(OUTview NW) The 14th Annual Stronger Together World AIDS Day Breakfast was better than ever!

by MK Scott

On Friday morning, December 1, the LGBTQ and allied community came together for the 14th Annual Stronger Together World AIDS Day Breakfast at the Seattle Sheraton Hote for the second year in a row.

After welcoming remarks from KOMO 4 News anchor Molly Shen and messages from Gay City's Fred Swanson and Seattle Counseling Service Executive Director, Ann McGettigan, the breakfast began.

The crowd applauded when they announced that Washington state is the first U.S. state to achieve the 90-90-90 UnAIDS Campaign goal. 90-90-90 is an ambitious treatment target promoted by the United Nations to help end the AIDS epidemic. It's goals are that by 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status. By 2020, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy. By 2020, 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.

This year's honorees were HIV/AIDS community activist Kenny Joe McMullen from Project Handle and Kevin Patz from CareTeams.

More information about Project Handle can be found at: http://www.nhwa.org/lookinside/program.php?program=Community+Health

More information about CareTeams can be found at: http://www.samaritanps.org/node/390

This year's keynote speaker was Dr. Marjorie Hill from the Adabbo Health Center in Queens, NY. In her remarks she recalled her first experience with HIV/AIDS when she learned of her best friend's AIDS diagnosis in the early-1980's when AIDS was largely untreatable and compared that to where we are at now where it can be treated with antiretroviral medication.

According to Seattle Counseling Service close to $120,000 was raised at the breakfast.

Beneficiaries of the breakfast were Gay City Health Project, Seattle Counseling Service, and CareTeams, a program of Samaritan Center of Puget Sound.

(OUTview NW) COME TOGETHER, a benefit for Country Doctor, featuring keynote speaker Gay icon, Cleve Jones, raised $189,020 for new clinic

MKS

by MK Scott

On Saturday. October 14, Country Doctor Community Health Centers hosted a fundraiser at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) that drew several hundreds of attendees to celebrate and support expansion of services and a new building for their Capitol Hill clinic. They're full steam ahead to 'Bring a Smile to Our Community.' Soon CDCHC will offer dental care, a critical need!

The evening gave a stirring tribute to retiring CDCHC founding executive director, Linda McVeigh, and introduced new CDCHC executive director, Raleigh Watts, to the crowd.

Famed activist and NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt founder, Cleve Jones, gave a remarkable keynote address recounting his life story and history of becoming an activist - his move to San Francisco as a young man, his work and friendship with Harvey Milk, his AIDS activism as co-founder of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, his founding of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, and his current work as a labor activist - all the while emphasizing the importance of coming together to lift our family, friends and neighbors, our community, up as Country Doctor Community Health Centers continues to do through the Carolyn Downs Family Medical Center, the Country Doctor Community Clinic, and their After-Hours Clinic at Swedish-Cherry Hill.

It was a fun, moving and memorable evening.

Sponsors of the event included - Swedish, Gilead, MarPac, LabCorp, Amerigroup, Coordinated Care, Community Health Plan of Washington, Kaiser Permanente, Environmental Works, Seattle Children's, Henry Schein, USI, Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson, and AHF.

To support the ongoing work of CDCHC, please visit their website at https://countrydoctor.org/

(OUTview NW) Former Second Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, was keynote speaker at Hopelink's Annual Luncheon which raised $1.19 million for social services

by MK Scott

On Monday, October 16, Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of former Vice President Joe Biden, was the keynote speaker at the 22nd annual Hopelink Reaching Out Luncheon at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue.

Hopelink is the largest social services agency in east and north King County, serving 64,000 people every year.

The luncheon, which was free to attend, was full to capacity with 1800 attendees, all present to make generous donations to Hopelink.

Dr. Biden talked about the challenge of tough times, and the role each of us can play in helping each other, and in building a stronger community. 'None of us needs to fix the whole world,' she said, 'but we can make a difference - one good turn after another.'

During Dr. Biden's speech she talked about balancing her life as a wife, mother, being Second Lady and still keeping her professorship at Northern Virginia Community College; adding to that, was her son, Beau's losing battle with cancer in 2015.

Biden said, 'Sometimes our strength comes from within us. Sometimes it can't. That's where community and groups like Hopelink come in.'

The luncheon raised a record $1.19 million to support Hopelink services.

