Confessions of a Gay Porn Writer: The XBIZ X3 Expo

Hello, all you porn enthusiasts out there. Today I wanted to talk to you guys about the XBIZ X3 Expo, which is perhaps the largest porn convention that exists in the United States (don’t quote me on that). I had the privilege of being able to attend the Expo and join NextDoorStudios at their booth and figured, hey, why not talk about my experience there? I’m sure someone out there is interested in knowing what the expo was like.

Come visit us TOMORROW at X3! 3-10 & Sat 12-10!

Stop by the @AlphaStudioGRP booth to meet some of your favorite models! @nextdoorstudios @xxxwalden pic.twitter.com/rojmi9BGxj

— Jeremy Babcock (@JerBabcock) January 13, 2023

First off, the unfortunate thing about the X3 Expo is that it is very straight. Like, incredibly straight. That was expected considering the XBIZ Awards (the company that sponsors the expo) has categories primarily aimed at a heterosexual audience, but it was still somewhat jarring for me to witness. Look, I know that the world is incredibly straight outside of my little gay bubble, but sometimes when you’ve been surrounded by queer people and nothing but queer people, going outside into a very straight event can be a little… I don’t know... intense? It certainly reminds me why I love being queer I can tell you that much haha.

HUGE thanks to @XBIZ and all the fans who got out and voted for #NextDoorStudios as the #XBIZAwards "Gay Site of the Year".

Huge thanks to all the models and fans who helped make this possible. Great way to start 2023. Cheers! pic.twitter.com/IlPU98ROJ3

— Next Door Studios (@NextDoorStudios) January 16, 2023

Luckily for me, I was able to spend the majority of my time at the expo at the NextDoorStudios booth. My lovely boss Jeremy Babcock and the talented director Walden Woods were there to greet me and introduced me to so many great models that I had never met before. I know I’ve said this in the past, but honestly one of the best parts about this job is meeting the models. Not because of their looks (though don’t get me wrong, they are definitely stunners), but because a lot of them have so much personality and are fun to be around. The highlight of the event was hanging out and getting to know these guys.

Congrats @NextDoorStudios! It’s cute being best gay porn site!! @JerBabcock pic.twitter.com/eXr3wpgEIc

— WaldenWoodsXXX (@XxxWalden) January 16, 2023

The expo itself was interesting; you have to imagine something like Comic-Con or Drag Con but specifically for porn. There were VR headsets that you were able to try, booths from multiple studios and cam sites and so much porn merchandise (I think one of my friends got a Brazzers bumper sticker??). It was a very surreal experience for me. I write all my scripts from home and when I go on set there are very few people there, so seeing how big the porn industry is outside of my little bubble almost felt shocking. Like, holy shit, I forget how many people I can reach with my scripts.

But, again, the highlight of this event was getting to know the pornstars. It was incredibly funny seeing everyone’s reaction to meeting me; nobody expects that I’m going to be a young twink! Which, again, makes sense! I always assume people expect a porn writer to be an older guy. But going out to West Hollywood with everyone, holy shit was this group fun to go out with. My night out with the likes of Derek Kage, Tony Genius, Trevor Brooks, Trevor Harris, and Masyn Thorne was something I’ll remember for quite a long time. Each of these guys had a distinct personality that meshed well with each other and most of them were incredible dancers (especially Tony).

Clothes coming off at the #X3Show! pic.twitter.com/Oxncw9loEf

— Next Door Studios (@NextDoorStudios) January 14, 2023

Anyway, if you couldn’t tell, the expo is only as fun as the people you interact with. I had a great time because I was able to hang out with some awesome people in my industry. But, as a fan, if you want to have a good time, I’d definitely recommend bringing a friend to meet your favorite pornstars. That’s how you know you’ll have a great time.

day 1 of #X3 @XBIZ expo :) @nextdoorstudios@chris_damned@daddywildex@des_iresxxx@jerbabcock@xxxwalden pic.twitter.com/tgKTsLvIjD

— Trevor Harris (@TrevorHarrisXXX) January 14, 2023

Oh, also, CeeLo Green performed at the expo. That was… insane. That’s the only way I can describe it really, so you’ll have to take my word for that ha.

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