Billy Eichner and Dyllón Burnside Join Unleashed LGBTQ Live Event - September 2023
Joining a Powerful Lineup of Talent, including Antoni Porowski, Indya Moore, Shangela, and other Industry Leaders making Noise in the LGBTQ+ Market
DALLAS — APRIL 25, 2023 — Unleashed LGBTQ, a first-of-its-kind conference and entertainment festival creating a space for brands, artists, and LGBTQ+ professionals to connect, is thrilled to announce new talent joining its lineup, including Billy Eichner and Dyllón Burnside, for its first live and in-person Unleashed LGBTQ 2023 conference, taking place at Gilley’s in Dallas, Texas, from September 22 - 24, 2023. Unleashed event organizers also welcome iHeartMedia back as media partners to activate the programming as the official audio partners for the festival’s first ever in-person event.
"Our first live, in-person, event is going to create a synergy between talent, the business community and the entertainment industry in a way no LGBTQ+ event has ever done before,” said Founder, Wesley Smoot. “Companies sending representatives to our event will be able to take advantage of all opportunities available, whether it’s for educational purposes, networking or entertainment, LGBTQ+ professionals or others focused on allyship, will reap the benefits of our educational and entertainment-based lineup. We have dedicated an entire area to workshops for attendees to learn new skills from today's thought leaders and we’re confident companies sending entire departments to Unleashed LGBTQ 2023 will have a more informed, supercharged team that will be lightyears ahead of other brands.”
Each day at Unleashed LGBTQ will begin with educational topics — from workshops and panels discussing business (advertising, marketing, DEI), society (non-profit, advocacy), and personal (financial planning, continuing education) development – and will feature high-tech brand activations and experiential marketing installments throughout the venue, before transitioning to entertainment that will include screenings, drag shows, stand-up comedy, and musical performances. Attendees will be enriched by professional development and networking opportunities through the Unleashed LGBTQ event app (developed by WebEx/Cisco) and at specialized mixers and unique branded activations through the award-winning Freeman event services.
The growing lineup of talent will include:
● Billy Eichner Co-writer and Star of Bros (Universal Pictures), Billy on the Street, The Lion King (Disney), American Horror Story (FX), Difficult People (Hulu)
● Antoni Porowski Emmy-Award Winning Show Queer Eye (Netflix), Host of Easy Bake Battle (Netflix), Author of Antoni in the Kitchen & Antoni: Let's do Dinner
● Indya Moore Emmy Award-Winning Show POSE, Yves Saint Laurent Cosmetics, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
● Shangela Emmy Award-Winning Shows We're Here (HBO), RuPaul's Drag Race, & RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (MTV)
● Dyllon Burnside Emmy Award-Winning Show Pose,Emmy Award-Winning Show POSE, Emmy-Award winning PBS docuseries PRIDELAND, Golden Globe nominated limited series MONSTER. GLAAD & HRC award recipient
● Daniel Franzese, Mean Girls (Paramount Pictures), Ru Paul's Drag Race (MTV), Looking (HBO)
● Kelly Ann Winget, Founder & CEO of Alternative Wealth Partners, Over $1B in private equity raised, Host of The Wealth Alpha podcast, and Author of Pitch the Bitch (April 2023)
● Brian Sims, Former Penn State Rep., LGBTQ+ Advocate & Speaker, Managing Director of Government Affairs & Policy at Out Leadership, Board Member at Campus Pride & GLSEN
● Naomi Green, MBA Speaker, Marketer, Professor, and Transgender Advocate
● Ashley Brundage, President & CEO of Empowering Differences, Author of Empowering Differences, Transgender Advocate, Former DEI Vice President at PNC Bank, Mother
● Dr. Carlton Thomas, Gastro-Intestinal Medical Doctor, Social Media Sensation, Contributor to Men's Health Magazine, LGBTQ+ Consultant to the White House & the CDC
● Matt Skallerud, Founder & President of Pink Media, Host of #iLoveGayToday, former President of IGLTA, Award-Winning Online Marketer connecting businesses to the LGBTQ+ consumers
● Vicky & Charisse Pasche, Co-Founders of Dapper Boi – body-inclusive and gender-neutral apparel – Marketing, Sales, and Entrepreneurial Experts, Wives and Mothers of Twins
● Stacey Stevenson, CEO of Family Equality, Co-Founder of The Changists (Law Firm Consulting), LGBTQ+ Activist, Speaker, Mother of Two
● Gary Sanchez Sr., Director of Community Impact at Visit Dallas, Former Chairman at North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Chairman at Chamber Foundation
● Brad Pritchett, Award-Winning Marketing Executive, Chief Experience Officer at DMA (Dallas Museum of Art), Host of The Good, The Brad, & The Ugly podcast
Unleashed LGBTQ is also partnering with the iconic Alamo Drafthouse to host screenings of new LGBTQ+ content from streaming services, movie studios, and television networks. Independent filmmakers can submit works for Unleashed LGBTQ 2023 Film Festival at:
https://www.filmfreeway.com/unleashedlgbtq
Unleashed LGBTQ, LLC is proud to have received support, endorsements, and/or grants from the following organizations: DTPID (Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District), Visit Dallas, North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce, NLGCC (National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce), & IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association).
