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