Sexuality Educator and Author, Midori, Signs with Ikigai Marketing

San Francisco, CA - World-renowned sexuality educator and author, Midori, signed with Ikigai Marketing to handle marketing and brand building. 

“Building a team with a focus on compassionate education, ethical practice and effective teamwork is of utmost importance to me,” said Midori. “I’m excited to have Ikigai Marketing working with me to further the mission of Fire Horse Productions to bring greater joy and personal growth to the world.”

“It is a distinct honor to have the opportunity to work with someone as iconic as Midori,” said Kristel Penn. “I have great respect for how she’s changed the educational landscape of kink and made it not only accessible but inclusive to people from all walks of life. She’s living proof that it’s possible to teach others how to tie passion, skill, and heart together in a way that honors each of our individual journeys.”  

Known as the “super nova of kink” according to Dan Savage, Midori emerged from the Sex Positive movement in San Francisco in the early 1990s and soon became one of the most highly regarded presenters on sexuality, personal fulfillment, and kinky adventures.

Her reputation as an authority and leading expert on alternative pleasures stem not only from her unique and entertaining process of teaching concrete skills, but in her ability to deconstruct and distill complex matters of desire into surprisingly accessible lessons with eloquence and humanity. 

She’s known for tackling challenging topics with fresh and relevant insights. She calls this her “head-heart-hands” method to create a space where people are allowed individual self-exploration. Fundamentally, she is motivated by helping people to create authentic and intimate relationships while emphasizing self-actualization, shame reduction, acceptance, and justice.

Known for her ability to teach with equal parts expertise and heart, her intensives and pop-up classes are often booked months in advance. She is best known for her transformative small-group educational intensives, Rope Dojo and ForteFemme: Women’s Dominance Weekend Intensive.  

She is the author of The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage, Wild Side Sex, and Master Han's Daughter. She has also contributed her expertise and voice in numerous articles, columns, works of fiction, and instructional books. 

When she's not traveling and teaching, she's creating provocative and haunting art and performances. For more information about Midori, visit her official website at https://www.fhp-inc.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @PlanetMidori.

Kristel Penn Featured on Streamate Official Podcast

LOS ANGELES, CA - Grooby’s longtime Marketing and Editorial Director, Kristel Penn, talks shop in the latest episode of Streamate’s official podcast, titled ‘Trans Erotica with Kristel Penn’. The episode is available to listen on Soundcloud. 

“I was really honored to be asked to be included in this discussion,” said Penn. “Everyone was very welcoming and brought to the table a unique view on each issue we touched upon. I know I personally learned a lot from everyone and it was honestly just fun to chat with other industry folks about our experiences in and outside of work.”

In the podcast, Penn discusses gender identity, how the trans adult industry has evolved during her time in the industry and some of the issues it faces, and the topics like privilege and intersectionality. She also shares her lighthearted story about coming out and some other adventures working at Grooby.

Listen to the episode here: https://soundcloud.com/streamate/episode-19-trans-erotica-with-kristel-penn?in=streamate/sets/sm-podcast

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 three-day event can be found at theTEAShow.com.

In 2017, the company took over the editorial content for Transformation, the world’s most popular transgender lifestyle magazine. For more information, visit Grooby.com or follow them on Twitter at @GroobyDotcom.

Kristel Penn Snags Two XBIZ Industry Exec Award Nominations

LOS ANGELES, CA - Grooby’s Marketing and Editorial Director Kristel Penn snagged two coveted XBIZ Industry Exec Award nominations this week.

“It’s an honor not only be nominated for an XBIZ Industry Exec Award, but to be nominated in two categories that hold such personal significance to me,” said Kristel Penn. “In both categories, my name is listed amongst people who are doing such important work in our industry and who I’ve long admired since I started my career over ten years ago. Win or lose, I am incredibly grateful to be recognized for my work and to share this nomination with so many titans of our industry.”

Penn is currently nominated for Community Figure of the Year and WIA Woman of the Year. Winners will be announced at the upcoming 2019 XBIZ LA Show at the Andaz Hotel.

In 2018, Penn served as the Managing Editor of Transformation Magazine, America’s longest running transgender lifestyle magazine. As Grooby’s Marketing and Editorial Director, she is also the Event Producer of the annual Transgender Erotica Awards in Los Angeles, CA. Earlier this year Grooby created a free bi-monthly digital magazine, Grooby Girls, to provide business resources, community news, and more to the trans adult industry.

In addition to Penn’s work with Grooby, earlier this year she co-presented an educational workshop at Catalyst Con to discuss how to destigmatize porn and its consumption, with a focus on detangling shame and sexuality through self-reflection and open dialogue. Most recently, she enrolled in an MA in Counseling program with the long-term goal of helping create safe and competent mental health services to those in the adult industry.

“Mental health awareness is a topic that has long been part of my advocacy work on a personal and professional level,” Penn added. “I want to use my life experiences, which includes both my privilege and marginalization, to help destigmatize the adult industry and help provide competent mental health resources for our community. I understand the great responsibility of having a goal like this, which is why I chose to enroll in a counseling program this year. I wanted to ensure that anything I’d potentially implement would be competent, safe, and sustainable.”

