WORK IT, BITCH! A Gay Boy's Guide to Kick-Ass Networking

 A lot of people are often impressed by how I network. While I won't brag about much, I will allow myself some credit on my art of bringing people together. Some of my biggest accomplishments in the past few years have shocked even me both as they were happening, and in hindsight.

I've brought international pop stars to my events, world-renown porn stars to my parties. I've been instrumental in some pretty big things in basically every industry.

And now, I'm going to teach you how to do it, too. Why? Because the world gets better with networking, and I'm not convinced that people who teach others how to network are teaching them the right things.

Allow me to give you a few tips on networking... or, as I prefer to call it, making Big Shit happen...



1. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU
So many people believe that networking has to involve them in some way. Let me debunk this right now. It is my opinion that networking is all about bringing powerful people together to make Big Shit happen.

For example, just the other day, I influenced the cover of a very popular magazine. How? I brought my friend, a pro photographer for the magazine, together with the owner of an internationally renown porn site. Where do I fit into this? I don't. I will probably get zero or less credit.

Guess what? It don't matter. The fact that Big Shit is going to happen... and that I played a role in it... is enough for me.

So think in this direction: who do you know? What potent combinations can you make between your contacts? What introductions can you make?

Every day I am networking other people together. Writers and artists. Pop stars and producers. Promoters and go-go boys. It doesn't matter.

Why doesn't it matter? Because I will benefit where it matters: these powerful people will remember that it was me who brought them together. They will introduce me to other powerful people who I can then network together in the future. They will come back to me when they have exclusive offers or other crazy ideas. And I will help them again.


2. DO FREE FAVORS
A lot of my powerful friends love me because they know they can depend on me. Last week the producer of a Provincetown musical approached me because he needed a specific type of cast member. The week before, a film director came to me with a casting call. The week before that, the editor of a major international gay magazine hit me up.

Why? Because they know that I'll post a casting call or announcement on all of my social networks for them. Why? Because I have fun doing it.

And, again, what's MY benefit? It's secondary. What's most important is that the role gets filled or the photo shoot gets models.

But the SIDE EFFECT is a sweet one. My crowd, followers, and fans see that I am their exclusive hook-up. I am the guy who knows when a film is looking first. They realize that sometimes, going through me saves them a lot of applications, auditions, tryouts, and letter-writing. My fan base grows because of this.

And the powerful people? Well they see that I can deliver what they need, when they need it. When I posted the casting call for the Provincetown musical earlier this week, I delivered to the directing team a total of 100 perfect potential performers. I am pretty sure they'll come back to me again next time they need something. And I will be happy to rally the troops again.


3. HAVE INTEGRITY
I don't advertise, talk up, market, promote, or support anything I don't 100% believe in. Sure, you could offer me money to tell my audience to buy your widget or wodget and I could do it. But if your wodget or widget is a flaming piece of elephant dung... what good does that do any of us?

For you, now you have pissed off customers complaining on the internet (bad). And me? Well, that means less people trust me. Justin Luke sells out, and cannot be depended on. My integrity is shot, and my reach is jeopardized.

Consider this when YOU network. Be sure YOU can get behind it. Because YOU will have to answer for it. Don't make bad connections. Make smart ones. Because every connection you make, every word you utter, becomes part of your permanent record.


4. DON'T THINK OF IT AS NETWORKING
Networking is a shitty word. It's a self-serving action you get taught in business classes at school. Fuck networking. Reframe it.

You're making good connections between powerful people. You're making Big Shit happen. The benefits you get MAY come, or they MAY not. But this is karma, people. You're doing good for the sake of doing good. You're empowering creation. That's reward enough.

And, that way, if you DON'T get rewarded, you won't be upset. Because you never did it for reward in the first place.


5. FUCK YOUR NAME
Think of everything in layers. For example, I created a group called GG20 (Gorgeous Gay and Twenty-Something). I then created a viral video featuring the members. Could I have announced it as JUSTIN LUKE'S GROUP GG20 PRESENTS?

Sure. But why? For the name credit? It's fleeting. It's not worth it at all. Instead I posted it as THE BOYS OF GG20 PRESENT. The second the video went live, the group experienced a surge in membership.

