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February 2009 Edition Of
"The Excellence"
Victoria's Voice
I’m
so excited that my official reign as Miss Gay America 2009 has begun. Time
rapidly passes by, but it has been so enjoyable thus far. The pageant dates are
being set and I am gearing up for what is going to be the busiest year of my
life. I hope that each of you are doing your homework and have thought
about the preliminary you would like to compete as preparation is key for
competition and it is always smart to think ahead and to choose early.
The
last weekend in December was a special one because I was back in
Tulsa
with my MGA sister Catia Lee Love for a Harvey Christmas!
Catia's mother, sister, and nieces (from
Montana
), closest friends and I were there and it was so fun! Everyone had a gift to
open which was very special because they all had great meanings behind
them. I was very impressed how well Aron/Catia knew all his friends. The food
was great and the rum balls were even better. It was a start to a very eventful
weekend. The show that night was packed. I got to perform with Tabitha Taylor
(who made me the cutest winter hat for my bald head!) and Samantha West.
We laughed all night long. Rachael Erikks, Sarah Lewis, Kayne, and Adrianna were
all there and Tessa Traxler even brought me some glitter! It was so
nice to see everyone gather that weekend for the shows.
The
New Year has been amazing and a busy one I might add. I rang in 2009 in
St. Joseph
,
MO
where the show cast and I performed in our regular show. The owners and staff
of Shaft are so fun and hospitable. I was grateful and thankful to have been
with great people to celebrate the New Year! That weekend also marked 30
wonderful years that I have been livin' and kickin' strong. It was a wonderful
week of celebration with a show in my honor on Saturday night with a
host of fabulous friends, entertainers and special guests L’Oreal and Melinda
Ryder. The next night I was surprised with a birthday bash given by my mother!
Imagine my surprise and to walk into a place that was full of family and friends
there to celebrate my 30th birthday. I was overwhelmed and
touched! It was a blast!
That
next weekend I was back in
St. Louis
for another round of entertainment. Upon my arrival at the Grey Fox, I was
surprised to find my station decorated for my birthday with streamers and
balloons. I felt like a little kid again. Tumara Mahorning, Sasha
Nichole and I performed to a packed house. Sasha made a cake for me and sang the
birthday song on stage, it was so enjoyable. A special thank you to Joie/ Tumara
for being such a great friend and making me always feel like I’m at home.
Love you!
Sunday
night at the Complex was a blast I got to finally meet and work with an
entertainer that I have heard so much about, the talented Miss Desire DeMorney.
I could not stop looking at her because she is breathtaking. I had to apologize
for staring because I was stunned at her beauty. It was a very enjoyable time
chatting with her and my
Missouri
sisters Dieta Pepsi and Alexis Principle. It was also nice to catch up with the
promoter of Miss Gay Midwest, Mr. Joe Bradley.
The
weeks are flying by. I had one more stop in
St. Louis
before heading back to
Kansas City
. There is new place on the scene for shows in
St. Louis
called the Bastille and it was off the charts! It is a neighborhood bar that is
on the smaller side but they have wall to wall people arrive for the shows. It
was amazing. The emcee was one of my MGA sisters, Miss Vicki Vincent, as well as
Jade Sinclair and Melissa Marney who performed their hearts out. It was another
great time in
St. Louis
. It was also very touching to see Vanessa Vincent, Erica Leigh Foster and
family, Musica Malone, Dayona Hilton, Tabbi Katt, Madison Elise and Crystal
Lace. A special thank you to Don for the booking… I hope to return soon for
another wonderful visit...
I
returned home...... but only for one day. I unpacked and then repacked again
because it was time for a tour down south. First stop was
Branson
,
Missouri
at the Shake it up Cabaret. It was wonderful to get to work with Justice
Janelle Moore and a wonderful cast of entertainers auditioning for four spots in
their show cast. What a great venue to perform! It was a very quick
and fun trip. My next stop was
Little Rock
,
Arkansas
. It was so nice to be back and see some very special friends. The Friday
night show was a quick one and it meant that we got home to rest a little
earlier. Another MGA sister, Dominique Sanchez, is always so much fun to
work with and share the stage with her talent and beauty.
