From the MC Film Fest Mail Bag…. 5-23-2012

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 16, 2012

St. Pete Pride kicks off the festivities with a Pride + Fashion event

 at Macy’s Tyrone Square

Celebrities Jai Rodriguez and Alec Mapa to host the event

WHAT:             St. Pete Pride, in partnership with Macy’s, is excited to announce that television host and Broadway singer/performer Jai Rodriguez and award winning actor, comedian, playwright, and journalist Alec Mapa will headline this year’s Pride + Fashion event at the Macy’s in Tyrone Square Mall on Friday, June 29. The annual event officially kicks off St. Pete Pride weekend for visitors and residents alike and showcases the latest trends in fashion.

WHO:             The Emmy award-winning Jai Rodriguez began his career at 18 when he was cast as Angel in the musical RENT. Although most recognized for his role in Bravo’s culturally groundbreaking series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Rodriguez has shared the stage with legends like Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Brian McKnight and Taylor Dayne. He currently serves as the Co-Creator and Co-Executive Producer for LOGO’s new series Bad Sex, a docu-reality series that helps people face their fears around love, sex and intimacy. Most recently, Rodriguez returned to TV in roles on NBC’s Harrys Law and Are You There Chelsea?; ABC’s Detroit 187, Days Of Our Lives and How I Met Your Mother; FOX’s Bones; FX’s Nip/Tuck; and Teen Nick’s GIGANTIC. Additionally, he starred in an ABC sitcom (pilot) opposite Reba Mcentire, Lily Tomlin and Sara Rue.

Alec Mapa’s career on Broadway, television and movies spans more than twenty years. As Mapa says, “Luckily, he’s Filipino, which means he’ll look thirty when he’s fifty, fifty when he’s seventy and by the time he’s eighty he’ll be too pooped to care. But enough with the Asian Math!” Mapa had the distinction of playing network television’s first gay Asian series regular character on the short-lived CBS sitcom Some of My Best Friends. Alec then spent four seasons on the UPN sitcom Half and Halt. His Wisecrack! Comedy special debuted on LOGO in 2005 and has played in heavy rotation ever since. Currently, he can be seen on Reruns of the hit ABC comedy Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives. As an out gay actor of Filipino descent, Mapa has long been a Worker for causes benefiting AIDS and the LGBT and Asian American communities, including The Human Rights Campaign, The Matthew Shepard Foundation, Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS), Project Angel Food, AIDS Project Los Angeles and Lambda Legal, among others. For his dedication, Mapa was recently honored with the East West Visionary Award, the Rand Schraeder Distinguished Achievement Award from the Gay and Lesbian Center of Los Angeles and the Davidson/Valentini Award from GLADD; and he was nominated for a Maggie Award for his editorial columns in The Advocate magazine. He truly is “America’s Gay Asian Sweetheart!”

This year’s Mistress of Ceremonies and one of America’s 50 Funniest Lesbians, Christine O’Leary, will join Jai and Alec for what’s sure to be a great time on the runway. There may even be a few more surprise guests left in store for the audience!

WHEN:             Friday, June 29, 2012      6pm

WHERE:             Macy’s at Tyrone Square Mall, Men’s Department

6901 Tyrone Square St. Petersburg, FL

MORE:             A $10 suggested donation to the event is requested. In turn, Macy’s will provide customers with a $10 Macy’s gift card. All proceeds benefit St. Pete Pride. Guests will also enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres, provided by Georgie’s Alibi, and champagne, provided by Barefoot Wine and Bubbly. This fashion extravaganza kicks off the annual Jagermeister Pride Pre-Party, which follows at Georgie’s Alibi, 3100 3rd Avenue North in St. Petersburg and starts the party for the 10th Annual Pride in Paradise.

 

St. Pete Pride is expected to draw an estimated 90,000-100,000 people this year and has a plethora of events occurring throughout the month of June leading up to the official St. Pete Pride Street Festival & Promenade.

 

Photos: Attached.

About St. Pete Pride

St. Pete Pride is a 501(c)3 organization whose purpose is to promote unity, visibility, self-esteem and a positive image of and among the LGBT community of St. Petersburg and throughout the state of Florida by way of cultural and educational programs and activities including an annual St. Pete Pride Promenade and Street Festival Event.

For more information call St. Pete Pride at 727-279-LGBT (5428) or visit www.stpetepride.com.

 

St. Pete Pride is sponsored by Macy’s Inc, Creative Loafing, Florida Blue, FunMaps, JetBlue Airways, PepsiCo, PLAY 98.7, Tampa Bay Times, Visit St. Petersburg Clearwater, Watermark Media, AYP 1, Inc, Gayborhood App, GSH Radio, HotSpots Magazine, Jagermeister, One Magical Weekend, Rainbow411.com, Snap!Qpon.com, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Bud Light, EDELWEISS AIR, Flamingo Resort, Georgies Alibi of St. Petersburg, ProSuzy.com, Trans*Action Florida

Thank you to our additional media partners: tbt, Beadle Media, LGBT Live, MyQmunity.com, What’s Happening Magazine, Dishing with Mark & Carrie, GayStPete.com, ILoveTheBurg.com and Pet Pride Magazine.

