Jim Powers Lands 4 NightMoves Nominations — Here's What He's Up Against

William Brown · 2026-07-28

### A Director's Big Night Veteran adult filmmaker Jim Powers is having a moment. The multi-award-winning director just snagged four NightMoves Awards nominations for 2026, and honestly, it's about time people paid attention to his latest work. Powers picked up a nod for Best Non-Feature Director — that's the big one, the prize that recognizes his entire body of work over the past year. But he didn't stop there. His MILF Overload series, which he not only directed but also concepted and wrote, earned a Best MILF Release nomination for "MILF Overload #2" from Zero Tolerance Films. And in the Best Trans Release category, he's got two entries: "Trans Salon" and "Transsexual Hitchhikers #5," both from Gender X Films. All three DVDs feature all-star casts, so if you're into quality adult content, these are names you'll want to remember. ### The NightMoves Weekend Experience The 34th Annual NightMoves Awards weekend kicks off with the Caravan of Stars on Friday, October 9th and Saturday, October 10th. It all wraps up with the gala awards show on Sunday evening, October 11th, at The Stockyard in Holiday, Florida. Think of it as a three-day celebration of the industry's best and brightest. Fan voting is open now through September 1st. You can cast your vote for Jim in all his categories at [letsvote.nightmovesonline.com](https://letsvote.nightmovesonline.com/index.php/299323?lang=en) (one vote per IP, so make it count). "The NightMoves Awards have been around as long as I have," Powers said. "Thanks for the recognition. It means a lot. If you're in the industry or a diehard fan who enjoys my work, vote for me." A full list of nominees is available at [nightmovesonline.com](https://nightmovesonline.com/voting-for-the-34th-annual-nightmovesawards-show-opens-at-midnight-on-july-15th). ### The Man Behind the Camera Jim Powers isn't just any director. He's one of the most prolific in the business, known for pushing boundaries and once telling Forbes he wants to be the Warren Buffett of porn. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s, he was influenced by comic books, horror movies, fan magazines, and skateboarding. By the 1980s, all he wanted was to be a punk rocker and skateboarder. After graduating from Cal State Northridge, he bounced around as a stockbroker, a DVD distributor, and a part-time pornographer. Then in 1992, while gambling at Bally's in Las Vegas, he wandered into the AVN Awards and decided he could make a better movie than most people there for $5,000. He and a friend each put up $2,500 to make "The Hills Have Thighs." Kevin Beachum of Midnight Pictures encouraged him to shoot amateurs on the beach — even though Powers had never picked up a camera before. That shoot didn't go smoothly. His Malibu set was shut down, and he faced felony charges for pandering and conspiracy. To cover legal bills, he kept shooting at private houses and swinger parties for Beachum and other companies. ### Building a Legend In 1993, a chance meeting with Jeff Mike of JM Productions changed everything. The two joined forces, regularly pushing the limits of sex while staying out of prison. Powers helped launch JM's bukkake line and essentially invented American bukkake — Downtown Larry Melrose from the Howard Stern Show was a frequent guest on his sets. He ran his own company, Powersville, and directed for legendary studios like Heatwave, Mayhem, Sin City, Notorious, Immoral Productions, and Smash Pictures. Today, he directs for Gender X, Devil's Film, BiPhoria, Dogfart, Adult Time, Transfixed, and Fantasy Massage. He averages over 300 scenes per year. In 2023, ASN Lifestyle Magazine profiled him with a 10-page feature. ### Awards and Accolades With 50 performer credits and thousands of scenes as a director, Powers has racked up serious hardware. He won AVN Awards for Director of the Year (Body of Work) and Best Director – Non-Feature, and was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame in 2005. His feature film "Transpirella" won Best Trans Movie at the XMAs and Best AltPorn Feature Video at the AltStar Awards in 2026. He's also scored countless other AVN nominations over the years. Simply put, the guy knows his craft. ### How to Support Jim If you want to see him take home those NightMoves trophies, head to the voting page before September 1st. And if you're a journalist or podcaster looking to interview him, reach out to Erika Icon of The Rub PR at erika@therubpr.com. Jim Powers has been in this game for over three decades, and he's still going strong. These four nominations are just the latest proof.