Over Achievers

Forget your flimsy New Year’s resolutions. If you want a more involved, productive and healthier lifestyle in 2010, you’ve come to the right place. And that place is New York, of course—a city filled with the kind of do-it-all, try-anything-once, overscheduled homos that make the average man look boring. So stop complaining about the cold, learn a thing or two from these high-achieving New Yorkers and discover exactly how this city can improve your mind, body and soul—all from just doing more!

Wil Fisher •  31 • Clinton Hill

 “[I] feel constantly stimulated, well accomplished and fulfilled. It’s helpful that I love all the things that keep me so busy!” 

Daytime: Director of Communications and Special Events for the Ali Forney Center (AliForneyCenter.org). “I manage agency communication efforts and produce [the Center’s] fundraising events to provide housing and services to homeless LGBT youth,” Fisher explains. 

Downtime:  “I love to go camping—especially with fellow Radical Faeries!” Fisher exclaims. Explore your inner queer at the annual May Day gathering of Radical Faeries (RadFae.org) at the Short Mountain Sanctuary in Liberty, Tenn. 

Extra Curricular: Fisher is an MA student in Applied Theater at the CUNY School for Professional Studies (SPS.CUNY.edu). “I study the application of theater for social work, community building and education.” 

Family Time: His adopted beagle, Daisy, is, according to Fisher, “[my]
companion, snuggle partner, [and she provides] unconditional love.” Adopt your own pet on www.PetFinder.com.

Giving Back: Fisher is a member of the board of directors for the new LGBT nonprofit, Broadway Speaks Out! (BroadwaySpeaksOut.com). “Talented and caring members of the Broadway community make great advocates for LGBT rights.” 

Nighttime: Fisher hosts and promotes parties under the drag persona Sylvia London (Facebook.com/Sylvia.London). Tips for aspiring queens: “Bring a lewk to a party and talk to the peeps who are runnin’ the show.”

Matthew LeBaron • 28 • Bedford Stuyvesant

Daytime: LeBaron’s work as an artist rep is “a mix of career management, client relations, consulting, project management and commercial art production with some of the most talented artists both here in the States and abroad.” 

Extra Curricular:  “I create artwork for clients varying from editorial [to] packaging design, album art, websites and all print materials,” LeBaron says of his work as a freelance illustrator (MatthewLeBaron.com), some of which has been featured in Next Magazine. 

Playtime: As a member of the New York Ramblers gay soccer league (NewYorkRamblers.org), LeBaron says, “I get to play competitive sports with like-minded people and that collective energy really does wonders for the pent-up New Yorker in all of us.” 

Partytime: Contributor to, and co-organizer of, the Spank zine and party (SpankArtMag.com). “It’s one of the most creative happenings in New York,” LeBaron says. “The focus on supporting both established and up-and-coming queer art, music, performance, creativity and love is second to none.” 

Giving Back:  LeBaron volunteers for clothing charity Use Your Head (UseYourHeadNYC.com). “[They] obtain gently used/vintage clothing from major labels and from personal donations and [sell] the clothing through their shop. All the proceeds go not only to helping the homeless, but getting them employed.”

Andrew Wind • 30 • Chelsea

 Daytime: “Being an advertising creative requires you to be a student of culture,” Wind says of his 9-to-5 job. “I have to read everything from blogs to books and see everything from movies to foreign countries.” 

Giving Back: A member of Empire State Pride Agenda’s OffSprung! (PrideAgenda.org), Wind got involved in the young political action group because, he says, “A friend invited me to Equality and Justice Day in Albany to encourage my senator  to continue their support of GLBT rights.” 

Politics: He also campaigned for City Councilwoman Christine Quinn’s re-election (Quinn09.com). “I love Christine. She’s an outstanding GLBT advocate and role model. Showing support for someone who supports us so well is highly rewarding.” 

Extra Curricular:  “I’ve been looking for a way to study photography again, only this time less academically and more for personal fulfillment,” says Wind. And becoming a member of the International Center of Photography (ICP.org) helped him do just that. “I joined because I love their exhibitions and for the member discount on classes.” 

Playtime: Wind strikes down pins in Better Off Bowling’s Leisure Time Lanes League (BetterOffBowling.com). “Bowling is like karaoke; the only thing more embarrassing than being really bad at it is being really good at it,” he says. “It’s a sport without ego, so we just have fun.” 

Playtime:  “I wanted to meet new people,” Wind says of how he got
involved in Big Apple Dodgeball (BigAppleDodgeball.com), the city’s gay dodgeball league. “The people are amazing and, unlike a lot of other sporting organizations, we socialize as a league, not as teams.”

Corey Craig • 38 • Hells’ Kitchen

Daytime: “It makes me remember to appreciate life,” Craig says about his job as a nuclear/chemotherapy pharmacist, where he’s
prepared diagnostic and specialty medications for pediatric and adult cancer patients for the last 15 years.