Today, Hopelink provides a full array of critical social services through a number of different programs, including housing, transportation, case management, financial assistance, employment programs, energy assistance, adult education and literacy training, a vast referral network and six food banks. Hopelink Centers are located in Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, Shoreline and Sno-Valley/Carnation.

To make a donation and for more information about Hopelink, visit their website, hopelink.org.

(OUTview NW) LEO Party brings out Drag Royalty with Chad Michaels: Raises over $20K for SCS!

On behalf of Joe Torres, Founder of LEO Foundation - THANK YOU!

Our amazing team of VOLUNTEERS and ENTERTAINERS - AMORA Dior Black, ATASHA Manila, CLAYTON Coleman, DESARAE Pendavis, EVAH Destruction, GAYSHA Starr, ISAAC Scott, JAXEN Brown, LADIE Chablis, LaSAVEONA Hunt, LONDYN Bradshaw, LUNA Palacios, the MARKOS Sisters, URSULA Major, TRULY Scrumptuous with The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence - with the generosity of OUR FRIENDS helped raise $20,000+ for Seattle Counseling Service and Imperial Sovereign Court Of Seattle.

We are grateful to our gracious sponsors and donors: Muckleshoot Casino Charities, Silver Dollar Casino - SeaTac, Neighbours Seattle!

Here are the official photos courtesy of John Beursken.

With pride,
Aleksa Manila
LEO Foundation

Also in the SGN 

(SHOWcase) New Musical Supporting True Colors Fund!

The struggle for social justice is under siege in the United States. A new play from award-winning novelist Marc Acito and composer-lyricist and Grammy nominee Amy Engelhardt, “Bastard Jones,” aims to fight back.


Inspired by the 1963 film Tom Jones, the pair believes that you can substitute any discriminated minority for the word “bastard,” and the tale is as relevant today as it was over 250 years ago. Everyone is entitled to the pursuit of happiness, no matter their birth circumstances, and Bastard Jones is about young people banished from their families simply for expressing their true selves. It’s a farce with a rock score is about an outsider’s quest for acceptance.


Broadway librettist (ALLEGIANCE) and award-winning novelist (HOW I PAID FOR COLLEGE) Marc Acito and composer-lyricist Amy Engelhardt (genre-busting Grammy noms THE BOBS). Together they've written BASTARD JONES, a rock musical comedy.

(SHOWCASE) Broadway Composers Team Up to Raise Money for Beaverton High School Spring Musical!

By MK Scott

If you have lived in Portland for the past 40 plus years, you may have heard of the late great musical theater director, James N. Erickson, who was a staple at the Lakewood Center as well as the now defunct Portland Civic Theatre, Sylvia’s Class Act Dinner Theatre and the Musical Company. Plus he produced Breakfast with Santa for Meier and Frank for over 30 years.

Erickson was also the head of the Beaverton High School Theater Arts Department for 29 years from 1970 to 1999, and was an enduring mentor for many of Portland’s thriving theater scene from Jay Horenstein, Greg Tamblyn, Dale Johannes, and John Oules to Broadway stars such as Brooks Ashmanskas and Shoshanna Bean.

After Erickson’s retirement in 1999 and sudden death in 2004, the Beaverton High Drama Department struggled for over a decade up until last year, when Shannon Dery stepped up to lead a new generation of theater (and queer) students.

To gain some support, I contacted my celebrity friends and was able to get Olivia Newton-John to do a small shout out to ask people to help save the school’s 2016 production of “Grease.”

We raised over $3,000, and as a bonus, many alumni that hadn’t visited their high school in decades came back and pledged their support for Erickson’s successor.

So how do we top Olivia Newton-John? It was luck that Beaverton chose Terrence McNally’s adaptation of the classic film of “Catch Me If You Can,” which made its world premiere at Seattle’s famed Fifth Avenue Theater, which I have a connection to. They encouraged me to get in touch with the composers, Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman (Hairspray), who agreed to record the shout-out — and totally surprised me with a cameo by the king of Broadway himself, Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton)!

We need volunteers and contributions to give these kids the professionalism and the support that only the legacy of Erickson can provide.

Check out our Campaign video at www.gofundme.com/support-bhss-musical-fund.

(SHOWCASE) Best of 2015 and Updates!

OPEN is Looking FINE!

In 2015, our Showcase series focused on highlighting some of the best projects, film, and TV series that needed that extra special attention for their crowd funding campaigns.

