The journey unfolds….On Levi Johnston

I sat at home in Switzerland having returned from nearly three years away living in Poland. I was exhausted and my focus remained on gaining publicity for the Polish GLBT project that I worked on without success or notoriety. I need to devise a publictly scenario which I could use to highlight the Polish plight.

One spring evening after a telephone conversation with a friend who was sharing with me the latest exploits and gossip stateside after the conversation I reflected on one piece of information he had given.

“Unzipped” magazine had offered Levi Johnston $35,000 if he would make a photo session with them. According to the news reports and comments of Levi’s manager Mr. Rex Butler his client would consider the proposal and if the money was correct ….

I begin to surmise that if Levi and his manager were considering the gay porn magazine editors offer – What if a mainstream magazine offered him an opportunity?

I did not know Levi prior to this event but Greg Weiner the chief photographer of Playgirl I knew from a meeting twelve years prior. At which time I invited Greg from New York City to Arizona to compose a Men of Arizona pictorial. I also arranged locations for photo sessions including the utilization of my home swimming pool and the exclusive Radius-Axis nightclub in Scottsdale, Arizona. Alternatively I was full time employed as a CNN journalist and produced press of the event. I also encouraged peers working at other Phoenix TV station to include in their news diffusion a human interest story about Playgirl and Greg – all of the additional five TV networks did. I made contact with all my gay and gay friendly closeted news peers to exploit the Playgirl in Arizona meme.

Naturally when I conceived the ideal of Levi Johnston doing a professional nude photo spread I contacted Greg Weiner in New York and proposed that I broker the deal. We discussed it prospects on the telephone and in emails. I also shared with Greg my desire for publicity through association of the photo coup for my Polish human and gay rights endeavor. Greg and I exchange many emails and talked on the telephone. The next day I contact Levi’s people and shared this with Rex Butler who was Levi’s manager and attorney. I recall one week passed and I introduced the two parties. In the end I and was left out of the concept publicity credit and payment phases.

I’d given Greg Weiner my friendship and trust however he had not earned it. Read complete synopsis here.

Seeking redress I reached out to various media organizations to share this story of Levi’s rise to pop-culture celebrity unfortunately as of this installment none have made inquiries with an interest.

This negative business experience is one of several in my artistic endeavors — none have ever made me want to surrender. That is not my nature. With perseverance and endurance I share this story entwined with ten years of making of video from photo sessions around the world.

Each endeavor or production in visual arts I donate proceeds to worthy efforts towards human and GLBT rights.

I have learned that within the course of life’s journey that good fortunate does not discriminate between the deserving and not so deserving.

http://www.dontmove.eu