 Nighttime: Craig is probably better known for his work as a DJ (CoreyCraig.com). “I ran around New York filming my audition video for the Ellen DeGeneres DJ gig,” he says of his musical beginnings. “I gave everyone I filmed a copy of my CD. This started my fan base and strangely the New York people in my video came back to me offering me gigs.” 

Partytime: “I have always enjoyed inviting friends and family to my events,” Craig says of his promotional work. “I use Facebook to contribute to the invite pools for events I spin [at]. Hopefully people know I genuinely appreciate their attendance.” 

Downtime:  Craig is also an avid maker of podcasts. “People wanted a way to keep up with all [my] music,” he explains. “Find a good podcast server like Podcast Maker (LemonzDream.com), a fresh, ear-catching approach to your topic—music or talk—and come up with a brand,” Craig advises aspiring podcasters.

Stephen Osada • 32 • East Village

 Daytime: As a website technology director, Osada spends his workday, as he says, “using technology to help people meet their goals.” 

Giving Back: Osada lived half a year in South Africa. “In typical overachieving fashion [I] volunteered with Habitat for Humanity (Habitat.org), learned to scuba dive, took painting and mosaic classes and joined a volleyball team.” 

Playtime:  Osada is a member of the New York Gay Football League (NYGayFootball.org). “It’s really a great competitive team sport,” Osada says about his experience at NYGF. “The league offers a chance for people who didn’t think they could play football for whatever reason to be able to participate.” 

Playtime:  Osada also plays in the Gotham Volleyball gay volleyball league (GothamVolleyball.org). “Not only is it a great team sport, but the end-of-season party shows off some other talents in the league!” 

Playtime: “I hit [terribly] at tryouts,” Osada says of his first year with the Big Apple Softball League (BigAppleSoftball.com). “[I] worked out my swing shortly thereafter and became the lead-off hitter on a team that [eventually] placed third in the Gay World Series!” 

Playtime: As if football, volleyball and softball weren’t enough, Osada is a New York Gay Basketball League member, too (NYCGayBasketball.org). “It’s a sport that will definitely whip you into shape,” he says.

Lance Witt Ozier • 30 • Upper West Side

Daytime: “Graduate students have enviable hope and optimism,” Ozier says of his professorial work at Columbia University and The City College of New York. “Their passion drives my own idealistic pursuits.”

 Daytime: As one of the people who coordinates school improvement projects for the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching (TC.edu/NCREST), Ozier says, “While urban public schools often get a bad rap, this work reminds me of the tremendous promise held by students and teachers.” 

Giving Back:  Ozier also coordinates the education and mentor programs for youth development organization and summer camp Project Morry (ProjectMorry.org), in addition to hiring staff, creating curriculum and raising money for Morry’s after-school component. “In neighborhoods where less than 50% of students graduate high school, 100% of [Project Morry] kids have graduated,” he says proudly. 

Partytime:Not one to sit on the sidelines, Ozier started an intimate salon for educators called First Fridays at 5. Of this group he says, “While you might not enjoy talking about education, certainly everyone can start a group in which you and others consider issues important to you.” 

Giving Back: As a volunteer with the Student Press Initiative
(PublishSPI.orgPublishSPI.org), Ozier notes, “Over the past few years I worked with high schools in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn and the South Bronx and, in total, published books with over 300 student authors.”

Evan Hoyt Thompson • 30 • Hell’s Kitchen

 Daytime: Provides legal support to the general counsel of a corporation as a legal assistant. Thompson says, “I love the people I work with—and that I’m able to leave by 6pm to pursue things I’m more passionate about!” 

Giving Back: The co-chair of Stonewall Quarter Share (QuarterShare.org), Thompson notes, “[I] co-founded this philanthropic giving initiative with three friends in 2007 to support the Stonewall Community Foundation. I love meeting wonderful people who share the common goal of helping the LGBTQ community in New York.” 

Playtime:  “There [are] a lot of sketch comedy groups around town; ours is just laced with pure magic,”  Thompson says about his comedy group, Gentleman Caller (GentlemanCallerComedy.com). “I love rehearsals more than anything because we spend hours trying to make each other laugh—and always succeed!” 

Partytime: “My husband and I [who are both 6’4”] joked for years that we should start a group for tall gays,” Thompson explains of the idea to create the Tall Gay Agenda (MySpace.com/TallGayAgenda). “I co-host a semi-monthly bar takeover party.  Currently we have 275 members! 

Family Time: Partner of the Three Points Ranch (ThreePointsRanch.com), a wedding and events venue in Texas Hill Country. “I wanted to support a family business, and while I’m not physically there for the majority of the weddings, I love being a part of folks’ most special occasion,” he says.