I
was able to sleep in a bit on Saturday because I knew I would not be
home until the early hours of the morning. Performing shows at midnight and then
again at two, truly keeps an entertainer on her game. So after sleeping in
I got ready and met the legendary Norma Kristie at his new clubs in downtown
Little Rock
, which are incredibly nice. We caught up on life and had a great time. It was a
nice surprise to also run into Mark Bostian. What a great day with
Norman
and friends and now it was time to head out for the shows. I
have to say that there is something about performing on the stage at Discovery
that is indescribable. The curtain, lights and a packed venue make you feel like
you are on top of the world. It is a great feeling and I am so fortunate to
experience it. Thank you
Norman
for all of your years of devotion to Miss Gay America and the leadership, as it
was an honor to perform in
Little Rock
again as Miss Gay America 2009! I can’t wait to come back!!
So
now it was time to pack the car and head to my next stop in
Fayetteville
,
Arkansas
. I got to spend some much needed time with friends Ken and Darrell, the
promoters of Miss Gay Heartland
America
. That night we were performing at Xanadu and OMG!, the crowd was unbelievable
and another blast of an experience. I am so thankful and humbled to meet so many
newcomers that are thirsty and ready for competition. I am looking forward to
when our paths cross again.
I
have really grown to appreciate and love traveling. Staying busy is
working well with me but sometimes one must take a break from all the madness.
With that said, my best friend Eddieand I went to visit our good
friend John in
Chicago
. Need I say more!!
Chicago
is such a great city and so much fun. I don’t think I have ever been so
cold. Can you say 15 below zero. Brrrr!! We bundled up and walked the
streets of the windy city anyway! I was so excited because I got to meet the
owner of the Continental pageantry system, Jim Flint. On Saturday night we went
to The Baton Lounge to watch the show. I really enjoyed chatting with Victoria
Le Paige, Chilli Pepper, Monica Monroe, Mimi Marks and the beautiful
Maya Douglas. The Baton Lounge cast is breathtaking! Thanks to Jim
for the amazing and incredible hospitality!
As
I look back on this month it is so rewarding to come into contact with so many
people across the country. Even though we are so different, we share the same
common bond and that is the art of female impersonation. With
anything, the sky is always the limit. Good things happen to good
people and if your heart is in it, you have nothing to fear or lose.
As
we enter the new pageant season keep in mind the goals that you have set for
yourself. Study every aspect of that goal and make it yours and own it from
start to finish. I am proud of the entire MGA family and I am
honored to be your symbol of excellence.
Until next time,
Victoria DePaula, Miss Gay America 2009
 From the desk of Larry & Terry
Another season
begins…
Well,
January is complete and another pageant season will soon begin
We are near conclusion of orientation to ensure that Miss Gay America
2009 Victoria DePaula is ready to make her mark in history as the 37th
annual Miss Gay America. As promoters are busy setting dates and locations for
their direct preliminaries, we anticipate that this season will be just as
exciting as prior years. We have now had the opportunity to view the Miss Gay
America 2009 video and are very proud that the contestants have chosen to seek
the crown of Miss Gay America. Yes, there were many who allowed their egos to
obstruct their vision of why they did not place higher, but overall, one can see
that, aside from any biased opinions, the placement of the contestants was
accurate. Once more, consistency prevailed and we look forward to watching
Victoria DePaula continue the legacy as Miss Gay America. Based on the overall
competition during the Miss Gay America 2009 pageant, it seems that contestants
in general, are more prepared and coached, than before. Clearly, it seems as
though the world of female impersonation is again changing. There is much more
emphasis placed on costuming, jewelry and hair, than before. There once was a
time when one wig was plenty, and now, it seems as though two wigs, plus
extensions and pieces is not enough. It is interesting, how drag has changed
over the most recent twenty years. It seems that the 80’s drag was full of
incredible costuming. Then, when we unfortunately lost many of the 80’s
entertainers, primarily due to the AIDS epidemic, and it seemed that the 90’s
form of drag lost its appeal to the mainstream audience, primarily due to many
up and coming 90’s entertainers not really having strong role models. Then
somehow, it seems as though the 90’s entertainers gained maturity and
knowledge of how to market a character that make people want to see their show,
and the demand for bigger costumes, bigger hair and bigger jewelry was set in
motion, as the “Wal-mart drag” suddenly became not good enough. It is great
