Spencer, the Stoli Guy San Francisco winner, gave his hometown a memorable show at the GayCities-produced event that happened at Beatbox. He proved to the celebrity judges Andrew Christian, Sister Pat-n-Leather and Donna Satchet that he had the look, the charisma and the energy to make it far as a Stoli Guy.
Now Spencer is getting ready to travel to New York City for the national finale. Will he be the one to claim the $10,000 prize?
Can you give us a little teaser of what your original talent showcase will be at the finale on September 18?
A lip-synch for my life that by the end will have everyone on their feet or everyone on their phones calling the paramedics because I’ve somersaulted off the stage.
How did your friends and family react when you were named Stoli Guy 2014 in your hometown?
The first person I told was my 91-year-old grandmother who said, “Of course, or else they would have to face me.” And everybody else has is just happy that they have a direct connection to their favorite vodka now.
Being an LGBT ambassador for Stoli is an exciting job. Why do you think you’d be the best at it?
I think being an LGBT ambassador for Stoli means connecting to people by being outgoing and creative so they’re excited by the brand and the community it’s so involved with. I always have the best time meeting new people and think I would be a great representation of a brand that encourages people to connect every day.
Why do you think being “authentic” is important in the LGBT community?
I think everyone learns the hard way that being any other person besides yourself makes everything a lot less fun. Realizing that it’s okay to be different is what being LGBT is all about in the first place!
What inspired you to participate in Stoli Guy 2014?
The words “Authentic,” “Inspired” and “Original” had huge appeal to me because it meant that Stoli was going to let me do pretty much whatever I wanted. A creative outlet like that doesn’t really come around all that often, so it got me excited thinking about what me and my hot glue gun could put together.
Favorite Stoli Guy Cocktail: It’s hard to pick but I’ll say “Future Husband”(Stoli Original + Ginger Beer) and stick with that. I’m not afraid of commitment.
jimontp
Every day a new “Stoli” guy from another city. Why? This is still a Russian Vodka, bottled in Latvia, but all the grain for the alcohol is from Russia. In spite of all the anti-gay measures the current Russian government has enacted. Can someone please explain to me WHY? The local “personalities” ask the contestants inane questions, but no one mentions the oppression gays in Russia are experiencing. Did I miss something? Has Stoli stopped supporting the Putin jailing of gays in Russia? Really, what has Stoli done? Or is it really that Stoli has paid off Queerty?
Scott Gatz
@jimontp: Jimon, Stoli is an advertiser on Queerty. But you asked what Stoli has done? They donated $150,000 to the Russian Freedom Fund and another $300,000 to the LA Gay Center both for programs that work toward eradicating awful inequality in countries around the globe.
Here are some articles:
http://www.queerty.com/chicagos-bar-sidetrack-lifts-boycott-of-stoli-vodka-20140207
http://www.advocate.com/business/2014/02/09/stoli-donates-150k-fight-russian-homophobia
http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2014/01/23/op-ed-parade-front-lines
Xzamilio
@jimontp: Shut you up lol
IcarusD
I thought Spencer’s performance in San Francisco was adorable, and his costume was the best, too. 😉 I confess I’ve been voting for him every day.
Stache99
@Scott Gatz: They must be a really good paying advertiser then. You should just rename the site to something like StoliQ.
The boycott most definitely worked though. Brought world attention to Russia’s brutal anti gay law. Plus, these donations were not brought about by any altruism but to save their butts. They make a ton of money off gay bars and clubs.
As far as them being a Russian company it gets complicated but..
1) Two of SPI’s three production facilities are located in Russia (in Perm and Tambov).
2) The distillery in Tambov is Russia’s largest.
3) SPI is the world’s largest exporter of Russian vodka.
4) While SPI cannot sell Stolichnaya in Russia, it does sell a long list of other vodka brands that it produces in Russia.
5) The company purchases 85,000 tons of Russian grain per year.
6) SPI’s agricultural subsidiary, Raduga, farms 3,700 hectares of land in Russia.
7) Besides its production facilities and farmland, SPI has significant real estate holdings in Russia.
Stache99
@jimontp: “The local “personalities” ask the contestants inane questions, but no one mentions the oppression gays in Russia are experiencing.”
Please. Any questions or responses outside of “Stoli is about being yourself” is so not going to happen. Their just there to lip syncm dance and look pretty.
DonW
@Scott Gatz: How about labeling the paid-placement “Stoli Guy” stories for what they are? If you can’t bring yourselves to call them advertising, at least mark them “sponsored content.” Queerty may not be a traditional journalism outlet, but you have a responsibility to your readers to maintain a degree of transparency in your “news” coverage.
nemesis9
Is Queerty sponsored by Stoli now?