Fancy Awards Weekend

Who: VN Senior Editor Elizabeth Castoria
What: The Genesis Awards and day-after brunch
When: March 27–28, 2009
Where: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Why: Um, fancy parties celebrating animals are pretty stinkin' fun!

The Scoop: In years past, the VN crew has had a ball at the Genesis Awards. This year, it seemed like said good times might not roll at all, since the majority of the staff had scheduling conflicts. Thankfully, at the last minute, it all fell into place, and I headed south.

The thing about the Genesis Awards is that you know celebrities—and celebs who care about animals, no less—will be there. It's amazing to be in a room full of people who are being recognized for bringing animal issues to the forefront of public view through their television shows, documentaries, feature films, news reporting, etc., and to know that for every nominee, untold numbers of people were made aware about animals and the often horrific lives they endure for our amusement, food, and clothing. So, amongst the stars that made me starry-eyed were Emily Deschanel, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Joe Mantegna (who did a Fat Tony bit while presenting an award!), Jorja Fox, Marg Helgenberger, Ginnifer Goodwin, Carol Leifer, and my new husband, Nigel Barker. OK, fine. No, he's not really my new husband, but Mr. Barker, shortly before beginning casting for the next cycle of America's Next Top Model, has been working overtime to stop the Canadian Seal Hunt. What can I say? Saving seals makes me swoony. This year's entire awards ceremony was dedicated to that very cause.

So, after mingling a bit at the VIP reception, we sat down for dinner and the awards presentation. My tablemates included Rey Ortega, Jill Hahn, Billy Hulting, Jonny, Kristine, and Milan Vasic, Dave Rutan, Lisa MacMillan, and Ramy Hassan.

The dinner was, of course, absolutely delish. What else would you expect from Tal Ronnen? Baby bok choy, vegan chicken scallopini, and black-rice risotto kept all the guests sated during the awards. Considering the graphic nature of many of the clips from nominated works that were shown, it was especially comforting to have a completely vegan meal, knowing that even attendees who aren't vegan didn't contribute to animal suffering that night! The presenters were lively (it seemed like maybe a whopping five percent of them actually read from the teleprompter, while the rest went a little improv-crazy). Beginning with Jarrod Cooper and continuing through the evening, Michael Vick's surname was modified at liberty, most often by replacing the "v" with a "d." One of the more memorable off-script speeches came from Ellen DeGeneres. While accepting the Wyler award which she co-won with her wife, Portia de Rossi, Ellen said that she was cautious of attaching too many labels to herself, since as a public person she doesn't want to be misunderstood. "But," she said, "I've been openly gay for a while now, and that's going pretty well. So, I'm openly vegan!" The crowd did indeed go wild.

After all the awards, we moved to the silent auction and after-party. Um, let's just say that partying in a room filled with some of the most amazing animal activists on the planet is pretty freaking awesome. From HSUS, Wayne Pacelle, Paul Shapiro, Mike Markarian, and Dan Paul, just to name a few, kept things lively. VN columnist and professional cutie-boots Rory Freedman, Matt & Nat founder Inder Bedi, artist Gretchen Ryan and her husband Peter, and all-star activists Ari Solomon, Mikko Alanne, Kath Rogers, and Bryan Pease made the evening utterly fun.

Rey Ortega, me, and Moira, photo by Susan Weingartner

The next morning, in the sunny, seaside beach chalet of Moira Nordholt and Ron Proulx, a festive group gathered for the traditional post-Genesis brunch. Co-hosted by Moira, Ron, and Susan Weingartner, this was exactly what you think of when you think of brunch. Amazing food, outrageously fun people, and a love for animals all around. Could the weekend have been more fun? No. Can I hardly wait for next year? No.

AR/DC

Who: VN Editorial Director Aurelia d'Andrea, VN Publisher Joseph Connelly, VN Distribution Manager Katie Paul, + loads of animal-rights-supporting folks from throughout North America

What: AR 2008

Where: Alexandria, Va.

When: August 14–18, 2008

Why: To network, make new friends, educate ourselves and others, and have fun!

