Party and event promotions have long been a staple of black gay and lesbian entrepreneurship. Join us for our series of interviews with notable party promoters around the country. First up - John Fleming, promoter of some of the largest parties for African American women in the Midwest.

What was the catalyst for starting the organization/business?

We started this about 11 years ago - just doing comedy events at a small comedy club in  the south loop - All Jokes Aside. My boyfriend was a good friend of the owner's son,  and we used to always hang out at the club. I saw how friendly they were and I asked if they'd consider doing an evening with a crowd of all gays - they said 'of course it will be a lot of fun' , because 'straight people are a little too uptight'. Half of the crowd at the comedy nights was women, and some of the women said they had  no place to go for parties and would we consider helping them get started with parties  for African American women. We said 'sure', but we didn't know what to do. So we helped  with the financial part and our contacts for venues. That was in 2001,  and the start of the Lipstick & Lace parties. Then they realized how much work it was, so in 2003 they pulled  out. I thought it was unfair to just stop something that was getting momentum for the  community. So we kept going,  and it's grown into the  huge event that it is now.

How would you describe "A Day in the Life of John Fleming"?

I work in the evening, so my mornings start out with a workout - five days a week - after
 that I immediately start working on my events. That entails making lots of phone calls,
 talking to club owners, working with the designer of my invitations, and also just
 checking to make sure that my DJs are in place. I'm always looking for a more
 creative way to get people hooked into the party. I don't want it to ever become
 boring. That's why it's once a month. I look at each party as if it's my last party.

Can you share the names of 2-3 people or organizations that you  admire or that inspire you?

Definitely the women of Affinity. I have the utmost respect for those women because they made sure that I employed women. Since I was a man doing parties for women, I had to have women involved. And the women of  LCCP because I do a comedy event for  white lesbians. And I've been doing this event for 8 years  and they have been very supportive and they made sure that the women came out to  support it. And in return I donate a portion of the proceeds to LCCP.

What's your proudest accomplishment? And your biggest challenge?

Accomplishment: Doing a comedy night with MoNique before she became the star that she is now.  And also The White Party - to have 1200 women come to a party that I organized -  I was very proud of that.  Challenge: Getting women to understand that there was no hidden agenda. That I was just a man doing something for the women's community and that's all  there was to it. I believe  they understand it now - it took about 4 years but they understand it now.

What is the most common misconception about you and/or  your business?

About me? That I'm unapproachable. That is so not true. My home telephone number is on the plugger! If you take the time to realize that... I welcome all compliments and criticisms,  you can call me directly. Because when I'm out I'm pretty quiet, I don't  really talk about the events, I don't go to a lot of other promoters events to promote my parties. Some promoters want to be seen everywhere  - I don't do that. I care about  what I do - I want you to talk to me. Talk to me directly, don't go through a friend.

What advice would you give up and coming gay/lesbian entrepreneurs of color?

The biggest advice I could give is the advice that older promoters gave  to me. "If you're doing it just for the money, you'll never be successful, but if you're doing it because you care about the community - you can do nothing but win."  Some women  told me that - and I found it to be true.

If an investor gave you $1M, what would you do?

I would definitely build my own venue. And then after that I'd donate money to some of the organizations that are actually helping the community.

Can you share any of your upcoming activities/plans for the future?

June 24th is the Pride party. And July 2nd is the infamous and famous White Party and in August we'll be celebrating the 4 year anniversary with Lipstick & Lace. I  also want to let people know that we were asked to do 4 events for Gay Games 2006.  Stay tuned..

Any last thoughts you'd like to share?

I'm concerned about Chicago's [Black] gay community - some of my friends on the east coast and the west coast often say that Chicago has a [Black] gay population - but not a [Black] gay community. I'd like to help turn our [Black] gay population into a [Black] gay community.