Did a number of the members enter the group to discover I created and run it? Sure. Maybe. So what? It's not about that. The project was about unity. Having fun. Increasing membership. By sacrificing my name and any potential "fame bump," I created a fun and viral video and a great activity for the group's members.

Selflessness is key, everyone. YOU are not important. If you put enough good out into the world, and point the eyes and ears of the audience to the right thing, you'll definitely catch some of the stardust. But don't be greedy. Don't be a pig. Keep your head on straight and do what's smart, and right.

If you tell someone TOO MANY things... or ask them to take TOO MANY actions, they'll ultimately do nothing at all, and you lose. If I said "Watch this video, join this group, follow me on Twitter!" Chances are none of those things would have happened. Keep this in mind. Keep it simple. Remember the audience... and give 'em what they want.


6. REWARDS WILL COME
It's just the way the universe works, friends. I helped a new friend with casting some projects he was doing for fun, and because I liked him. I learned a few days later that he actually has a "referral fee". I will be making money. And a good deal of it. For the work I did. I never did it for this reason, and the benefit came. Because I was expecting nothing, the benefit was even sweeter.

But you must remember: IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. Trust me. You'll get yours. Word will spread. Fans will increase. Viewers will increase. Your network will expand. But it's not about that. That's just the frosting.

And the sky's the limit. I have gotten some pretty baller, unexpected boosts and benefits from the networking and support that I provide. And, like I said, they're THAT MUCH greater because I'm not doing what I do for personal benefit.


7. IT GROWS!
One of the best benefits from this method of networking is growth. And what gay man doesn't like it when things grow? Your fans and followers will grow as more people learn that you've got the hookup. This larger audience will attract more powerful people, who see you've got a large and listening audience. They offer you bigger things, which you can in turn offer to more powerful people, all the while your audience grows and grows.

Are you seeing how this works? Think of it as two ladders, side-by-side, stretching on forever.  But I'm not just counseling you to continue climbing. No, you aren't USING people. You're all helping each other. So, as you clear a set of rungs, you're grabbing those rungs and putting them in a sack, and bringing them along with you as you continue climbing.

Everyone wins, including you.


8. HAVE YOUR BABE MOMENT
In the classic childrens' film, Babe, the farmer turns to the talking CGI pig towards the end of the film and says both sagely and wondrously: "That'll do, pig. That'll do."

I'm not calling you fat. But I AM saying that you need to take reward from ALL that you do. Knowing a magazine cover will come to be because of your meddling, or a writer has met an agent that may publish him, or a dance number will look fabulous because you hooked the troupe up with a costume designer.

These are your Babe Moments. Savor them. Enjoy them. You've earned them. And they're sweeter than any strip of bacon.

---

So good luck, friends. I am looking forward to the partnerships you will pull up out of the ether of nothingness. The shows that will go on because of your help.

Because, if we all help each other out, the rewards will be felt by everyone. And there is NOTHING in the world that is better than that.

- Justin Luke
JustinLukeNYC.com

Hell Freezes Over: I LOVE A Reality Show!

I know, I'm as scared as you are.

There are a few things everyone knows about me: I'm a nightlife promoter. I'm gay. I'm a novelist.

... and I HATE reality TV.

Like I hate Nazis. Like I hate Republicans. Like I hate getting caught in the rain.

That was until last night, when I discovered (aka: saw on my DVR), the new reality show on SyFy TOTAL BLACKOUT. I don't know what else to say, Plus Ones. I FUCKING LOVE THIS SHOW. And I'll tell you why.

But first, the premise. Think Fear Factor. And then put it in COMPLETE DARKNESS. We get to watch the antics and horror through a bright blue night-vision camera, but the contestants are in total pitch dark. Four people start, and, three rounds later, one remains. The survivor wins a paltry $5,000.

Oh, and for each round of elimination, the remaining contestants each jump on a platform. The loser of the previous round finds out they lost when their platform gives way and they plummet into a pit.

AKA: AWESOME!