to see, once more, so much effort put into an illusion. That effort is what
keeps the audience coming back and is what gets the attention of the judges. So
we say, to the contestants, you should begin considering now, not only which
preliminary you want to enter, but also a plan B of what you will do if you do
not qualify through your first attempt. Then, once you have decided on your
preliminary, you should carefully consider your competition package. You can
never take for granted that your most recent placement at the national
competition will propel you to greater success the following year. You should
anticipate that anything can happen and we see it each year, that newcomers can
“upset” the veteran competitors. We pride ourselves on the integrity of this
pageant system and are certain that the fairness proves that hard work and
attention to detail of every category will provide greater success. If you plan
to become the next Miss Gay America, your preparations need to start now. Not to
look beyond your preliminary pageant but to look to it and then after you
qualify, your focus should change. Contestants should consider their preliminary
to be just as the national competition therefore, they should bring their best
competition package. For as we have seen year after year, there are no
certainties and with each fair competition comes the assurance that everyone
begins each contest, on a level playing field. We look forward to another
amazing year, and in spite of this terrible economic condition, this pageant
system remains strong and thriving. There is always the challenge for Promoter
and Contestants, to find ways to make their efforts successful. Those who have
the desire to be successful must also possess the ability to find the means by
which to achieve success. Success is earned, not given freely...
Until
Next Time!
Larry and
Terry
From
A Promoter-(an article from T & A Entertainment-Aron Aranda and Nick Rose,
promoters of Miss Gay Ohio America)
We would first like
to thank L&T for the opportunity to write an article in the national edition
of “Excellence”. We feel more
passion, energy, and commitment to the America system everyday and appreciate
the acceptance and guidance we have received from all who call America home.
As we enter our third year as promoters we know that although the future is our
goal, it is the past that gives us our strength.
We acquired the Ohio system just before the 2008 pageant season and had
lots of work to do in order to make Ohio the system we knew it should be.
Before the transition, the pageant generally had little participation
from contestants/formers and lacked a centralized approach needed for growth and
continuity. Last year we were
overjoyed to have 11 preliminaries with 16 contestants showing up for state as
well as 14 former Miss Ohio Americas (the largest amount of alumni ever!)
Our goal has been to create a network of many that will foster growth,
give support, and improve the quality of female impersonation throughout the
state. We attribute our early
successes to the commitment and support we have received from the Miss Ohio
America Board which consists of passionate people (some formers) that believe
like we do: Excellence doesn’t
just happen, it’s a decision you make every day!
It’s amazing what a common goal combined with blood, sweat, and tears
can accomplish. We have learned a
lot on our short journey and know that this learning is ongoing and will only
help us to become a stronger and more solid preliminary to Miss Gay America.
This past October, as we traveled to St. Louis, we were nervous but excited and
felt an incredible energy in Team Ohio. Hellin
Bedd was a great representative and continues to makes us proud as a performer,
female impersonator, but most importantly, as a friend.
We were also VERY lucky to have Symphony as our representative.
She competed with the same level of talent and grace that we have come to
love and admire all across the state of Ohio.
The entire week in St. Louis was incredible.
We were astounded to be co-honored with the “2009 Best Hospitality
Award” (along with Miss Gay D.C. America) and will do our best to continue
offering that same acceptance and warmth to all those who visit.
Many friends of ours made the trip
from Columbus to support Team Ohio in St Louis and we are confident that this
growth of the Ohio contingent will continue.
Hopefully we can add to the experience for each of you at future Miss
America pageants. However, no matter
how many Miss America’s we are lucky to see crowned, we will never forget the
pride and elation we felt when Victoria DePaula was crowned Miss Gay America
2009. In Ohio we “adopted”
Victoria as an honorary member of our state 3 years ago because we could not let
the talent, generosity, and overall greatness of such a wonderful man pass by
without our acknowledgement. We look
forward to welcoming Carl to Columbus this July and hope we can be as much of an
inspiration for him as he has been for us.
