Out Designer Turns TV Contest Winnings Into Something Spectacular

Let’s face it,  we’ve all fantasized about winning a briefcase full of cash or fabulous prizes on a game show, the lottery, a sweepstakes — really wherever anyone’s dolling it out.

Bryan Thomson had a similar fantasy when he appeared as a contestant on TrueTV’s Motor City Masters. The GM-sponsored auto design show pits 10 experienced designers against one another to create concept cars based on weekly themes. And Bryan was gunning it for the grand prize.

But the out designer wasn’t daydreaming about luxury vacations or extravagant shopping sprees. Instead, he pledged to take whatever he won on the show to set up a scholarship for LGBT design students.

He may not have nabbed the $100,000 grand prize, but in the end he came in second place — nothing to shake a stick at. The runner-up prize was (appropriately) a brand new car, a 2016 Chevy Camaro Z28 to be exact.

True to his word, Bryan sold the car (worth around $80,000) and used the money to set up the Bryan Thomson Design Scholarship for Automotive Supertalents of the Future.

Earlier this summer he told GLAAD:

“I was told that being gay was something that would lead to a life of sadness and that car design was an unattainable pipe dream. Neither of those things are true, and I’m so glad I listened to the tiny voice inside; just like a muscle, it gets stronger the more you encourage and work it out. I’m competing for a scholarship for gay and lesbian students who are interested in being car designers. I want to inspire that kid out there who’s being told there’s something wrong with them to know everybody is wrong and they’re right.”

To learn more about Bryan’s excellent prize allocations or to donate to the scholarship and help his vision realize an even bigger potential, visit Bryan’s website and click on the philanthropy section.