Okay... and now reasons why EACH of you should set your DVRs to program Total Blackout immediately:



1. URKEL!
Holy shit y'all! Steve Urkel aka Stefan Urkel aka Jaleel White hosts this show. And he's aged well! And he's totally rocking the blazer and the attitude and he's giving me some sexy Stefan realness. I don't know WHO thought of unearthing him from the tomb of lost childhood actors, but it works astoundingly well.


2. FUCKING HILARIOUS.
If you're gay and ever saw Avenue Q the musical, you know what Schadenfreude means. If not, you might not be familiar with the word. Essentially it means laughing at the expense of someone else. TOTAL BLACKOUT might as well be called SCHADENFREUDE WITH STEVE URKEL.

Why? Because you get to watch people of all ages, shapes, races, gender orientations, and sizes flip their shit and scream like girls while sniffing butts, sucking toes, crawling through tunnels of rats, having an octopus dropped on their crotch, and ducking under electrified limbo poles that aren't actually there.

(And yes, all of the aforementioned actions actually occurred in the first 3 episodes I watched).

And it's WEIRD. Because YOU see them perfectly fine. You see them rubbing a girl's hair and guessing that they're touching a horse or bear or duck. You constantly forget that they are seeing NOTHING but BLACK. It's an odd and interesting experience.


3. REALLY INTERESTING.
Say what you want, but I think we can safely say that every single human being is scared of the dark. Petrified of it. Why? Because you see it on this show. Watch the video below. This is a clip of a VERY cute and VERY gay circus aerialist named Michael. Besides being my future husband, he also has a very dangerous job. He dangles HUNDREDS OF FEET in the air, upside down. He puts his life in danger every day. And yet, here he is, screeching and prancing, too scared to put his hand in a box.

I mean, we KNOW this is on TV. So nothing truly lethal will be in that box. Doesn't matter. Michael can't take it.





4. HOT GAYS
I've watched three episodes of the show. In EACH one there was a smoking hot gay guy. Michael the Aerialist. Justin the Texan (with tragic tranny brows... but still cute.) Wanna see him? Here's a picture of him giving a blowjob to a human toe, trying to figure out what it was.

One fact I MUST mention however (Spoiler Alert): In all 3 of the episodes the hot gay was the first to fall through the trap door and into the pit. Boo. I wanted to see more of them in very tight Spandex. Alas.

5. INTRIGUING
The whole show is so innovative, so inventive. Most reality and game shows these days are just combinations of successful game shows before them. It's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire plus Minute to Win It! It's American Idol, but the hosts are turned around on swivel chairs!

Sure, you might say that Fear Factor inspired this show, but Total Blackout is CERTAINLY not a rip off. Watching them use the complete darkness inventively (convincing contestants they had a live tarantula in a lacrosse stick when, secretly, said spider was replaced with an adorable stuffed animal, for example) is such a hoot, and so, so entertaining.


So have I sold you yet? I hope so. Like I said: I have NEVER liked reality TV of any kind. Naturally this is a revelation to me. I guess I was just waiting for the right one to come along. TOTAL BLACKOUT deserves at least one shot. Set your DVR to SyFy, sit down with a bag of chips, and prepare to enjoy yourself. Also, prepare to immediately start watching the second episode once the first is done.

And now, to close out this post, here is a hilarious video of contestants trying to identify the smell of a guy's butt.




xo Justin Luke
JustinLukeNYC.com

My Night as a Drag Queen

Hi. My name is Justin Luke. I am a published author and a gay nightlife promoter in New York City.

This is what I look like.

 

(Yes, the pink glasses are fake. As was that tattoo. As is that woman.)

But, for one night, this past Sunday, May 13th, Mother's Day, I looked like this.

And no, I'm not a career drag queen. And, after the experience of BECOMING one, I'm not too sure I'll ever do it again. But it was a spectacular experience, a checkmark on my Bucket List, and a teaching moment to be sure.

HOW IT BEGAN
Last year I promoted my self-published novel, Gulliver Travels at NYC drag queen and Showbiz Spitfire Paige Turner's weekly Sunday night show, SLURP Sundays at Vlada in Hell's Kitchen. I came up on stage, smiled and waved, sat on a stool, and chatted with Paige about the book.