Other partners include Gilead Sciences, iHeart Media, equalpride, and Kelly Ann Winget.
About UNLEASHED LGBTQ, LLC
Unleashed LGBTQ, a space for brands, entertainers, and LGBTQ+ professionals to connect, will host its inaugural, live event September 22nd - 24th, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. Attendees can learn about the latest products, services, and campaigns debuting in the LGBTQ+ market in a fun and interactive environment. Unleashed LGBTQ provides premier networking opportunities for professionals in a variety of industries. Unleashed LGBTQ will host speakers, panels, and performances from some of the biggest names in LGBTQ+ culture, including film, television, music, and business. Stay tuned for additional Talent announcements.
Tickets are currently on sale on the event website here: https://www.unleashedlgbtq.com For more information on partnerships and company group rates visit: www.unleashedlgbtq.com
CONTACT:
Nicole Rodrigues
NRPR Group for Unleashed LGBTQ
Nicole@nrprgroup.com
424-421-9610
To request press credentials email:
press@unleashedlgbtq.com
Tom Goss and Actor-Turned-Rapper Daniel Franzese Celebrate Plus-Sized Gay Geeks with Fuzzy Cheeks in Nerdy Bear: The Remix
Last summer, Tom Goss paid homage to the subset of plus-sized gay men that enjoy superheroes and video games with his smash anthem, “Nerdy Bear.” Now he returns with “Nerdy Bear: The Markaholic Remix,” a reinterpretation of the song from the bear’s perspective, featuring brand-new rhymes by the gay community’s ultimate nerdy bear, Mean Girls and Looking actor Daniel Franzese. “The remix was my idea,” says Franzese. “When Tom’s original came out last summer, I was like ‘OMG, it's about time we got an anthem of guys pursuing us in song. We should do a remix of this track where the bear responds that he’s down to party—and I should rap on it!’” Tom Goss’s “Nerdy Bear: The Markaholic Remix (featuring Daniel Franzese)” is available on iTunes, Spotify and all major digital platforms. Its music video is on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ymiXYYHrM1k.
The friends have worked on several projects together over the past few years. Most notably, Franzese played Tom’s husband in a series of videos from the singer’s Territories album. “It’s always fun to work with Danny and at this point it seems like we’re just making up opportunities to work together,” Goss laughs.
The original “Nerdy Bear” is a pop track, with a big, snappy sound, an infectious melody, and a sultry R&B vibe. The remix—by LA-based producer Markaholic
(RuPaul, Trixie Mattel, Willam Belli)—raises the BPMs and adds slick and seductive rhymes written by Franzese. He wittily weaves explicit sexual connotations into many of the popular arcade games from the 80s, as in: “If you like whips and chains, we can do the Double Dragon,” referencing the martial arts game. He continues with “I’ll follow you down your Oregon trail and hitch on to your wagon.”
He makes similar playful associations with the shapes from Tetris, the cherries in Pac-Man and the mushrooms in Mario Brothers. The idea is not just about getting laughs; it is meant to convey the confidence Franzese and others in the gay bear community have built by not only accepting their girth, but embracing it. “It’s fun to find unique ways to amplify body positivity and happiness,” says Franzese.
Michael Serrato (Big Gay Sketch Show, Neil's Puppet Dreams), Goss’s long-time collaborator, who directed the original “Nerdy Bear,” returns to direct the remix version. “I always love the movement and cheekiness Michael brings to a project,” Goss reflects. “He can always make me smile.”
Goss brings a few smiles of his own in the video, debuting his stripper moves. He’s not quite sure where he learned them. “I guess years of taking off my clothes to try to get people to listen to my music,” he jokes.
Tom Goss was 22 and in seminary, training to be a Catholic priest, when he realized his strong attraction for plus-sized men, known as "bears" in the gay community, and nerdy ones to boot. “‘Nerdy Bear’ is authentic to my experience and relays my unique perspective that beauty doesn’t fit a standard mold,” he says.
Tom Goss’s “Nerdy Bear: The Markaholic Remix (featuring Daniel Franzese)” is available on iTunes, Spotify and all major digital platforms. Its music video is on YouTube.
Visit http://tomgossmusic.com
Follow Tom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @ tomgossmusic