HotMovies’ office, in fact, is within walking distance of historic Independence Mall. The company’s selection of VOD erotica recently reached an impressive 100,000 titles, and on August 2, HotMovies celebrated that accomplishment with a packed Saturday-night party at Philly’s Transit Nightclub.
Located at 600 Spring Garden St. not far from the gentrified Northern Liberties neighborhood, the three-story building that now houses Transit previously housed a club called The Bank — and many years ago, the building was an actual bank. But these days, it’s strictly a dance club — and that dance club got a taste of the adult industry when Ron Jeremy (the evening’s guest of honor), Flower Tucci, alt-porn icon Joanna Angel and others showed up for HotMovies’ event, which was billed as The Hundred Grand Gala.
Highlights of The Hundred Grand Gala, which lasted into the wee morning hours, ranged from a speech by Jeremy to an exhibit of porn-inspired art by PornSaints.org to a neo-burlesque performance by the Philly-based Peek-A-Boo Revue. The party ended on a BDSM-friendly note with Strip for Pain, which HotMovies described as “America’s most dangerous game show.” Male contestants submitted to nipple clamps and other kinky forms of consensual torture inflicted by dominant females, and the more pain they were able to endure, the more clothing the female participants (who ranged from adult film stars to strippers) removed.
HotMovies’ 100,000th VOD title, Elegant Angel’s “It’s a Secretary’s Thing,” was introduced at The Hundred Grand Gala.