Happy LGBTQ+ Pride Month! Jayzen is thrilled to be launching Pride Month with the incredible Wilson Cruz! Wilson currently stars as Dr. Hugh Culber on Star Trek: Discovery. As the first openly gay actor to play an openly gay character on series television, Wilson first came into our homes as Ricky Vasquez on My So Called Life in 1994. His career has spanned television, film and Broadway - and he continues to be an amazing activist for his community.
In celebration of Pride Month, the Lead With Your Brand!™ Podcast has partnered with Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the premier organization working exclusively on LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Each week in June, we’ll be featuring an out leader each with an amazing career story to share. In addition, we’ve assembled an entire collection of shows with LGBTQ+ guests from the past three seasons, including two special roundtable episodes where we explore issues around the trans experience and intersectionality of race and LGBTQ+ in the workplace. The team at Out & Equal has created free downloadable discussion guides, so we encourage you to use the podcast as a virtual “book club” with your ERG or group of friends. Listen to the episodes, download the discussion guides and schedule your group discussion! Check out www.leadwithyourbrand.com/pride for more information.
Happy Pride!
Guest Bio
Wilson Cruz
Award-winning Actor, Activist and Humanitarian
Award-winning Actor, Activist, “Actorvist,” and Humanitarian Wilson Cruz currently stars as Dr. Hugh Culber on the Award-winning CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, which premieres its 4th Season on November 18th. He appeared on the Netflix series THIRTEEN REASONS WHY and in Hulu’s 2020 GLAAD Award-Winning original animated kids’ series THE BRAVEST KNIGHT. He is also the Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed docuseries called VISIBLE:OUT ON TELEVISION airing on Apple TV+ that investigates the importance of TV as an intimate medium that has shaped the American conscience, and how the LGBTQ movement has shaped television.
Receiving the Emery S. Hetrick Award from the Hetrick- Martin Institute for Outstanding Contributions to LGBTQ Youth, for his role as Rickie Vasquez on the ABC series MY SO CALLED LIFE, Wilson became the first openly Gay actor playing an openly Gay role on series television. Cruz also starred as Angel in the West Coast premiere of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical RENT which earned him both The Ovation and Drama Logue awards before his reprisal of the role on Broadway.
Cruz recently accepted GLAAD’s Vito Russo Award and the Make A Difference Award from the Matthew Shepard Foundation. He has also received the Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award from the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center, the Liberty Award from Lambda Legal, the Visibilidad Award from GLAAD, the Fusion Achievement Award from Outfest, the Latino Spirit Award for Achievement in Entertainment and Advocacy from the California Latino Legislative Caucus, the Harvey Milk Equality Award, the Lincoln Aston Public Service Award, Aston-Brooks Award, and the Advocate Award from AdColor. He served as the Director of Entertainment Industry Partnerships and National Spokesperson for GLAAD, currently serves on the board of GLSEN and devotes considerable time supporting other LBGTQ organizations as well. Wilson is a first generation American of Puerto Rican descent.
Links
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