In 2017, Penn won the XBIZ Industry Exec Award for Brand Ambassador of the Year. In 2018, she was nominated for Marketing Executive of the Year. To learn more about her, visit IkigaiMarketing.com and Grooby.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Kristel_Penn.

Grooby’s Kristel Penn Appears on ‘Breaking Bread with Brilliant Babes’ Podcast

LOS ANGELES, CA - Award-winning marketer Kristel Penn appears in the most recent episode of the Breaking Bread with Brilliant Babes podcast where she shares about her journey in the adult industry and her work with leading trans adult company, Grooby. The episode is now available to listen via iTunes or Soundcloud.

“It was such an honor to be considered a ‘brilliant babe’ and talk about my journey in the adult industry,” says Kristel Penn. “The podcast features people from all walks of life and the host, Tatiana, was so easy to talk to. In my lifetime, I’ve received a wide array of responses when I tell people I work in the adult industry. Tatiana welcomed me with open arms and I’m grateful for the platform she allowed me to have to discuss issues that are important to me, like destigmatizing the adult industry as a whole.”

In episode 019 of Breaking Bread with Brilliant Babes, Penn discusses her humble beginnings first working in the adult industry over ten years ago, tales from the frontlines as Grooby’s longtime Marketing and Editorial Director, and chatting about  award-winning series ‘Real Fucking Girls’ directed by Mona Wales. For more information, visit brilliantbabespodcast.com or follow them on Twitter at @BrillBabesPod.
 

ABOUT KRISTEL PENN

Kristel Penn is Grooby’s longtime Marketing and Editorial Director and runs her own boutique marketing and PR firm, Ikigai Marketing. She is the current editor of Transformation Magazine and is on the Board of Directors for TAIF (Trans Adult Industry Foundation). In 2017, she was awarded the XBIZ Industry Exec Award for Brand Ambassador of the Year and in 2018 received a nomination for Marketing Exec of the Year. For more information, visit IkigaiMarketing.com.

KEYWORDS: Breaking Bread with Brilliant Babes, Podcast, Kristel Penn, Ikigai Marketing, Grooby, Real Fucking Girls

Grooby’s Kristel Penn to Speak at Catalyst Con Los Angeles this Sunday

Los Angeles, CA - Grooby’s Marketing and Editorial Director Kristel Penn will be presenting at Catalyst Con in Los Angeles this Sunday at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel. The workshop, Porn Tasting 101: Consumption for the Curious, will be co-presented with Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Traci Medeiros-Bagan.

“Traci and I are both passionate about destigmatizing porn and its consumption,” said Kristel Penn. “It’s a place that overlaps both of our fields: the adult industry and mental health. We’ve been doing various incarnations of this specific topic for the last two years, and we’re excited about its inclusion in Catalyst Con’s lineup.”

Penn and Medeiros-Bagan will be co-presenting through their company, Meld x Mend. To learn more about the group wellness practice, visit MeldxMend.com.

Porn Tasting 101: Consumption for the Curious is a 70-minute workshop on destigmatizing porn consumption and creating a framework for shame-free viewing. Attendees will also watch an excerpt from Lilith Luxe’s award-winning documentary series, Real Fucking Doc, featuring the cast of Real Fucking Girls 2 and its director Mona Wales. There will also be a free giveaway to win a copy of Grooby’s Real Fucking Girls and Real Fucking Girls 2, plus prizes from Bad Dragon.

A full description of the workshop can be found below:

Porn Tasting 101: Consumption for the Curious

Watching porn is often a solo activity reserved for a dark room with the door closed. We immediately clear our browser histories afterward, but why?  

Together Marriage and Family Therapist Traci Medeiros-Bagan and adult industry veteran Kristel Penn offer a unique framework for viewing and enjoying porn.  Like developing a nose for fine wine, they believe that a little practice and knowledge can help create a decadent menu of shame-free desire designed specifically for you!

To begin, we’ll cleanse our palates of shame, stigma, and misinformed beliefs around the adult industry.  We’ll whet our appetites for knowledge with an excerpt from Lilith Luxe’s award-winning documentary series, Real Fucking Doc, featuring the cast of “Real Fucking Girls” and its director Mona Wales. Luxe’s piece highlights the voices of the performers and producers and discusses their dedication to the creation of high-quality ethical porn, porn’s place in culture, and its ability to inform it. At the end of this beginner’s tasting course, you’ll learn a bit about the adult industry, what varieties of porn might be a good fit for you and why, and how to feel good as a conscious consumer.

So, cum one, cum all! This is for educators, providers, and anyone who wants to learn ways to create an open and shame-free dialogue (with others or yourself) around porn.

Penn and Medeiros-Bagan will be speaking on Sunday from 11:30am-12:40 pm in the Scottsdale room at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel. For more information on Catalyst Con, visit CatalystCon.com.

Kristel Penn is the longtime Marketing and Editorial Director at Grooby. She also owns and operates boutique PR and marketing company, Ikigai Marketing. For more information, visit Grooby.com and IkigaiMarketing.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Kristel_Penn.