The following are the top 5 posts of our showcase series (and yes most were successful) based on page views:

(OUTview NW) RE-view: Chandelier Productions' Spring Awakening is an INCREDIBLE Triumph!

by MK Scott

With Duncan Sheik's Spring Awakening heading back to Broadway, it is easy to appreciate the modern day classic and even seeing countless versions (Actually 3 so far) it is refreshing how fresh it can be.

Just imagine without Spring Awakening, we wouldn't have GLEE or LOOKING or even PITCH PERFECT, because the stars of the original Broadway cast was Lea Michelle (Wendla) who went on to mega success in Glee and the soon to be Scream Queens, but also Jonathan Groff (Melchior) who reteamed with Michelle in Glee and starred in HBO's Looking. Even Skylar Astin (Georg) went on to the highly Successful, Pitch Perfect franchise. The Tony winning, John Gallagher Jr, (Moritz) has stayed on Broadway with American Idiot and small TV roles.

(Chrysalis 2015) Hollywood Stars and Industry Notables Emerged for the 14th Annual Butterfly Ball

The Ageless Stone! Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty

On Saturday, The Chrysalis Butterfly Ball brought the Hollywood industry and celebrities together to honor remarkable men and women within the film, television and music industries who strive to achieve creative excellence. This year over 650 guests gathered for an unforgettable evening benefitting Chrysalis’ effort to help individuals out of poverty and homelessness by providing the tools necessary to gain employment. The event began with a red carpet and outdoor cocktail reception followed by a sit-down dinner, awards ceremony and live musical performances by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc and songwriter/artivist Maya Jupiter. This year’s Master of Ceremonies was Max Greenfield with special guest Kristen Bell.

The 2015 recipients of the Spirit of Chrysalis Award included Betsy Beers, partner of Shondaland (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How To Get Away With Murder”), Will Packer, founder of Will Packer Productions (Ride Along, Think Like A Man), and Michael Wright, CEO of DreamWorks Studios (The Hundred-Foot Journey, Bridge of Spies). The event also celebrated Chrysalis client Charles Johnson who received the John Dillon Award.

The event’s philanthropic partner is Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors Foundation, the automotive sponsor is Audi, the beauty sponsor is Lauren B. Beauty and the hospitality sponsor is Z Gallerie.

WHO: Co-chairs Rebecca Gayheart-Dane, Rick Hess, Donna Langley, Josh Lieberman, Katherine Pope and Richard Weitz will be joined by Vince Vaughn (True Detective), Sharon Stone (Gods Behaving Badly), Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect 2), Eric Dane (The Last Ship), Patricia Heaton (The Middle), Seth Rogen (Neighbors), James Van Der Beek (CSI: Cyber), Reid Scott (VEEP), Ben Feldman (Superstore), Vanna White (Wheel of Fortune), Darby Stanchfield (Scandal), Robert Patrick (Scorpion), Soleil Moon Frye (Planet Sheen), Lauren Miller (For a Good Time, Call...), Jason Goldberg (Producer), Balthazar Getty (Brothers & Sisters), Michael Ealy (The Following), Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy), Meagan Good (Think Like a Man Too), Elizabeth Berkley (CSI: Miami), Russell Simmons (Producer), Terrence Jenkins (E! News), Paula Patton (About Last Night), Lindsay Price (Eastwick), Curtis Stone (Celebrity Chef), Halston Sage (Neighbors), Kandi Burress-Tucker (Real Housewives of Atlanta), Leven Rambin (Tomorrow People), Jerrod Carmichael (Neighbors), Gary Sheffield (Retired MLB Player), DeVon Franklin (CEO of Franklin Entertainment), Max Handelman (Producer), Evan Goldberg (Producer) and Todd Tucker (Producer), among others.

(SHOWcase) John Simpson's The Beach House, the Film!

The Beach House will be one of the first LGBT films focusing on gays in the military. More importantly, what happens when they return to the states, often with PTSD.

As the filmmaking team, our goal is to make an important film that sheds light on the struggles that our vets, both gay and straight, have when they return home. The Beach House will be a beautiful, engrossing and romantically charged film.

It will have a realistic budget, efficient shooting schedule and will show a love story never before seen in an LGBT film.

