LOS ANGELES—Following discussions with Black performers concerned about representation in the industry, AVN is revising its process for nominating and judging Award season categories, as well as creating a liaison for talent and selecting a Black performer as host for the 2021 AVN Awards in Las Vegas.
“We need to do better by our Black performers, producers and directors,” says Tony Rios, CEO and publisher of AVN. “For the 2021 Awards, I’m asking my staff to rethink everything from how we select judges to how we choose on-stage talent. We will include Black performers, producers and directors at every level of the process."
Earlier this month, AVN banned the use of the term interracial in its publications, and removed race-based categories from the AVN Awards. AVN will be increasing the representation of Black members on its judging and nomination committee, to help make sure that Black performers, directors and producers are better represented in all categories.