News Release - June 24, 2011
Margie M. Palmer, Media Relations Coordinator
858-225-8700, ext. 5002
ESF Statement Regarding Free to Be Festival Date Change
SAN DIEGO, CA — In April of 2010, Monarch Productions reached out to the Empowering Spirits Foundation (ESF) indicating they wanted to produce a festival that would not only promote social change and educate others on issues of equality, but to also help expand ESF to a national level. At that time, Lisette Molina indicated that due to her relationship with Lady Gaga’s road manager, Wendi Morris, along with her “vast other Hollywood contacts,” including her brother, Black Eyed Peas manager Polo Molina, that securing Lady Gaga to perform at this event would not be a challenge.
Lady Gaga has been a great ally to our community, the fit seemed natural, we were told we’d only need to assist with our branding, and the manner in which the festival was promoted to us fell within our mission as a nonprofit.
The festival date changed numerous times internally at the direction of Molina, and after a number of trips to meet with other individuals associated with Gaga’s team including Morris; after a last-minute cancellation of a meeting with Lady Gaga’s tour manager Troy Carter in Atlantic City; a no-show by non-profit liaison to Gaga Carmen Cacciatore for a meeting in Los Angeles; and after Molina and her business partner cancelled a March 20th lunch meeting to be held in Orange County with ESF Communications Director Margie M. Palmer and event marketing partner Rudy Camacho Jr. of CCS Inc. at the last minute “because it’s raining and we don’t want to drive,” it became clear that ESF was not their priority.
Shortly after Morris stated that Gaga was no longer available because she had become more popular than she believed would have ever happened, and ESF needed to wait for the hype from “Born this Way” to die down. It was suggested that we hold a “pre-cursor” event, followed by a larger event in New York City with Gaga in 2012 – a seemingly valid proposition.
However after learning that artist contracts were illegitimately signed in ESF’s name by non-ESF parties, and after learning that Monarch attempted to move the event to the Palladium without first consulting with ESF and jeopardizing our partnerships, it became clear these individuals weren't seeking to help promote ESF, nor was their intent to foster change and an understanding of issues important to the LGBT community.
Because of their negligence those associated with ESF were forced to step in and take time away from our service events. They not only caused great harm to our nonprofit as we are contractually obligated for costs associated with this event which they stated they’d cover, they used ESF’s good name to tout an event that clearly wasn’t going to happen as everyone was led to believe. We felt this was misleading to not only us but to our partners, supporters, and the public at large.
Therefore, it was imperative that we sever ties with those we felt didn’t have ESF’s best interests at heart, and those of the community we represent. We therefore renamed the festival, and moved the date to September 3rd to allow us time to reach out to people who could really bring something to the table, who have connections or resources, and could help to not only make the event a success, but to shine a light on the true reason for the festival – sparking social change and promoting equality.
I would like to personally thank the many people who have over the past few weeks stepped up to help steer this festival back on course; including Rudy Camacho, Jr. of CCS, Inc., Adrianna Henry of Skye Rentals, Los Angeles-based promoters Damian Peliccione and Diahnna Nicole Baxter of WebTvWorkshop.com, Rob Abelow of Roll Call Records, PR/social media and event producer/consultant Julie Rasmussen, Alicia Champion and Danielle loPresti of San Diego IndieFest, George Krokondelas of FB innovations, James Valdez, superintendent for the Los Angeles State Historic Park, and Scott Thorpe and Joshua Merrill of MogoTix.
Anyone who purchased tickets for the July 9th date is welcome to a full refund by contacting me at 858-225-8700, ext. 5000. Otherwise we will see you September 3rd in Los Angeles for a day of great music, food and fun as we celebrate the uniqueness in each of us.
Sincerely,
A. Latham staples
President & CEO
About the Empowering Spirits Foundation, Inc.
The Empowering Spirits Foundation, Inc. (ESF), a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, is a non-partisan civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality through community service activities. Since its inception ESF has been taking the struggle for LGBT equality into the next era by fostering non-confrontational dialogue with individuals and institutions that may have not previously supported LGBT populations. Instead of attempting to change laws ESF strives to change the hearts and minds of those who are generally ignored by existing LGBT organizations.
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