That said, the total minimum budget for this film is forty thousand dollars, ($40,000) Any money raised above that amount will go towards the cost of conducting this campaign and then to entering the finished film into well-known film festivals and advertising.

Michael Simon has been retained to direct The Beach House. Michael's last film, The Love Patient, which was both written and directed by him, received a global distribution deal with TLA Releasing and was shown on Here! TV. The film won TLA's Gaybie Award for Best Romance/Comedy 2012.

Just one reason that John Simpson, the screenwriter, has such confidence in the creativity and professionalism of Michael Simon. Michael, along with John, will also act as Producer and co-producer. We are happy to give substantial donors the title of Executive Producer.

(GLAAD 2015) PHOTOS from the LA Red Carpet!

To Be Meghan McCain!

OUT on the RED Carpet could not make it, but we do have Glorious Photos from The 26th annual GLAAD-LA Red Carpet at the Beverly Hilton. 

Saturday was an amazing event, as celebrities and guests gathered for the 26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. Ellen DeGeneres presented the Vanguard Award to Kerry Washington. Channing Tatum presented the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to director Roland Emmerich. The event was hosted by comedian Tig Notaro with a special performance by Alex Newell. Additional special guests included Zoe Saldana, Viola Davis, Jack Falahee, Matt McGorry, Aja Naomi King, Peter Nowalk, Portia de Rossi, Pauley Perrette, Ron Perlman, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Jill Soloway,  Andrew Rannells,Murray Bartlett, Daniel Franzese,  Guy Wilson, Freddie Smith, Christopher Sean,  and GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis and many more! Photos by GETTY.

(OUTscene AMERICA) Re-Cap: HRC dinner in LA brings out Mariah Carey, Matt Bomer, Lena Dunham and many more!

Mariah Literally Stole the Show!                                  Hernandez  

by Greg Hernandez
Greg in Hollywood

When word got out that Mariah Carey would be performing at Saturday night’s Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Los Angeles, the event quickly became a sellout.

The crowd of 1,200 had to wait until the very end of a long, star-studded evening, before the Grammy winner was introduced by Empire star Jussie Smollett.

‘I don’t know how to explain how much a love this woman … she is one of the greatest vocalists of all time,’ said Smollett who came out publicly as a gay man earlier this month.

‘I’m about to pee myself,’ he admitted. ‘She’s right there.’

(SHOWcase) THE AUTOMAT, The Horn & Hardart Documentary!

Americans once sipped coffee and ate pie around communal tables, sharing their struggles and dreams with strangers at Horn & Hardart’s iconic Automat. Lifetimes ago, these working class palaces nourished a sense of unity that bridged the diversity of class, language, gender and race in the urban melting pots of the East Coast.

The story begins in a booming Philadelphia in the late 1800s. White-collar workers are flooding into the offices of newly built skyscrapers, and lunchrooms are springing up to feed them. Coentrepreneurs Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart seize their chance and by the early 1900s have BUILT a thriving chain of small restaurants and cafeterias, the latter a brand new trend of its own. Hardart brings back from Europe inspiration for the Automat, a ‘waiterless’ cafeteria that proves enormously popular, making the Horn and Hardart chain the dominant American restaurant company for the next half century. Kings of the New York and Philly restaurant scenes, the Automats feed millions throughout the Depression and two World Wars, serving all comers in palaces of marble, silver, and steel. Good food served cheap, and the enduring thrill of the automat machines themselves wins the Automat a place in our culture and hearts alike.

(SHOWcase) We need More Coffee House Chronicles!

Coffee House Chronicles is an anthology web series that explores the many ways that we connect in this brave new world of the Internet, social media — and coffee houses on every corner.

The first episode, Secret Asian Man, is sexy and funny — but also explores racism in the LGBT community. It stars two gorgeous and talented actors, Mykee Steen and Cesar Cipriano.

In the second episode, The Exception, Jeff is haunted — literally — by his perfect ex. Can his quirky and less-than-perfect BFF, Anthony, get him to leave behind the idealized past in exchange for a messy, imperfect future together? The cast includes the talented actors Darryl Stephens (Noah's Arc), Drew Droege (Sassy Pants, the Chloë shorts), and Chris Salvatore (the Eating Out movies).

(OUTview @ 6) Still Reaching for our Goal, 4 years later, Help us on our next Step!

It took awhile and 4 years later we are still committed. Please Help us get there, Please support our campaign! The following is an article that appeared in Echelon Magazine in March 2011!

