How This Introverted Artist Became a LGBT Nightlife Icon

As owner of BBE Group LA (Bash LA) and Executive Director of LA Black Pride, he’s curated events with some of the culture’s biggest stars and played a key role in fostering a nightlife community. Despite his role as the life of the party, Brandon is actually an introvert, raised by his Grandmother, who feels very blessed to do what he does - yet he realizes it’s still work. Check out Bleu Magazine’s exclusive conversation with the multi-hyphenated creative below to learn more.

Let’s start off with introductions. For people who aren’t familiar with you, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Well I graduated from Columbia with a BFA in Acting. Then I decided to move to Los Angeles. From there, I spent several years auditioning and realized I needed to find a way to make money (laughs). So, as a hobby, I started throwing parties, which eventually evolved into a business due to the success I was bringing to both the city and myself. This led to the creation of Bash LA, a live production and event company based in Los Angeles. Also, about ten years ago, I became the Executive Director of Los Angeles Black Pride. Since then, I’ve been curating some of the hottest and most significant Black queer parties on the West Coast and in other partner cities.

That’s amazing. Have you always been a dot-connector? Talk to me about your networking style?

No, I was never really that. I describe myself as an extroverted introvert. I've always been the one to showcase my personality on stage. But I was never the person that wanted to be hospitable, until I moved to LA and realized I had built a network through my involvement in various subcultures and communities—from ballroom to my experiences living in Atlanta. It all just happened organically because of the many different people I knew and the diverse spaces I was part of.

But when did the idea actually spark? Was there an experience or conversation that made you realize there was a need for Bash LA?

Absolutely. When I moved to LA, there were no events specifically for Black queer people. They had a few clubs that played some hip-hop music, but as I looked around, there were no people like me. Coming from New Orleans and having lived in Atlanta for a couple of years, it was a cultural shock. In my first year here, back in 2009, I noticed there were no spaces playing hip-hop music where the crowd and attendees looked like me. There were plenty of Latino and white communities dancing and listening to hip-hop, but it felt odd that we were partying in spaces that didn’t cater to us.

That realization gave me the encouragement to try creating something new. I thought, "You know what? I’m going to give this a shot because at least I’ll be doing something that's not being done." So, I decided to go for it and see how it goes.

That’s interesting. So out of curiosity, what do you enjoy more, being on camera or behind-the scenes?

Being on camera. It allows me to live other people's lives and take a break from my own personal business and issues. When it comes to being hospitable, I prefer to stay behind the scenes. As an extroverted introvert, it takes a lot of my energy to be the go-to person who always has to smile and be present for everyone. I like being on camera because it creates a fourth wall that keeps me from being too involved with too many people. So, it's a mix of both, but I do enjoy being in front of the camera more.

Some people love being in the limelight and growing their social presence, but I’ve also met others who are like I just “do it for the art.” Can you talk to those people? What’s a networking tip you’d share?

I think that oftentimes we are always in our heads, making sure that we are saying the right things, looking the right way, doing the right things. I think it's very important that we just show up as ourselves. That's important consistently because that's the only way you'll be able to really gauge your audience and the people that really respect you and see you based on being yourself authentically. I always say, sometimes stuff doesn't stick on the wall. You know what I mean? You're not for everybody. And once you realize that and accept that, you are able to kind of move in this world, freely.

Tell me about the moment when you knew you were following your dreams and had made the right decision.

I'm still juggling the intersection of nightlife and acting. I am still passionate about acting, but I think what made me realize I was entering my calling was when I started receiving so many DMs and messages from people. They were seeking me out to create spaces where they could truly be themselves, realize it was okay to be gay, meet their lovers, and things like that. It made me realize that my calling was bigger than me. It was at that moment I thought, "Wow, okay, this is something I am clearly gifted at," you know? Providing spaces, being personable with people, making them feel welcome, and appreciated. When I realized how important it was for the smaller voices to be heard, that's when I knew I was stepping into my calling.

Okay, let’s switch gears a bit. How did LA Black Pride happen? What’s that experience been like?