The Scoop: You have to love the annual AR conferences. First, the crowd is lively in a way that other conference crowds are not. And by lively, I mean you'll likely find everyone at the hotel bar at evening's end, laughing, shooting the breeze about serious and not-so-serious matters, and letting go of the stress that's generated when we learn about and are reminded of the horrific stuff animals endure.

Second, the folks at FARM—the conference sponsors—switch it up every year, hosting the multi-day event in DC half the time, and LA the other half. This year, I got to travel to DC for the first time ever, and couldn't wait to soak up that humidity like a sponge, to expand my animal-rights knowledge a bit more, and meet some cool, like-minded folks.

After a fitful red-eye flight from San Francisco and a two-hour layover in New York, I finally arrived in DC and shuttled myself to the Hilton, only to find that the room Katie and I'd be sharing wasn't yet available. Thankfully, the hotel pool had comfy reclining chairs, and since the conference didn't start until the next day, the two of us headed off to relax and unwind after our travels. Sharing the poolside ambience was a youthful gang of conference attendees glugging energy drinks and noshing what looked like Doritos corn chips. Cheesy Doritos? At an animal-rights conference? "I think those might be the new vegan Doritos I've heard about," said Katie. Are you kidding me? Where've I been? "Excuse me, but are those the vegan Doritos we've heard about?" Yes! Came the enthusiastic reply. "You want to try some?" Do we ever!

Newlywed Katie Paul modeling vegan Doritos

They were good, too. Darnit!

Next day, the two of us worked our butts off at our booth selling subscriptions, but we also managed to squeeze in some schmoozing and socializing. We were lucky to have our friends from Organic Athlete and Vegan Bodybuilding right across from us, so we spent quality time with Jeremy Moore and the always-fun-and-chatty Robert Cheeke, and we also met up with The Traveling Vegetarian, aka Yvonne Smith, plus the fun and funny Erica Meier from COK, new NYC girlfriend Emily Elkins and her two darling doggies Lola and Bella, and VN contributing writer Eric Prescott.

That evening, I had plans to meet with my new fun friend Dustin Rhodes, whom I met at Vegetarian Summerfest and whose wicked sense of humor kept us in good spirits despite the crappy weather. Dustin works at Friends of Animals and lives in DC, so he's equipped with insider knowledge on the best places in town to eat. We decided on Ethiopian and headed over to Dukem restaurant for what might've been the biggest veggie-combo-for-two-platter I've ever had the good fortune of indulging in. As usual, I ate twice as much of everything as Dustin, including the most delicious curried potatoes that tasted more Indian than Ethiopian, plus collards, lentils, peas, and salads. I'm actually considering relocating to east Africa now—or the East Coast at the very least.

Next, we headed to Busboys and Poets, where the joint was jumping and the atmosphere felt festive. Too bad our stomachs were at full capacity, 'cause I sure would've liked to try the vegan calzone (never had one of those!) or the vegan pepperoni pizza. Next time! After throwing back a few cooling adult beverages and chatting about everything under the sun, we realized the witching hour was approaching, and it was time to say so long. Dustin walked me to the Metro and we called it a night. Arriving at the Hilton in the early hours of the morning, I could hardly believe the size of the crowd converging at the hotel bar. Holy smokes, guys!

Saturday was to be my first time representing VegNews at the first of two panel discussions, and once I got that out of the way, the relaxation could begin. Popping next door to the Pangea booth, I shared a packet of vegan doughnuts and a cinnamon roll with Katie, who isn't the least bit ashamed of her sweet tooth, and who later indulged in an ice-cream cone from the Chicago Soy Dairy booth. We were on a sugar roll, because later we met and tasted the wares of young entrepreneur Emily Mainquist of Emily's Desserts, who is making some really delicious vegan-certified cookies that you'll hopefully get to try soon. My favorite flavor is Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. No, wait: make that Coconut Cranberry!

