Copies Available at BlockParty, Bars and Throughout the City
WeHo Pride Guide is a first for West Hollywood and Boystown Media, and publisher, Larry Block says, “I wanted to write a note, saying‘The news may not always be on your side, but it is incredible what we can accomplish when we work together’…a tear came to my eye. We delivered a public service message to lift the whole city up.”
By Larry Block
Publisher, WeHoonline.com
& Weho Pride Guide
It’s Pride Season. It’s a time of year when we celebrate who we are, our individuality, and our common ground.
The WEHO PRIDE GUIDE is a first for West Hollywood and Boystown Media. The goal of the project was to celebrate this year’s Pride Events, our city and our common values.
Print editions of the Guide are available for pickup during the day at BlockParty and YMLA Weho on Santa Monica Blvd.. as well as at most of the bars in WeHo including the Abbey, Gym Bar, Micky’s, Schmitty’s, Beaches, Hamburger Mary’s, and more.
Beginning on Monday, Pink Dot will include a copy of the WEHO PRIDE GUIDE in its first 500 deliveries of the week. An additional 200,000 guide links will be targeted via banner ads to phones and desktops through Spectrum’s small business division.
In addition, the guide is carried on WEHOonline, WEHO.com, and all social media platforms. We have also granted rights to the Los Angeles Independent to run our stories on their distribution channels.
“It’s the best I’ve seen,” said Christopher Jackson, President of Pride in Media, who consulted on the project.
Long Beach Pride did not have a Pride Guide this year, Jackson explained. Pride in Media will distribute the WEHO PRIDE GUIDES in Long Beach and throughout Southern California’s LGBTQ hotspots. Pride in Media is the exclusive distributor of Adelante, Blade, Fight, and Rage magazines.
As we cut the ribbon on the first bundle of the first palette, one copy was reserved for David Wilson, the city manager.
“I wanted to write a note, ‘The news may not always be on your side, but it is incredible what we can accomplish when we work together’…a tear came to my eye. We delivered a public service message to lift the whole city up.
‘Welcome to West Hollywood’ would be this year’s Pride theme. The back cover sports a photo of the West Hollywood Sheriff Station with the caption ‘We’ll keep you safe.’ It was an effort and idea to implement a narrative that could change the tone and build confidence that West Hollywood is a safe place to visit.
Besides an expected Pride surge, the local businesses are having a tough 2024 with many businesses reporting drops in revenue during our quarterly meeting that took place on the first Friday of April.
There was a consensus opinion that the skyrocketing crime we experienced in the past two years was the direct result of the council’s decision to defund the sheriff and loosen many of the laws that allow law enforcement to arrest or pull over suspects. The crime has improved, but the business has not returned. My plan of action did not need City Council approval.
Trying to get everybody on the same page was a challenge. The guide would weave personal stories of ‘What Pride means to me,’ and we reserved a page for all five city council members. Mayor Erickson, Councilmembers Heilman and Meister were happy to provide their story.’ Vice Mayor Chelsea Byers and Councilmember Shyne declined to participate.
We turned down thousands of dollars for the back cover to drive the ‘Welcome to West Hollywood, We’ll Keep You Safe’ message. It was a moving moment when we received the approval from the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. I’m really proud of that. We delivered.
www.wehoprideguide.com
Reprinted with permission of wehoonline.com