Media Contacts:

Chris Rudisill, Executive Director

St. Pete Pride, Inc.

Email: chris@stpetepride.com, (cell) 727-643-9160, (office) 727-279-LGBT

P.O. Box 12647, St. Petersburg, FL 33733

 www.stpetepride.com  |  www.facebook.com/stpetepride  |  www.twitter.com/stpetepride

Georgi Pipkin, Macy’s Media Relations

Georgi.Pipkin@macys.com, (305)577-1973

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Chris Rudisill
Executive Director

******************************************************
St. Pete Pride Looks for New Executive Director
May 17, 2012
St. Pete Pride Looks for Executive Director
Following Executive Director Chris Rudisill’s resignation release two weeks ago, the Board of
Directors at St. Pete Pride are opening up a search for a new Executive Director to step in for the
2012-2013 Season. Resumes are now being accepted and must be filed with the organization no
later than midnight on June 15, 2012. Rudisill will work out this year’s Pride event and will be
leaving the organization on July 15, 2012.
The Executive Director is responsible for leadership and management of the organization, funds
development, planning and coordination of events, office management and media/public
relations for the organization.
St. Pete Pride is expected to draw an estimated 90,000-100,000 people this year and has a
plethora of events occurring throughout the month of June leading up to the official St. Pete
Pride Street Festival & Promenade.
Applicants interested in the Executive Director position should e-mail a cover letter, resume,
contact information for three references and salary requirements to Stanley Solomons, Board of
Directors President at Stanley@stpetepride.com. The board asks that “Executive Director
Position” be placed in the e-mails subject line.
For more information email Stanley Solomons at Stanley@stpetepride.com or visit www.stpetepride.com.
St. Pete Pride is a 501(c)3 organization whose purpose is to promote unity, visibility, self-esteem and a positive
image of and among the LGBT community of St. Petersburg and throughout the state of Florida by way of cultural
and educational programs and activities including an annual St. Pete Pride Promenade and Street Festival Event.
—
Media Contact:
Chris Rudisill, Executive Director
St. Pete Pride, Inc.
Email: chris@stpetepride.com, (cell) 727-643-9160, (office) 727-279-LGBT
P.O. Box 12647, St. Petersburg, FL 33733
www.stpetepride.com | www.facebook.com/stpetepride | www.twitter.com/stpetepride
###
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PFLAG Tampa Working with Others
From: pflag.tampa@gmail.com
To: pflag.tampa@gmail.com
Sent: 5/22/2012 2:07:53 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: PFLAG Tampa – Homeless Youth Forum Invitation

Friends-

If you’ve been reading our newsletters, you know that PFLAG Tampa has been working for months with The Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County (HCHC) and other service providers to develop a Homeless Youth Forum event to raise awareness of the plight of homeless youth. On any given day there are hundreds of young people in our community who find themselves without a place to call home and this event promises to provide great insight into how our community can address this crisis. The Forum will include a guest panel of homeless and formerly homeless youth who will tell their stories through a powerful video and answer audience questions about their experiences and how they are addressing the challenges they have faced, including domestic violence, aging out of the foster care system, lockouts and commercial sexual exploitation. Resources for homeless adults in Hillsborough County are scarce. For youth, they’re almost non-existent. PFLAG Tampa is particularly concerned about this vulnerable population — research has shown that up to half of homeless youth are LGBT, having been locked out of their homes.

Mr. Jeremiah Kerr, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer working at HCHC (and a PFLAG Tampa officer!), has worked tirelessly to make the Homeless Youth Forum a reality. This event will be hosted by HCHC and co-moderated by Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner and Homeless Coalition CEO, Rayme L. Nuckles. (Please see the attached flyer.)

Invitations have been extended to elected officials at the city, county, state and federal levels. Gov. Rick Scott has graciously accepted his invitation and will speak at the Homeless Youth Forum.

PFLAG Tampa would like to extend a special invitation to all of you to attend this extraordinary event. Seating is limited, so be sure to register as soon as possible for your FREE tickets. A complimentary breakfast will be provided.

We’d like these kids to look out across a packed theater full of interested and supportive allies. If you can possibly attend, please do. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested.

Where:

Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Jaeb Theater, 1010 North W.C. MacInnes Pl., Tampa, 33602

Date:

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Time:

Complimentary breakfast — 8:30am to 9:30am
Forum — 9:30am to 11:00am

Cost:

Free, but registration required.

Register:

www.homelessofhc.org (If the link doesn’t work, browse to the HCHC website and register from there.)

Parking:

Inexpensive and plentiful parking available at the Poe Garage, with a covered walkway to the Straz Center. Hourly parking entrances are on W. Cass St. and N. Ashley Dr.(Please see the attached map.)

See you at the Straz!

– John & Nancy Desmond, PFLAG Tampa

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963

“We must make it clear that a platform of ‘I hate gay men and women’
is not a way to become president of the United States of America.”
– Jimmy Carter, 1996

Email: pflag.tampa@gmail.com
Web: http://pflagtampa.org
Telephone: (863) 535-5239
Calendar: http://goo.gl/gg3dp
Facebook: http://facebook.com/PFLAGTampa