Unleashed LGBTQ+ founder Wesley Smoot said this week that this year Unleashed is “putting an even greater emphasis on media, original content and experiences that give journalists, creators and entertainment professionals opportunities to connect,” according to a press release issued Wednesday morning, Aug. 12.
That effort, Smoot said, will take center stage on Saturday, Sept. 19, at The Rose Room inside S4, 3911 Cedar Springs Road, when Unleashed hosts a special live event featuring TS Madison, in partnership with iHeart Radio and Dallas Voice.
Madison will record live in front of an audience, accompanied by “very special guests to be announced in the weeks leading up to the event,” Smoot explained. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
“We want to make a splash with media,” Smoot said. “We want to bring great personalities to Dallas and create an environment where media can connect with them, interview them and walk away with incredible content.”
With the TS Madison event, Smoot continued, “We want people outside of Texas to see what is happening here and recognize Dallas as a city where entertainment, business, media and LGBTQ+ culture can come together in a really exciting way.”
Although Unleashed LGBTQ+ began as a conference featuring LGBTQ+ entertainers and newsmakers discussing their own projects and the LGBTQ+ news of the day, it has continued to grow and expand, Smith said, from nationally recognized speakers and entertainers to podcasts (Coffins and Cocktails) to consumer products (Unleashed Vodka) and more.
While the goal is to “build an ecosystem in which each part of the company supports the next,” Smoot said, for him, “the mission remains much the same as when Unleashed began: Create the platform, bring interesting people together, amplify their voices — and see what happens when they connect.”
— Tammye Nash