Traci Medeiros-Bagan is an LGBTQ, kink, and sex worker affirming Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LFMT) based in Southern California. She has been recently featured in publications such as Ynot Cam, Go Magazine, and Autostraddle. Visit her official website at CompassionateRevolt.com. She can also be found on Twitter at @CompassionateR1.

Award-Winning Performer Casey Kisses Signs with Ikigai Marketing

Las Vegas, NV - Multi-award winning performer Casey Kisses signed with Ikigai Marketing, announcing Kristel Penn as her official publicist.

“I'm really excited to be working with Kristel, I've known her to be super professional and an overall nice person,” said Casey Kisses. “I've heard so many good things from her clients, and am really looking forward to having her help build my brand.”

“Casey had an amazing 2017 and she’s soaring in 2018,” added Kristel Penn. “It’s an honor to represent someone as hardworking and genuinely kind as she is. Casey has demonstrated that it’s possible to succeed in this industry with equal parts perseverance and heart.”

Casey Kisses debuted in the adult industry in 2016 with Grooby Productions and since then has appeared in numerous scenes and DVDs for every major trans adult studio. In addition to her work as a performer, Kisses cultivated a loyal following on cam platforms, Chaturbate and Streamate.

In 2017, Kisses co-won the TEA ‘Stroker of the Year’ Award with Korra Del Rio. Recently she was awarded the 2018 Top Trans Cam Model at the Adult Webcam Awards and scooped up the 2018 TEA Cam Performer of the Year Award alongside Korra Del Rio.

Visit Casey Kisses’ official website at CaseyKisses.xxx. You can also follow her on social media on Twitter and Instagram @CaseyKissesxoxo.

Press inquiries can be directed to kristelpenn@ikgiaimarketing.com.

Aubrey Kate is Heading to Denver Exxxotica

Credit: Evil Angel

The Mainstreaming of Trans Performers
Presented By Aubrey Kate, Award-Winning Trans Performer

Multi-award XBIZ/AVN/TEA winning adult star Aubrey Kate will be speaking about her journey as a transgender performer in the adult industry. As someone who has successfully crossed over into the mainstream, she shares how the industry and outside world has changed in recent years. She will also share her experiences working on mainstream projects like jessica drake is Wicked, Adriana Chechik is the Squirt Queen, and signing as Evil Angel’s first TS contract star.

This seminar will be moderated by Grooby’s Marketing and Editorial Director, Kristel Penn.

Join us on April 7, 2018 from 6-645pm for this session! More information can be found here: https://exxxoticaexpo.com/events/mainstreaming-trans-performers/

Grooby's Shemale Yum Rebranded as GroobyGirls.com

Grooby, the leader in trans erotica, announces their flagship site, ShemaleYum.com, will be switched over to GroobyGirls.com effective today.

Editor's Note:  For more information about the rebrand, we suggest you read the posted Interview with Steven Grooby at Grooby.com.

Los Angeles, CA – Grooby announced their flagship site, ShemaleYum.com, will be rebranded as GroobyGirls.com starting today.

“Change is good, and we’ve changed our company and sites constantly over the past 20 years,” said Steven Grooby. “Simply renaming a brand that has as much worth as ‘ShemaleYum’ wasn’t something that could be done overnight and without having a proper plan in place, and that plan was to build ‘Grooby’ and ‘GroobyGirls’ brands, which we’ve spent a number of years doing. We’re now in the position where they can replace the original website name.”

ShemaleYum.com launched in 1996 and is the world’s longest running trans adult website, featuring an unprecedented mix of newcomers and top stars annually.  Many of the most popular TS performers today had their first shoots on ShemaleYum, including Vo D’Balm, Domino Presley, Kylie Maria, Wendy Williams, Bailey Jay, and over 1850 different trans women.

GroobyGirls.com launched in 2011 as a promotional site for Grooby models. Each year a limited number of t-shirts are released to the models and fans.  Other GroobyGirls merchandise has included calendars, playing cards, towels, stickers, and tattoos.

The company currently operates over 30 membership sites and produces approximately 50 DVDs a year. Visit the new site at GroobyGirls.com.

When asked if Grooby had plans to change the names of any of their other sites, he stated, “ShemaleYum.com is the biggest and most important of our sites, and this site had to be first otherwise we’d look hypocritical. We’d also look hypocritical if we didn’t re-brand the other sites and we have plans for all of them, we just ask people to be patient. Most of our sites already use ‘tgirls’ (a word which we helped define) or ‘transsexuals’ but for the rest we’ll change, we’ve an amazing domain for Shemale.XXX so watch for that.”

Grooby’s Marketing and Editorial Director Kristel Penn added, “Grooby has been a longstanding ally of the LGBTQ community and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. I’m really excited for this rebrand, especially for our community. Whether you know our company personally or not,  I believe people will see this change is a more accurate reflection of our company ethos.”

Existing affiliates will not need to change their links. Interested affiliates can contact admin@grooby.comdirectly.

All press inquiries can be directed to kristel@grooby.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 host the annual TEAs (Transgender Erotica Awards) held in Hollywood, CA. For more information, visit Grooby.com.