his extensive work for Raging Stallion and Titan Media in the U.S. was the naming of François Sagat as Best European Performer (tieing with Roland Laska in this category).

In a press release announcing the studio's win and congratulating the other winners, Titan Media president and CEO Bruce Cam said, “We are truly honored to have been recognized by the European industry and market. My team at TitanMen has been working very hard for the past several years to expand and solidify our dominance as the premier USA studio in the European market. Along with Lucom, our exclusive European distribution partner, we’ve been able to greatly expand our brand positioning and penetration within the EU marketplace. It’s always nice to see my team’s hard work and efforts pay off!"

“I know this sounds cliché," said Best Non-European Director Chi Chi LaRue, "but it was a complete and utter shock. I thought another company would sweep all of the American awards. Winning felt great. The show organizers were very nice and treated everyone great. The actual trophy weighs thirty pounds and it is the most beautiful gay porn award I have ever seen."