A chat with Colby Michaels
TW: Tell me your story. How long have you lived in the Bay area?
Born and raised in San Francisco, so over 35 years (at least). So I’m one of those rare “natives”.
TW: What draws you to charity work? Is there a calling? What’s the impetus?
Well, the original impetus for me was after years of going to events, and seeing what benefits they returned to the communities they supported, I said to myself, “Colby, with all that unbridled energy you have, lets see what would interest you in contributing to the community.” The problem was, I didn’t know where to start or how to get involved; my personality leads me to being an A type go-getter who craves organization and structure- I’m definitely a “planner” type. One day, I found myself at a fundraiser drag show at Aunt Charlie’s in the Tenderloin and from there, my introduction to the Ducal Council of San Francisco was born! The Ducal Council mentored me, educated me, advised me and supported me with that organization, structure and focus that I needed to bring out the show producing, event planning FUN-Raising geek in me! I’ll also add that it is a great way to step out of one’s shell and challenge one’s self as to what they are capable of; I was absolutely terrified of approaching complete strangers asking them to buy raffle tickets; now, with experience and encouragement, it’s a lot easier, and I have grown as a person because of it!
TW: Which organizations have you raised money for?
Through my work with the Ducal Council of San Francisco, I’ve volunteered my time for numerous charities; Events I’ve produced with help from my Ducal family (and it’s extended members in the community) have benefited San Francisco Suicide Prevention, Bay Area Youth Summit (BAYS), AIDS Emergency Fund, Breast Cancer Emergency Fund; others I’ve volunteered for are the LGBT Center, Tenderloin Tessie’s, and other fine non-profit organizations that I’m blanking on!
TW: Most people know you for your charity work but who is Colby Michaels?What do you do when you’re not raising funds for charitable organizations?
I’m pretty much a “what you see is what you get” open book type of guy! I’m friendly, geeky, helpful, very analytical (sometimes too much); and methodical in planning.
TW: What would surprise people to know about you?
That while I may seem very confident and outgoing, I’m actually quite bashful when it comes to meeting new people.
TW: You’ve been very vocal about your status as an HIV positive man. What do we need to know about living with HIV that we don’t know already?
Well, there is a lot of info out there on the subject…I guess I would expound on the medical advances that have been made with regard to HIV, what with the new regimen PrEP, that HIV negative people can take to prevent contraction of the virus is very popular these days.
TW: What’s next for you?
Right now, I am deeply involved with my course-work at City College of San Francisco in the Television Studio Production Program; I’m producing a couple of story segments that are very big issues in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Colby Michaels has been a fixture not only in the LGBT community but also as an adept and much sought after and consistent fundraiser and promoter. I sat down for a chat with this recognized, but unsung hero.