Whether a contestant or a promoter, we consider each one of you our family and
offer any support or advice you may need. Lord
knows we may look to you for both as well. Here’s to a successful pageant
season for each of you and to seeing you in St. Louis again.
God Bless.
Aron Aranda
Nick Rose
T&A Entertainment
Promoters- Miss Gay Ohio America
From
A Promoter-(an article from Rodney Brown and Mike Divoky (Cocktail
Entertainment), promoters of Miss Gay Heart of America, nominee for Regional
Preliminary of the Year in 2007 and 2008.)
 Greetings
and salutations!!!! Mike &
Rodney here in
Memphis
,
Tennessee
. We at Cocktail Entertainment would
like to start off by congratulating Victoria DePaula, Miss Gay Heart of America
2005 and Miss Gay DC America 2008, on capturing her dream, the title of Miss Gay
America 2009. Words simply cannot
express how truly excited we are for her. We
cried for her, just as her mother did, when we heard her name called out.
We have had the pleasure of working with
Victoria
in the past as our reigning MGHOA, and as our former, and both experiences were
nothing short of very professional and incredible.
We love
Victoria
, and the audiences do as well. She
is an amazing entertainer and an incredible administrator.
We can’t wait for everyone else to have the same experience; she will
no doubt go down in the history books as one of the most incredible Miss Gay
Americas ever.
We know how hard times are right now, and putting a pageant on this year is
going to be a big test of how good all of us can find simple and some unique
ways to help each other out and keep our love, and hopefully everyone else’s
love, for the pageants going. It is
times like these that we are facing now and probably will face in the near
future, where all of the promoters need to work together and do what we can to
help each other out. Share ideas
with each other; help each other out. Those
of us that are having our prelims close to each other can try booking
Victoria
’s travel together and share in the cost of her flights.
This is one reason we love being a part of the MGA system, not only do
the contestants work well with each other, but also the promoters work like a
family within the system as well. Here
are a few things that we at Cocktail Entertainment have done that have really
helped save us money this year, and we thought we would share a few of the ideas
with fellow promoters that we have not spoken with.
Please do not take from this advice that we are ‘cheap’ by any means.
We are simply trying to be frugal in times that are getting more
challenging for each and every one of us. People
are losing their jobs and/or taking pay cuts, and we’ve been hit by this as
well. However, from doing some of
these things, we’ve been able to grow our prize packages each year we’ve
held our pageant. This year our
prize package is the largest ever, and is still growing.
We take pride in this, in knowing that it will help our girls out in this
tough economy.
Start your planning early. We
started planning for Miss Gay Heart of America 2009, the week after Miss Gay
Heart of America 2008. Our pageant
is in May of every year, but to guarantee us a good date at the venue we wanted
and a Host Hotel, we start right away. This
allows us each and every year to place an ad in the MGA national program
advertising the date of our next pageant. It
also prevents other pageant systems other than MGA from booking their pageants
on the same weekend we want to hold ours at that venue.
When MGA 2009 rolled around, we already had our location contract signed
with The MAX (http://www.themaxomaha.com/),
and our Host Hotel contract signed with The Redick Plaza Hotel (http://redickplazaomaha.net/).
Truth be told, The MAX called us and asked us to book our date for next year,
because they wanted us back. They
know that we, as businessmen and managers, know how to run a good pageant
without any issues. Promoters, when
you have a location calling you, such as we have, this gives you the power to
ask for more from them each and every year.
Don’t be afraid to ask. They
want you back. Find a venue that
will give you 100% of the door and/or pay you to hold your pageant at their
location.
When it comes to Host Hotels, make sure there are no issues there either and you
can try to work out better rates each and every year.
Confirm all reservations and then reconfirm closer to your pageant.
Remind them when you get there exactly what is included in your Host
Hotel contract. The front desk
personnel may not know what you worked out with Guest Services, so it’s always
a good thing to do. This year our
Host Hotel rate is cheaper than last year and includes free parking for
everyone. Hotels need your business.
