Archive for June, 2009

The Influencer: Q&A with AfterElton.com Editor Michael Jensen

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Michael Jensen Our Pride Month special focus series wraps up today with a Q&A with AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen. At a time when entertainment continues to dominate much of our culture, and drive much of society’s engagement with our community, it seems fitting to talk about pride and what it means now with one of the leading online authorities on entertainment.

If you’re like me, you visit – and enjoy – AfterElton.com regularly. It is one of the most visited gay entertainment news sites on the Web. If you’re unfamiliar with AfterElton.com, it’s the site for news, information and commentary about entertainment for gay and bisexual men (the ladies have their own site as well – the fabulous AfterEllen.com).

As Michael explains in our conversation, the site reports news as much as it reflects it and it serves a really important purpose in holding a mirror up to the entertainment community to reflect what is important to gay- and gay-friendly audiences. In so doing, it influences a great deal of what our community has to say about entertainment and the media.

We think Michael makes a great case for the power of online communications and the power of sites like AfterElton.com to shape the conversation about gay and lesbian people. Once you’ve read his interview, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Now, on with the show…

Ben Finzel: Tell us about the business model for AfterElton.com. You’re owned by Logo and are part of the Viacom family. How has that helped your growth and development?

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| June 30th, 2009 No Comments »
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Hot Time, Summer in Iowa City?!?

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J0422950 Aloha! Me and the BF are headed off to Hawaii next week for vacation. We were Googling ourselves to death trying to find a great place to get away, and we chose the Brady Bunch/Growing Pains route of trekking to Hawaii. But apparently, I should have considered Iowa as well!

We tweeted earlier this week about a great read from the Chicago Tribune about Iowa’s sudden status as a LGBT destination. Why? One could assume, as the article does, that our gaydar is tuned to the state because of the gay marriage law that took effect April 27. I’m not an Iowa-hater…I just don’t know much about the state. Plus, how could I not appreciate a fellow Heartland state?!?

This article is a great read, especially as it relates to how local businesses are recognizing the bling-factor of reaching out to a new tourist audience—LGBT couples looking to wed, or those who support such a progressive stance in the state. Reporter Josh Noel gives a great run-down of places to go if you are headed out the Iowa-y. Mad props to Iowa-based companies who are truly being inclusive in their marketing outreach. Tourism is an industry that has been challenged in this recession. Glad to see that Iowa folks understand that to attract a consumer, you need to speak to the consumer. Has anyone been to Iowa recently? Did you spend Des Monies in Des Moines?

Other random musings (as I dream about Waikiki Beach):
• 80s concert during Pride Weekend was great! We had such support from the LGBT and straight community here in Cleveland. Apparently, everyone loves doing the Thriller dance! Kudos to my pops for coming out on Father’s Day. And, speaking of the 80s, what a day yesterday. The loss of two great icons– Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. As someone who clearly loves music, I am at a loss on how to describe the impact of MJ on pop culture and pop music. Truly, there was no one else like him.

• I’ll admit it. I love my NJ Housewives on Bravo. I flip a table every time a new episode is about to air. And, I have to respect crazy Danielle and Bravo SVP Andy Cohen for calling out the use of the word “gay” from one of the cast members as a synonym for “stupid.” We all know it’s a common expression—“that’s so gay.” Doesn’t mean that we have to embrace it.

| June 26th, 2009 2 Comments »
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Continuing the Conversation on HIV/AIDS

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CGD As many of us have said countless times before, the conversation about HIV/AIDS needs to be restarted and refreshed. We all need to be thinking about ways to ensure we keep the dialogue going about prevention and protection, treatment and care. With infection rates climbing in many places (including D.C. where it has now been labeled an epidemic), we simply have no choice but to think about all of the ways in which we can leverage communications tools to share information and encourage efforts to fight HIV infections.

So it was great to read this morning about a new coalition of business leaders that has identified three target cities in the U.S. for a new campaign to “fight the spread of HIV and AIDS with better marketing, appearances by professional basketball players and financial donations to city health departments.”  The Washington Post carried the story on the front of its Metro section today and provided good detail about a story that gets far too little attention. 

According to the article, the three cities receiving the funding are Washington, D.C., New York City and Oakland, California. The companies involved are all members of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and include Pfizer, Nike, Nokia, the National Basketball Association and Facebook (among others). Very cool. I must say, however, that I hope this program does not become a one-shot deal. If the companies just write checks and issue press releases and then the campaign goes nowhere, then this announcement will amount to nothing more than bad PR. I really hope that the partners are committed to this campaign and will see it through, including remaining engaged in outreach and communication focused on making a positive impact.

The announcement could not have come at a better time. Saturday, June 27, 2009 is National HIV Testing Day – an annual observance that often seems to be overshadowed by other events and activities. 

What do you think? Is this kind of corporate engagement helpful? What else should we be doing to further the conversation about HIV/AIDS? Please share your thoughts below.

| June 25th, 2009 No Comments »
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What Are Your Pride Plans?

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Out Front Blog image The 40th Anniversary of Stonewall is days away. New York City’s major Pride celebrations (and their awesome parade) culminate this weekend. San Francisco’s major Pride celebrations (including the Frameline film festival where our friend Tracy Baim will premiere her film “Hannah Free”) also culminate this weekend.

As Pride Month draws to a close, we’re wondering what you’re doing for Pride. If you’re in New York or San Francisco, will you celebrate your pride this weekend? If not, has your city already celebrated pride?  If so, did you participate in any of the events? Why or why not?

We want to hear from you – and we may use your thoughts in a future blog post. In the meantime, keep checking back for updates – we’ll have at least one more Q&A this month and more in the months to come. We look forward to hearing from you.

| June 24th, 2009 1 Comment »
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The Hotelier: Q&A with Kimpton COO Niki Leondakis

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Over the years on this blog, we’ve talked a lot about what companies should and shouldn’t do and offered examples of companies that demonstrate their smarts by leading their competitors in the gay and lesbian marketplace. Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is one company that’s definitely a leader. As we continue our Pride Month special focus series, I’m really pleased that we’re able to bring you a Q&A with one of their senior executives.

N_leondakis3 Niki Leondakis is Kimpton’s chief operating officer and the creator of the company’s Diversity Initiative.  As she explains in her bio, the Diversity Initiative is “committed to creating a culture that acknowledges, understands, values and celebrates differences among people.” 

Long known for its unique, boutique-style hotels in San Francisco and Washington D.C., Kimpton is now becoming an even stronger player in the hotel industry with nearly 50 hotels and restaurants in major cities across the United States and Canada. Gay and lesbian engagement has been front and center in Kimpton’s outreach and communications for years and has included LGBT audience outreach, fundraising and marketing. 

As we discuss below, nearly every major hotel brand is now involved in some way in advertising or marketing to the LGBT community. But Kimpton was one of the first, and they certainly seem committed to maintaining their position in the front of the pack with their Summer of Pride promotion and their other outreach efforts to engage the LGBT community.

We’re grateful to Niki for taking the time to answer our questions. We hope you’ll enjoy reading her answers. For more information on Kimpton’s LGBT initiatives, check out their Web site.

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| June 23rd, 2009 No Comments »
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