The audience, to be frank, wasn't having it. It was a fine interview. But this was a drag show. A cabaret of chicks. They wanted pizzazz! And excitement! And dick jokes! Not some writer prattling on about his book.

Then, on May 1st of this year, the professionally published and updated version of my novel, Gulliver Takes Manhattan went on sale around the world. Paige invited me on her show again. I said yes, of course... but I had to fix the format from last year. I needed to do something new.

The idea hit me like someone had snuck up behind me and flung a textbook at my head.

I texted Paige and said, "Hey, for my appearance this year, what if I did drag?"

"You're kidding," she texted back.

"I am not." I said.

"Well shit. I can't wait to see this."


THE BUZZ
I went on Facebook and said I would be doing drag. One time only, and never again. I didn't expect the response that I received: over 1,000 collective likes. Over 500 comments. 350 retweets. Every single one of my social accounts lit up like a telephone switchboard during a Talk to Lady Gaga radio segment.

People were coming in from Jersey, Westchester, Long Island, Upstate, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere just to see this. Half thought it would be a shit show. The other half were pretty sure it would be a shitshow.

Regardless, a lot of people were coming to Vlada for Slurp Sundays that week.

And my drag name? Well, I owe the credit to that to my friend James. The name was so simple it was stupid. Plus, it was genius: GiGi Twenty, named after the Facebook group I created, GG20.

This was going to happen, after all.


THE DILEMMA
Or, maybe it wasn't

I have always joked that I could never be a drag queen. I'm too stocky. I have the shoulders of a linebacker. I have a huge tiki-statuesque head. And I was also in the midst of revisions of the sequel to my novel, Gulliver Takes Five, which is set for release in November of this year.

AKA: I didn't have time to actually learn and do drag. And I had no goddamn idea what to do.

Paige herself was very busy, with a photoshoot for Time Out New York, and her many weekly shows, and just being one of the city's most popular and in-demand queens. She texted me some tips, like where I could buy a wig, and get an outfit.

But it was too much stress. I was lashed to my keyboard and pounding out edits to Gulliver Takes Five. I was afraid that I might let everyone down and just show up as plain ol' Justin Luke.


THE SOLUTION
Jimmy Prada is a fabulous man of many talents. He DJs. He bartends. He's cute (that's a talent... trust). He also runs a weekly Bingo night at Patron in the low 50s in Hell's Kitchen every Monday. The guacamole is fresh-made (and you can get it spicy). The margaritas are served in buckets and are very, very cheap.

Jimmy invited me to come and guest host on his Bingo show on Monday, May 7th to promote Gulliver Takes Manhattan. I took him up on it. We had a great crowd, and awesome chemistry. Another guest on the show, a weekly guest to be more specific was the drag queen Tasha Salad.

Tasha lives in Kentucky and flies to NYC once a week, just for Bingo, and any other gigs she may have. I met her two years ago at the premiere of Paige Turner and Austin Helms' live drag reality show at New World Stages, So You Think You Can Drag.

I told Tasha of my drag woes, and she became my guardian angel with one sentence: "I'll take care of you, babe. No sweat. See you Sunday."

And take care of me she did.


DRAGIFICATION
Two hours. TWO HOURS. That's how long it took Tasha Salad to do my face. I sat in a folding chair in my living room, head back, neck screaming in agony as she ravished my visage with layers and layers of makeup.

She glue-sticked down my eyebrows and drew new ones in.

She contoured and RE-contoured my nose. My cheeks. My chin.

She glued top AND bottom eyelashes to my eyes.

She coated my entire upper half in makeup that I STILL am seeing on the collar of my coat.

I wasn't going to shave my legs, so instead I wore THREE pairs of pantyhose: two tan on the bottom, one nude on top.

I wore one of Tasha's red-head wigs, which she hair-sprayed to the point that it became a ginger rock formation. She put me in her dress, gave me a matching pair of sparkly sleeves.

I refused to wear high heels. I didn't have time to learn how to walk in them. And the last thing I wanted was to trip and cause a YouTube moment on the stage in front of hundreds of gay strangers and friends.

