Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dale Guy Madison. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Dale thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

As a child people ask you, “What do you want to be when you grow up.?” My answer never changed. I always said, “I want to be an actor and an artist.” I started working as a life-drawing model at the Maryland Institute College of Art in the early 80s. By the late 80s, I launched my African Storytelling theater performing company called Umoja Sasa! Storytellers (unity now!). I started designing and creating numerous African-inspired costumes from the 4 member group. In 1991 I was selected from a nationwide search to be a television host on the newly launched QVC Fashion Channel.

I became popular and my Afrocentric style of dress made me stand out from the daily wardrobe of the other hosts. It was natural for me to express my African heritage through my dress since I had been a storyteller. Afro-centric awareness was also at its height around the early ‘90s. I was keenly aware at that time that QVC did not court African-American consumers. One executive let it slip to me that QVC saw its audience as “mid-west, trailer park conservative,” and very white. The suits at QVC did not believe that black people shopped on television, but they would never admit it. The channel offered shows themed around regions like Ireland or the South Dakota Black Hills, but the rich African culture was ignored.

I am a huge Diana Ross fan. Her character in Mahogany designed fashions for herself, drawing inspiration from Chinese images. I was inspired to create a line of dolls with an Egyptian influence. Egyptian art and profiles had always fascinated me, so I drew a silhouette of a body profile then made a pattern and stuffed it with cotton. I then stitched little “doll versions” of the costumes I had created for my storytelling troupe. I sewed in artificial hair that was braided or styled in an elaborate head wrap. By the end of the auction, people were asking me to make dolls for them.

This event sparked an idea that was born out of my need to showcase products that appealed to people of color. I wanted to sell more African-themed products on the Fashion Channel, so I took the idea of an African / African American-themed show to QVC management. I was surprised that they were receptive. I was even invited to debut my show on the QVC main channel which had more viewers in more markets than the newly launched QVC Fashion Channel.

Everyone thought it would be a great idea if I made a limited collection of my dolls to sell on-air during the new show. I believe only Kathy Levine had ever sold a product directly associated with her on the network. Our new show was originally called African Marketplace, but after two airings it was renamed Destination: Africa.

The mechanics of creating five hundred handmade dolls almost made me lose my mind! I took out a business loan to cover the costs associated with manufacturing. My friends and family in the Philly area helped me with the sewing. My attic became a sweatshop with three machines going at all times. At last, five hundred dolls were packaged and shipped to the QVC warehouses, according to specifications that required boxes, labels, and certificates of authenticity.

The two-hour showcase debuted on February 24, 1993. It moved like a dream. When it was time to sell my dolls, I shared the set with my good friend and co-host Clarence Reynolds. I explained the origin of the African names given to the dolls and displayed the certificates of authenticity. It was a great teaching moment and a great selling moment. My dolls sold out in five minutes. The rush of accomplishment and success that I felt filled me with enormous pride. The experience of hosting that show was my Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar, all rolled up into one.

The original show generated $311,000 in sales and brought in 221 new QVC members. This was very successful for a new show. QVC wanted to repeat our success and air the show as an annual Black History Month event, but I tried to convince them to honor black culture all year. I would host four more of the Destination: Africa shows by the time I left QVC.

I was proud of my Destination: Africa show because it was a first. It had allowed African-Americans to see their products in a venue that had previously been unavailable. I was proud to showcase our culture and beauty and to talk about Africa’s rich heritage. Destination: Africa to me was more than a shopping show; it was my prime-time special, my shining moment on television. I sat beside a real African princess adorned in gold leaves. I received an invitation to go to Ghana and participate in an African naming ceremony, only to be disappointed when QVC refused to let me go.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am Dale Guy Madison. In my lifetime I have been called an award-winning educator, LGBTQ activist, playwright, author, doll collector, performance artist, and director. I graduated from Baltimore’s Northwestern High School class of 1976. Besides being an honor student and member of the drama club, I was voted “Most Spirited” out of my senior class. Just four months before my graduation, I was put out of my home when my father discovered I was gay. Dreams of going to NYU to study acting seemed to fly out of the window, but I never looked back. I taught myself how to sew, started my modeling troupe, and began performing in community theater. Later I founded my troupe, Umoja Sasa (Unity Now) Storytellers. The company became successful in doing cultural presentations in schools and various organizations educating audiences on the art of African storytelling.