If they are not working with you, shop around and let them know what
others are offering you. They are in
competition with each other and will usually come back at you with a better
deal. Most importantly, try to find
gay-friendly hotels so that all of your guests feel comfortable.
Remember that guys in makeup and wigs will be walking around their lobby
and premises; ask yourself if you think they will feel comfortable in doing so
at the location you picked.
First off, if you don’t already have them get frequent flyer cards for every
airline you fly on. Use your miles
for not only yourself, but also the entertainers you are flying in for your
pageant. We have gotten numerous
free flights for our pageants over the years.
The number one trick to this is to book your airline reservations as
early as possible. Airlines only
offer so many free seats to frequent flyers per flight.
The way we do it is by using only those credit cards that give us
frequent flyer miles for every dollar charged.
As long as you pay the cards off quickly, you’ll have zero or very
little interest to pay, depending on the card.
Even if the card has an annual fee of let’s say $50, it is worth it in
the frequent flyer miles you will rack up. It
is the cheapest way to rack up frequent flyer miles, and a good way to track
business related expenses if you have a business such as we do for promoting our
pageant. Some cards let you use the
miles for flights on any airline (for example, First National Bank of
Omaha
credit cards). Some cards only
grant you miles for a particular airline (for example, the Northwest World Perks
VISA). Book your airline
reservations early and get those free seats.
Even if you have to pay full price for a flight, the earlier you book
more likely, the cheaper it will be. Never
wait until two weeks out to purchase your flights.
This will take a huge hit on your budget.
Secondly, reuse supplies year after year. Don’t
leave anything behind at the bar or venue you’re holding your pageant at.
For example, if you buy 6 binder notebooks (5 for the judges and 1 for
the emcees), don’t let them take them home with them.
Ask for them back and reuse them year after year.
Also, things such as calculators, pageant signs, floor length mirrors,
table decorations, etc. can be reused as well.
Of course things will disappear, or walk away on their own sometimes
(such as our glass table decorations from our first year), but just replace the
few that did and it will be cheaper the next go around.
If you are new promoters, keep in mind that your first year will always
be your most expensive. Overhead
costs for supplies, etc., should go down after your first year if you are
budgeting your money correctly.
This
leads to our next piece of advice, which is always have a budget.
Include all expenses in it for every detail of your pageant.
This is the only way you will know how much money to set aside and/or get
sponsorship for. We include
franchise fees, award fees for plaques and trophies, hotel expenses, entertainer
fees, videographer fees, airline fees, supplies, etc.
If you don’t know how much your pageant is going to cost you, you
won’t know how much money you’ll have left over to help your girls out at
the MGA nationals.
Ask Ask Ask – the best way to get help with sponsorships and/or supplies for
your pageants is to simply ask the people you know and the people you don’t
know. Never be afraid to ask someone
you don’t know to help you out. You’d
be so surprised at how many people are looking for a venue to get their product
or name out there, and/or to support our community and/or their love of female
impersonation, and may not know about your pageant.
Start by putting together a sponsorship letter and then begin making
in-person visits or phone calls. We
also send a lot of e-mails, since we live in
Memphis
,
Tennessee
, and hold our Regional in
Omaha
,
Nebraska
. This year, we’ve had sponsors
coming to us that we’ve never had before.
From year to year we lose a sponsor or two, but we always pick up new
ones. Pick up a copy of a local gay
magazine or newspaper from the area your pageant will be held in.
Look through it and take note of who is advertising in these
publications. Start by contacting
these businesses, and usually they will lead you to others.
If you have a home office like we do, consider supply expenses there also that
can save you money. The little costs
can truly add up over time. We use
recycled ink cartridges in our printer, and also recycled paper (go green).
Also, a couple of our local office supply stores offer either 1) a free
rheem of paper for every returned ink/toner cartridge or 2) a $3 store credit
towards the purchase of anything in the store.
We take advantage of this all the time.
We never throw away our empty ink cartridges; we recycle them and get the
credit for doing so.
Most importantly, don’t forget to ask the bar or venue you’re holding your
pageant at who they would recommend for sponsorships.