What happened was, I was throwing all the parties around the city, and the board realized that I had significant reach and attention in the city. So, it started as a partnership where I handled the nightlife aspects—parties, events, hosting, and booking celebrities—while the organization focused more on community engagement. Over time, as the board members got started to step back, I gradually took on more responsibility. This is our 37th year and I’ve been able to give it a bit of a facelift.

It sounds like you’re living in your purpose. But was there ever a time you questioned this path? Can you walk me through that thought process?

Yeah, yeah. There have been a few times in the nightlife space where I've felt challenged because, one, I am truly an introvert. When people see me at my events, they don’t understand that. It’s like I’m a battery, and once I drain that battery, I have to go back into my corner and regroup. I always tell my friends that I never asked to be in this position; I was given it by the grace of God. But I always wanted to make sure that I remained myself.

Sometimes people have this perception of me because of what I do and how I am on stage and at my events. They don't realize that’s more of a character. When I am myself, people get taken aback, thinking I'm rude or standoffish. It's not that; it's just that this is work for me at this point. I love my work, but I'm getting older now. I can't even muster the energy I had back in my 20s. Many people who started with me have become successful in their craft, and I don’t see them as often. Now, there's a new group of young people at my parties who don’t know me, which has been a challenge for me.

And lastly I love hip-hop music, but it’s not my go-to. My favorite genres are Neo-Soul and R&B. When I hear all these new artists, I feel out of touch. So, I've been asking myself if it’s time to transition into something else, because I don’t have the bandwidth to stay on top of what’s new in the hip-hop world or on social media. As you get older, you don’t want to be keeping up with the latest hip-hop artists when you don’t care outside of work.

That's been the most challenging part for me, and maybe it’s time to pass the torch. I now have a team of seven young, energetic individuals who love being there, and I’m putting them in positions to pass the torch. But I don’t want to be 40 years old at the club.

I love having these elite conversations. But I also like hearing about the “wow moments.” When did you know your career was moving in the right direction?

Yeah, I had two experiences that come to mind. One is, I had the opportunity to curate an installation for Cardi B's, Whipshots, two years ago. And I didn’t have to pay for her, so that was an even bigger moment for me. I've always been a Cardi B fan since her little hip-hop days, and I remember getting the phone call saying that she was interested in hosting an event and they wanted us to curate it for her. I've always been a supporter of her on social media, and I’ve wanted to know if she was that way in person. When I met her, she was super sweet. I was kind of starstruck, but because of her personality, she eased me a little bit. I thought, ‘Okay, she's a human being, it's fine.’

The second time was when I was hosting my event, Legacy, which is the longest-running Black queer party on the West Coast, in West Hollywood. We've been doing it for 11 years now. I had a friend of mine say, "Hey, I'm bringing Megan Thee Stallion with me." She had some friends with her, and this was when we closed the club at 2 a.m. He called me at 1 a.m., and I was like, "Okay, when are you going to get here?" He was like, "We're on the way, we're trying to get her together." I said, "Okay, cool."Anway, I had no idea that Megan Thee Stallion was bringing Jasmine Sullivan and JT. At 1:30, when we were closing the doors, I begged the owners, "Please, this is going to be a moment." And yes, it went fully viral. It was just so amazing to see three amazing acts in one space and to see the crowd's response. It was one of those things where I had to pat myself on the back because I was really connected in the scene, curating three huge artists and having this moment that went viral. It was amazing.

That’s a nice way to tie things up! So what’s next on your journey?

What's next on my journey is to step more into a producer role, focusing on events as well as television and film. Just as it was important for me to create spaces for Black queer people, I also believe it's crucial as a Black queer actor to tell the stories of Black queer people through film and television. So the next step for me is to really hyper-focus on producing Black queer content, whether it's for TV, music, or movies. My goal is to start telling the stories of Black, queer, and trans people from a media lens.

What made me really think about this was when I watched Noah's Ark and saw Black queer people telling their stories. As I got older, I realized, "Oh, this is my life." I saw myself reflected in that show, and it made me understand how important it was. Now, as I’ve gotten older, I feel like it's a natural progression to merge my two professions—acting and entertainment with nightlife. It feels like it's the obvious next step for me.