LOS ANGELES — Wicked Sensual Care has announced that brand strategist, sex educator, and three-time AVN Best Actress, jessica drake, has received a 2023 AVN Mainstream Venture of the Year nomination for her performance in Ricky Lake’s The Answer.
A cinematic music video shot entirely on 16mm film, The Answer brought together three dynamic artists: drake, genre-defying Bay Area musician Lake, and award-winning hip-hop mogul Matt Zolly. The Answer debuted on all platforms earlier this year via San Francisco-based Text Me Records. The video has since received unanimously favorable coverage in such influential industry publications and blogs as Vents Magazine and Thoughts Words Action.
"I am so grateful and humbled to see this collaboration receive the AVN nomination for Mainstream Venture of the Year,” said drake. “This was my first film project after the pandemic, and I was starving for a role I could really sink my teeth into. Once I heard the concept for the video and had the first meeting, I immediately grasped the creative potential of this undertaking.”
Of her collaborators, drake enthused, “Matt Zolly knew exactly what he wanted with every shot. Even when I wasn’t on camera, watching him work was fascinating. He may have acted low-key, but his directing style and skill screamed from the rooftops. He assembled the perfect team, and I’m grateful to have been a part of it. And working alongside Ricky was amazing. As an artist, he has such a talent for expressing himself, and in person he was no different. He was a dream to work with—funny, kind, creative, and very willing. I love that in a scene partner—and our steamier scenes, that were released only as NFTs—really showcased our chemistry.”
“In taking on this project, I was a little nervous about who would play Ricky's love interest," said director Zolly, whose previous video credits include collaborations with Rosalia, Lil Yachty, Lil Nas X, and Travis Scott. "I really liked the idea of combining an innocent stoner dude from the city with a wealthy, attractive older woman from the suburbs, but I knew our lead would really have to fit the bill. Upon meeting jessica I was immediately impressed with her professionalism. jessica lent herself to the production entirely and even incorporated some of her own wardrobe to help bring the character to life."
The song's April 8th release was accompanied by a series of blockchain-based marketing initiatives, including exclusive NFT releases featuring drake. True to her humanitarian calling, she donated her share of the NFT sales to Feed The Streets, a community-based mutual aid organization that collects donated food, hygiene products, clothing, and educational items. Founded in Southern California (where drake is Vice President of the Los Angeles chapter), Feed The Streets is expanding its outreach with weekly support drives, a New York City chapter, and initiatives designed to create bonds with underserved communities throughout the nation.
“This was the first NFT I've been involved in,” said drake of the initiative. “I was thrilled to give fans this unique opportunity to get a special piece of me while helping out a great cause.”
Now in its 40th year, the AVN Awards Show is returning to the Las Vegas Strip on January 7, 2023. In a prepared statement, the editorial staff of AVN announced, "the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo will set the stage for the most anticipated event in adult—the AVN Awards Show. In what has become the adult industry’s longest standing, most iconic tradition, the AVN Awards will once again recognize outstanding achievements in areas of production, retail, and product innovations in the past year.”
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