The first year, when we held our pageant in
Omaha
, the largest local beer distributor flatly turned us down, and has done so
every year since. The first year we
asked for sponsorship, they claimed it was not in their budget, but since then
we have a hard time believing that since we ask earlier now, and they sponsor
several “straight” community festivals/events every year.
The MAX recommended another distributor to us, and ever since we’ve
used them. They said, “YES” the
first time we called and have gone above and beyond for us each year since,
giving more to us simply for asking. Don’t
be afraid to ask for banners, flyers, money to cover the crown, etc.
Most large distributors use a local printing company and can make banner
and flyers for you at no cost at all to you.
As long as they are getting their logo and name on your ads somewhere,
they are happy to help out.
Flowers – every gay person usually knows someone that does floral
arrangements. If you can’t afford
to use a florist, call a friend that’s good at arranging flowers, or simply
don’t use flowers. We have a
friend in
Omaha
that owns her own floral/greenhouse shop (she went to school with Michael).
She has always given us a huge break in price, simply because we asked.
We simply promise her a free ad in our souvenir program and mention by
our emcees several times throughout the pageant.
That’s exactly what sponsors are looking for – to get their name out
there in the community. They realize
that when customers have a choice, they’ll usually go with the last company
they saw advertise their product reasonably.
When gays have a choice, they’ll usually spend their dollars with those
businesses they know support us. It
makes complete sense for them to advertise at our pageants, for this reason
alone. They know that generally
speaking, gays have more disposable income than most.
We really hope that some of our ideas and things that have helped save us money
and headaches will help some of you at your pageants.
Please feel free to contact us if we can help out with your pageant in
any way, if you have any questions or additional ideas for us, or just want to
drop us a line to chat. Promoters
can even help out by judging at each other’s pageants; so, if you need a
judge, and we are able to come help you out, don’t hesitate to ask.
We are currently in the process of getting our souvenir program ready for this
year’s pageant, and if anyone would like to promote his or her pageant that is
scheduled to occur after our pageant (after May 17, 2009), we would love to have
you put an ad in our program. Contact
us for ad specifics and prices; we will give other MGA promoters a break in the
ad prices. Check out our web page on
the MGA web site for our contact information and let’s see if together we can
help each other out in these tough times.
We hope to see many of your at our MGHOA Revue Show on May 16, 2009, and our
MGHOA Pageant on May 17, 2009, both at The MAX in Omaha, Nebraska (http://www.missgayamerica.com/Preliminaries/Heart%20of%20America.htm).
If you’ve never been to
Omaha
, you should take the time to check it out.
It truly is a secret gem in the middle of our country that most people
don’t even realize is there, and it is home to the most
incredible/fabulous/amazing/ gay nightclub called The MAX.
Our web page on the MGA web site has a link to our Host Hotel that will
take you to a list of attractions in
Omaha
that can start your trip off right. Yes
there is more to
Nebraska
than just cornfields – LOL. Come
check it out, and enjoy in a fabulous weekend of national entertainers that will
blow your mind. Please don’t
forget that we always let other MGA promoters into our Revue Show and Pageant
free.
Thanks for your time in reading this article.
We hope to see and speak with each and every one of you at the big dance
this coming October in
St. Louis
,
Missouri
. We will strive to do whatever we
can to make this year the best ever for MGA 2009 Victoria DePaula, the owners of
the system Larry & Terry, and you, our friends and family who support MGA.
Kindest Regards,
Michael Divoky and Rodney Brown
Miss Gay Heart of
America
– (a division of Cocktail Entertainment)
A Note From The Editor
The Excellence strives to be an informative newsletter delivered to the promoters,
contestants, audience and other supporters of the Miss Gay America Pageant System throughout the year. Should there be any issue or topic of discussion a promoter would like to see addressed (or to write an article to be published) in a future newsletter, please contact the editor via
Email.
Please note, any article, comments, or opinions faxed, mailed, (postal or electronics),
or otherwise sent to any of our "addresses" become our property and carry an implied consent of publication should we choose to do so. No articles will be published in which one or more of the following occurs:
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