Surprisingly, there was no sugar crash to prevent us from fully appreciating that evening's dinner and awards ceremony, so six-ish or so, Katie, Joe, and I lined up for the big buffet—an interesting melange that included quinoa salad, a tofu-and-veggies combination, and some breaded fake meat-type thing with stuffing inside—and headed into the great-big ballroom. Sharing our table with a nice family from Ohio, we chit-chatted until the first presenter took the stage. Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society gave the keynote speech, and big winners included HSUS' Paul Shapiro, who was inducted into the AR Hall of Fame, and animal activist/anti-landmine campaigner Heather Mills, who won the Celebrity Animal Advocate Award. Turns out she's a real champion for animals, and a generally lovely person. Hearing her speak made us all forget about our rather uninspired dessert: Tofutti Cuties served on a silver salver. No, really!

Celebrity Animal Advocate Award-winner Heather Mills, and VN's Aurelia d'Andrea

Mingling and Meandering in Minneapolis (3 of 3)

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly
What: Day Three of Their Lives, Our Voices: The Midwest Animal Advocacy Conference
Where: Hubert H. Humphrey Conference Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
When: June 6–8, 2008
Why: Attend a historic “first” + chance to see a new city

The Scoop: In spite of the late nights for many (see yesterday’s blog entry), most folks were able to rouse themselves Sunday morning in time for HSUS’ Senior Director of Factory Farming Campaign Paul Shapiro’s morning pick-us-up keynote speech, “Advances for Farm Animals: How and Why We Are Winning.” Paul presented a well-documented and timely Power Point presentation detailing almost all of the successes farmed animals have gained in recent history, from statewide ballot victories to slaughterhouse closings to the number of ‘tweens, teens, and college students who now identify as vegetarian. Paul accidentally left out that a certain vegan publication was recently named “Best Lifestyle Magazine” in the country, though he promised to correct this faux pas or eat foie gras.

Next up, Lorri Bauston of Animal Acres educated us on the effort to establish humane enforcement agencies for farmed animals in California—basically an SPCA for cows, pigs, chickens, etc. ACI, or “Animal Cruelty Investigations,” is currently in the process of gaining legal status--a worthy, progressive effort you certainly will be hearing more about. COK’s Executive Director Erica Meier followed Lorri, giving new meaning to the phrase “voice for the voiceless.” Doing her best raspy Demi Moore impersonation (did someone stay out too late last night?), a slightly under-the-weather Erica showed her compassion over illness by gamely delivering her presentation, “Veg Outreach: Marketing Our Message.” Erica showed how we can take a page out of the multi-billion-dollar advertising campaigns of fast-food conglomerates to spread the word about veganism, be it via ads on MTV or “feed-ins” where volunteers give away free veg food. You may gargle now.

Lunch in the VegNews Atrium consisted of approximately 14,835 Chipotle Mexican Grill burritos and fajitas, enough so that each conference attendee got, well, more than one. The ever-hungry Nathan Runkle complained that they were “too small. I’m used to football-sized ones” though they were large enough that the one I snuck on the plane for my flight home certainly caught the eye of the fine folks at Homeland Security. Suffice to say, all you foodies out there, there was no problem finding sustenance at this conference. CAA might consider changing it’s name to Chow for Animal Activists.

While the festivities began to wind down post-lunch, as it was getaway day for many, there were still a few more highlights to be had. A session titled “Lightning Talks” gave anyone in attendance the opportunity to test his or her skills in front of an audience with a five-minute rant on a subject of their choosing. Seeing young people nervously speaking in front of a crowd for possibly the first time certainly gave this seasoned citizen a warm feeling for the future, and truly epitomized the nature of this first Midwest conference. The final plenary followed Lightning Talks, delivered by Mercy for Animals’ Director of Campaigns (and University of Minnesota grad) Freeman Wicklund. Freeman borrowed the title of the conference, “Their Lives, Our Voices” for his talk, which focused on why so many people fight for the dignity of non-human animals. It was the perfect ending to this inspiring conference, and I highly recommend everyone view Freeman’s speech, which I am hoping CAA uploads soon.

The only “negative” part of the weekend was departing Minneapolis. I predict that the Midwest Animal Advocacy Conference will grow in size and stature, becoming one of the “must do” events of the year. I’m glad I was able to be at the first.

Manolos or Manilows? Boyz in the City: Matt "Miranda" Ball of Vegan Outreach, Paul "Samantha" Shapiro of HSUS, VN Publisher Joe "Charlotte" Connelly, and CAA's amazing conference organizer, Gil "Carrie" Schwartz