XBIZ / XMA Awards 2026

XBIZ week in LA is the industry's quieter, more business-focused bookend to AVN. The 2026 XBIZ Show ran January 12–15, with the XMA Awards (XBIZ's renamed awards show, second year under the new name) on January 18 at the Hollywood Palladium. I worked both halves of the week — show during the day, awards at night.

The rhythm of LA-week 2026 wasn't dramatically different from 2025, which is the point. The XBIZ Show is the part of the calendar that's mostly about studios planning their next twelve months — fewer fan-floor signings, more meeting rooms, more business cards. The XMA awards night at the Palladium is the public-facing piece, and that venue does most of the work for you. Four floors of art deco and a packed house always looks good on camera.

What stood out about 2026:

• More cross-platform creators in attendance — fewer purely studio performers, more independents who also shoot for paid platforms too.
• The XMA categories continue to evolve. Some things still don't have categories that match how the industry actually works in 2026, but they're getting closer.
• The post-show party situation in Hollywood has gotten better. More venues, more late-night options, less "everyone in one bar."

If you saw me on the floor or at the Palladium for the awards, thanks for saying hi. The 2026 photos that the events let us share publicly are in the gallery; the rest live behind the OnlyFans paywall. XBIZ 2027 is on the calendar already.