All of this happened in front of my friends Patrick and Scott, and my boyfriend Joe. They got to see the transformation. I refused to.

Instead, I faced away from the mirror. Kept my eyes closed most of the time. After two hours, Tasha instructed me to turn around. I felt like Jack Nicholson as the Joker in the original Batman film. "The mirror... THE MIRROR!" (Mirror Smash! Cackling! Evil actions! Montage Museum takeover with henchmen who look like Kid 'N Play!)

I couldn't believe what I saw. It was like looking into some magical Harry Potter mirror. I still FELT like me... but I looked nothing like me. I actually sorta looked like my deceased grandmother when she was in HER thirties.

I had to laugh. I had to shake my head. I had to run... because we were late. Scott, Patrick and Joe became my drag slaves. They held my phone and my books and everything else. We ran to Vlada... and somehow arrived early.

I spent the thirty minutes before my debut (and retirement) drinking and watching San Francisco drag queen Jackie Coxx and Paige practice their hilarious choreography to a brilliant song they had written that week.

Meanwhile, Tasha, out of drag, spent at least ten minutes tending to my wig, and "fluffing" this ridiculously gorgeous red coat while explaining to me the proper way that I would spin on stage, drop the coat, and "reveal" the dress underneath.


THE PERFORMANCE
See it for yourself:





THE LESSONS
I have learned the following things from my night as a drag queen:

1. I will probably NEVER do it again

2. Drag queens deserve a lot more credit and cash than they make in NYC

3. I will always walk like a man, I can't help it

4. A spotlight in your face transports you to another world

5. Don't bother with too much choreography, when you hit the stage you forget everything and end up making shit up


IN CONCLUSION
Doing drag is a commitment. It is a JOB.

The best drag queens make you think "Oh wow. I can totally be a drag queen! I'll just walk around being fierce and fabulous."

Well, partner, you're wrong. Good luck looking fabulous and fierce with your face feeling like it's covered in a gallon of cement. Good luck walking gaily as your dick is pushed back so far it's somewhere in your butt crack. Good luck being blinded by a spotlight, overheated to exhaustion, while your bobby-pinned hair screams under an itchy wig.

I didn't even walk in heels. Good luck doing that too.

A fabulous drag queen is no doubt screaming in pain and discomfort under that smiling, saccharine exterior.

So be sure to tip them. They deserve more singles than your wallet could EVER carry.

xo GiGi Twenty
JustinLukeNYC.com

40+ Gay Boys Singing in Their Underwear!

I am very proud of my latest video project that I did in my spare time. And it seems like people are enjoying it, too!

I asked over 40 members of my international gay Facebook group, GG20, to submit a self-made lip sync to Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe."

I then spent about 15 hours cutting them all together into one single lip sync video.

Views are coming in, as are likes and shares. And it was a ton of fun!

It even got played on all the screens at XL Nightclub in NYC this past Saturday for the thousands of party guys in attendance!

Okay. No more chatter. Enjoy the boys in their underwear.

xo JL
JustinLukeNYC.com

Max Ryder and Darren Richard Get Naked for Gulliver Takes Manhattan!

While I would LOVE to post these photos in my public Facebook gallery "Gulliver's Gay Boys!" I'm just too afraid of Mark Zuckerberg bitch slapping me off of my account permanently.

So instead, I'm posting them here!

Thanks to Darren for snapping these hella sexy pics. There's NO better ad than this!

Oh, and if you're in the mood for something EXTREMELY Not-Safe-For-Work, stop by the official website of Cocky Boys exclusive model Max Ryder to see how much HE loves Gulliver Takes Manhattan.

Click here... NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

Oh, and if you'd like to nab your OWN pic of you and my novel (clothed or not), grab YOUR copy right here: Gulliver Takes Manhattan.

SMFD: The Four Reasons People Work in Gay Nightlife

 

Have you ever wanted to get into nightlife, gay or otherwise? I'd like to ask you why. I'm very, very curious.

From my past 3+ years of experience in this colorful and blaring loud world, I think I've figured something out: the FOUR core reasons that people get involved in it. From what I can tell, EVERY person in nightlife is involved in it for TWO of these reasons. One is the CORE reason, and the other is the SECONDARY or SUPPORTING reason.

