Meet Director Derek Dodge.
Derek is documenting the entire Run Across Mississippi. His last film “Hurley” (produced by Dr. McDreamy Patrick Dempsey) can be viewed on Hulu.
Though Derek and I only met in-person this week, our story starts half my life ago...
At the time, I was a closeted 18-year-old and TV was my main outlet beyond Nebraska. Since social media didn’t exist, TV was also my only exposure to openly *** adults, (because even though there were *** people in my town, any confirmation always seemed to be veiled in rumors and whispers). I didn’t relate to what I saw on TV: the promiscuous token *** on MTV’s “The Real World” seasons, or the hair stylists, men in Speedos, and drag queens that seemed to be the only viable options presented for *** adulthood.
My favorite channel at the time was the Travel Channel, and I was a few episodes into their reality show “5 Takes: Europe” when one cast member—Derek Dodge—visited Amsterdam’s Homomonument and I learned he was ***.
It was the first time I saw someone who felt “like me,” and provided a glimpse of a future I might be able to have. That moment is one of the reasons my career’s goal is to host a travel show, as the openly *** adventurer I always wished I could watch.
Call it coincidence, destiny, or whatever you’d like, but Derek and I recently connected on Instagram, after first seeing him on TV 16 years ago. And now, we’re both working together to create a film about an adventurous *** lead!
A huge “Thank You!” to the Philip N. Knutson Endowment For Lutheran Campus Ministry for a grant helping Derek be here. We hope to travel to campuses and share this film once it’s complete.
Meet Director Derek Dodge.
Derek is documenting the entire Run Across Mississippi. His last film “Hurley” (produced by Dr. McDreamy Patrick Dempsey) can be viewed on Hulu.
Though Derek and I only met in-person this week, our story starts half my life ago...
At the time, I was a closeted 18-year-old and TV was my main outlet beyond Nebraska. Since social media didn’t exist, TV was also my only exposure to openly gay adults, (because even though there were gay people in my town, any confirmation always seemed to be veiled in rumors and whispers). I didn’t relate to what I saw on TV: the promiscuous token gay on MTV’s “The Real World” seasons, or the hair stylists, men in Speedos, and drag queens that seemed to be the only viable options presented for gay adulthood.
My favorite channel at the time was the Travel Channel, and I was a few episodes into their reality show “5 Takes: Europe” when one cast member—Derek Dodge—visited Amsterdam’s Homomonument and I learned he was gay.
It was the first time I saw someone who felt “like me,” and provided a glimpse of a future I might be able to have. That moment is one of the reasons my career’s goal is to host a travel show, as the openly gay adventurer I always wished I could watch.
Call it coincidence, destiny, or whatever you’d like, but Derek and I recently connected on Instagram, after first seeing him on TV 16 years ago. And now, we’re both working together to create a film about an adventurous gay lead!
A huge “Thank You!” to the Philip N. Knutson Endowment For Lutheran Campus Ministry for a grant helping Derek be here. We hope to travel to campuses and share this film once it’s complete.
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