(SHOWcase) We want "Where The Bears are": Season 4!

Season 4 of the award-winning gay comedy mystery web series promises more laughs, intrigue, sex, and peril than ever before! And…a wedding!!!

“Where the Bears Are” is a smash hit, with over 11 Million views worldwide and tons of positive press, acclaim, and social media buzz. We also won the "Best Gay Web Series" award from Queerty and afterelton.

After three successful seasons, we are now ready to shoot a Season 4!

BUT THE ONLY WAY WE CAN MAKE ANOTHER SEASON IS WITH YOUR HELP!

(SHOWcase) NICK and NICKY!

"NICK and NICKY" is a modern day screwball comedy and murder mystery inspired by the classic Hollywood comedies of the 1930s and 40s. Ever wonder "Why don't they make movies like that anymore?"  The answer: WE ARE! "NICK and NICKY" takes the witty sparkling spirit of these films and recreates it in a modern day, upscale, Gay setting.

The movie will be marketed as a mainstream comedy featuring a lovable and witty couple that happens to be GAY. The current goal is to raise enough funds($2,500) to finance the filming of the climactic wedding scene this summer at a magnificent ocean side estate in The Hamptons. This scene is not only funny and romantic but will also help further the promotion of MARRIAGE EQUALITY to a mainstream audience. What makes NICK and NICKY unique is that it is a genre film that challenges traditional gender roles.  Sometimes the best way to sell an idea is through comedy. Hopefully,we will raise enough funds to film the entire movie. The overall budget is $200,000.

Several staged readings of the script were done to wildly enthusiastic response from audiences both Gay and Straight.  The goal is to make NICK and NICKY a big crossover hit.  But we can only do it with your help. The project is a fun one so please be a part of the FUN!

(SHOWcase) Jake Wilson's Los Feliz, 90027!

"Los Feliz, 90027" is a soapy dramedy that follows the over-the-top lives of the staff of Rockwell restaurant and bar: the waiters, waitresses and bartenders who are aspiring actors, musicians and... porn stars. (and yes, we have actual porn stars).

The series stars the incomparable Rumer Willis (The House Bunny, Sorority Row), adult film superstar Bridgette B., and a supporting cast with credits that include Orange Is The New Black, Homeland, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, True Blood, The Big C, Friends, Pretty Little Liars, the new 90210, Will & Grace, All My Children and Bad Judge just to name a few.

Jake Wilson is the creator/writer/director of "90027" and also responsible for the hit musical web series "The Battery's Down" which featured original musical numbers from Broadway's best including Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winners. MK chatted with Jake about his FAB Film, You must be Joke, which made its Debut at SIFF and look for the film to be released sometime in 2015.Please Support this Project!

(SHOWCASE) Best of 2014 and Updates!

In 2014, our Showcase series focused on highlighting some of the best projects, film, and TV series that needed that extra special attention for their crowd funding campaigns.

The following are the top 5 posts of our showcase series (and yes most were successful) based on page views:

(SHOWcase) MK's Birthday Wish!

 It's MK's Birthday and he would like your Help. Please contribute, share, reshare and spread the word. This is just one of the exciting projects that MK will deliver to his Fans in the coming year. Please Fulfill his wish! Let's Raise 50% in the next week!

Update: Follow MK to Phoenix, SLC, and Texas in Early 2015! More awards will be Added!

MK in SF (2014)

The Project

After 3 years of Researching and traveling from Seattle to San Diego and Back and from Seattle to New York and Back, I have had the budget of $400 per trip that last about a month each (going by Ride Share, Trades and Couch surfing). Now I need to complete it so the Book can be published in Early 2016.

My Research

I started researching this book as early as 1989 (even though I didn't know it at the time that I would take a series of trips of self-discovery and test of Self-Reliance, and as a Openly gay Man, a much bigger Test, and going against stereotypes) and 25 years later, I am getting more experiences in traveling on a low budget and going on the roller coaster of staying at Airports and Train Stations to 4 star Hotels. I have Traveled through Canada, the Northern half of the US to Boston and New York, as well as up and down the West Coast. One moving and Humorous story after another.

To finish this book, I need to finish traveling I still need to travel the SW (From Las Vegas to Texas), the Deep South (From Texas to Key West) and the SE (From Atlanta to Washington DC).