Want to debate me, and add another? Leave a comment or write to me. I'd love to discuss.



THE FOUR REASONS PEOPLE WORK IN GAY NIGHTLIFE

(S)EX
It's very easy to see the sexual effects of working in nightlife. Whether you're the DJ, the promoter, the bartender, or a dancer - suddenly you're a lot more sexually interesting. Whether you were blessed by the Pretty gods beforehand, or if you look like a bewigged pile of gelatin, chances are, more people are going to want to sleep with you. Because you are the Keeper of the Drink Tickets. Or the Cutter of the Line Outside the Club. Or That Guy With His Name On The Flyer That Thousands of People See Every Week.

Those who have gotten into nightlife for sex as their core reason are easy to spot: they're making out with and going home with a different guy every night. They may have multiple boyfriends who either know or don't know about the others. They're flocked by gorgeous guys and you, yourself, have no idea how that could possibly be.


(M)ONEY
If you're doing nightlife correctly, you're getting paid for it. Some of the top promoters in America, with multiple successful parties under their wings, stand to make a pretty nice weekly paycheck. Sometimes in the thousands of (sometimes untaxed) dollars. DJs command high prices per hour. Bartenders make enough tips to turn into a Cher wig every hour.

Yes, Nightlife is a great place to make money, so long as you're professional, dedicated, and business-like about it. You can tell if someone has Money as their core reason because, well, they're making money. If ANY of the other reasons are their core reason, chances are they aren't making money, or are blowing it away.


(F)AME
Fame, fame, fashion baby. Like I said, nightlife can deliver you a certain spotlight rather quickly. Wherever you're throwing your party, and however many people are showing up, if you have enough popular people screaming about how you're important, chances are that most people will believe it. Promoters are the face of the party, and can get a lot of cred for it. DJs gain international notoriety. Go-go boys get followings that literally will go wherever they may be dancing. Bartenders can win Glammy nightlife awards.

You can tell when someone has Fame as their core reason by the way they behave. If you see them arrive at a club with a squadron of gays, waiting to be escorted to the front of the line, orspend the entire time in the VIP of their parties, or don't seem nice if you ever approach them. They may not even GO to their parties. That's a sure sign.


(D)RUGS
Technically this could ALSO be Drugs/Drinking. Because, lord knows, once you get deep enough into nightlife, both are easy to get your hands on for close to nothing. This is the reason I can speak the least to, since the hardest drug I've ever done was pot, and that was many, many years ago.

Needless to say, I feel that this can be the most destructive/dangerous. Many a nightlife personality has fallen into this core reason, and never crawled back out of it again. Of course, self-control is important. I, however, know nothing of self-control, which is why I stay the hell away from this.

Oh, except the drinking. I do plenty of that.

---

So, where do I feel I stand on this scale? I'm sure you have your own opinion (I hope it isn't mean). But, from watching myself over the years, I'd peg myself as:

MY PRIMARY REASON: Money
I am trying to turn this into a career. I would love to one day make enough money to do that. I also come from a day job, and corporate life, so profits and losses and budgets and spreadsheets are coursing through my veins.

MY SECONDARY REASON: Fame
And the only reason the "fame" aspect is important to me is because it's allowing me to build platforms for my other projects. This blog. My debut gay novel. My gay web comic. My radio show.

And all of these, of course, go back to money. Because as soon as these things start making money, the sooner I can exit day life and plunge into a fabulously creative and profitable Not-Waking-Up-Weekdays-At-7-Fucking-AM life.

Oh, and let me add a 5th reason that I believe is a default for ANYONE working in nightlife: FUN. Whatever we each define as "Fun" may vary, and that "Fun" probably connects to our core reasons for working here, but it's a given. If you're not having fun in nightlife, why the hell are you doing it? It's tough work. It's long hours. It's exhausting and filled with unsavory (and very savory) temptations.

Yes, we're all here because it's fun. Because how can we sell fun to others, if we aren't having fun ourselves? We can't. It's that simple.


xoxo JL
JustinLukeNYC.com