Girlfriends Films Founder Dan O’Connell to Enter AVN Hall of Fame

VALENCIA, Calif.—Girlfriends Films founder and industry veteran Dan O’Connell is a selection for the AVN Hall of Fame class of 2015. O’Connell’s official induction will take place on January 24 prior to the AVN Awards in Las Vegas. “I am very honored and grateful to be part of an accomplished group of industry members to join the AVN Hall of Fame,” said O’Connell, who will be part of the AVN Hall of Fame’s Executive Branch. “It’s especially gratifying to be honored by my peers and by those who have helped shape the industry into the phenomenon it is today.” For the full list of 2015 AVN Hall of Fame Inductees, click here. In selecting O’Connell, AVN wrote, “Part of O'Connell's genius, aside from a knack for writing edgy tales like the Lesbian PsychoDramas, Mother-Daughter Exchange Club and Poor Little Shyla series, has been choosing his employees well—to the point that he recently sold his entire company to his right hand man, Moose. O'Connell is also one of those rare producers who is universally liked by both performers and fellow producers—and well deserving of his induction into AVN's Hall of Fame.” “We are extremely pleased to see Dan receive this great honor. He has been an imaginative and innovative force and a true visionary leader in the adult industry, which is well demonstrated in the company’s and charity programs he has built,” said Girlfriends Films President Moose. As one of the most influential brands in the industry today, Girlfriends Films began in 2002 as O’Connell’s UCLA film school project. Taking the class as a way to satisfy his creative itch from years spent in the job market, O’Connell filmed a documentary on lesbian sex entitled Lesbians Uncovered – The Naked Truth. The reaction his movie received inspired O’Connell to continue to create movies with real all-girl sex, seduction, and storylines, turning Girlfriends Films into one of the world’s leading producers of lesbian erotica. In a little over ten years, Girlfriends Films has gone from producing award-winning lesbian content, to also distributing movies for other studios, developing a successful membership site, launching a broadcast channel on Hustler TV, and more. O’Connell took the company’s success and decided to “pay it back” with the development of the Girlfriends Films Charity Program. The program annually donates over $20,000 to various charities selected by Girlfriends Films employees and performers, as well as key figures in the adult industry. Last January, O’Connell sold Girlfriends Films to Moose. In a smooth transition, Girlfriends Films has continued to thrive, earning a combined 66 nominations for itself and its partnering companies for the 2015 AVN Awards. Hosted by adult superstars Tommy Pistol and Alexis Texas, the 2015 AVN Awards take place January 24 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. To view a complete list of the 2015 nominees, click here.