Approached by the Baltimore Health Department, I was asked to coordinate a program called The Men of Color AIDS Prevention Project. I used the arts to coordinate safe sex events and community forums bringing in gay writers like James Earl Hardy of B-Boy Blues and Keith Boykin of One More River to Cross. I wrote, produced, directed, and starred in a PSA featuring the then-mayor of Baltimore, Kurt Smoke, and a cast of men including my father! Yes, the same man who threw me out 20 years earlier.

After working on various television and film projects (I got my first screen credit in the original “Hairspray”), I enrolled in college at the age of 47. During my college years I never slowed down, writing and publishing two books and producing two short films, “DREAMBOY: My Life as a QVC Host & Other Hits,” based on my memoir won the Best LGBT Film Award at the 2008 San Diego Black Film Festival (SDBFF) and “The Panty Man” which was nominated as Best Short in the 2009 Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), respectively. I wrote, voiced, and directed a promotional animated short based on his self-published book “Sissy Sammy in the Land of WEHO 90069” which was selected to be included in the WEHO@30 Digital Archival Project in 2015.

In 2006, I was a recipient of an Audre Lorde Scholarship to support my educational and cultural offerings in the LGBTQ community. By 2010 I received my bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Antioch University and a master’s degree in Education and Leadership. After receiving a master’s degree in education and writing two books, I produced my second one-man show, My Life in 3 Easy Payments, based on my book Dreamboy: My Life as a QVC Host & Other Greatest Hits. This show chronicled my real-life journey as a gay performer using video clips, storytelling, and visual artwork and also included mentoring and providing opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth through The LA Gay & Lesbian Center’s LifeWorks program.

I spent five years (2012-2016) at the LA LGBT Center using performing arts to educate youth on HIV prevention. I debuted my second one-man show in 2010, My Life in 3 Easy Payments which is based on my memoirs. I am currently seeking to pitch it to networks as a series. Think “Gay Wonder Years meets This is Us.” With this program, I hope to gain insight into the film industry, network with LGBTQ peers, and open doors for stories of queer men of color over the age of sixty. I feel my generation still has many stories that need to be heard and seen.

As a storyteller and voice actor, I am producing an audio project of my original children’s stories scheduled to be released in the spring of 2024 entitled: Dale’s Tales: How God Created Butterflies & Other African American Stories

My art is centered around pushing the boundaries of gender through performance art. I feel I embody the spirit of male and female energy, I use theater and film as a vehicle to express my concerns, empathy, and pride for issues surrounding race, gender, and sexuality. Drawing from my childhood experiences of using art to express myself, from drawing on grocery store bags to creating my comic characters, writing stories and poems inspired by theater, and sewing my fashion designs, I have always thought outside the box creatively.

One of my most successful ventures has been using art, theater, and film to educate and entertain people. In 1995, I created FREEda SLAVE: Mask of a DIVA, a work-in-progress that was selected for the Artscape Festival in Baltimore and later staged in Los Angeles for a critically acclaimed 4-month run. This production focused on the life of an imaginary gay cross-dresser and offered a rare forum on discrimination within the African-American gay community. It explores the triumph of the human spirit as the character builds self-esteem throughout the play, using masks as a theme to demonstrate how people hide behind masks to survive in life.

Theater and film allow people to vicariously experience the beliefs, attitudes, values, and lifestyles of others, and it is a powerful tool for enhancing understanding of social issues. Drawing from the research of social psychologist Dr. Albert Bandura, who emphasizes the process of “walking in someone else’s shoes” through vicarious learning or modeling, my work in theater is influenced by his theories.

Through my art, I aim to challenge societal norms, break down gender stereotypes, and create spaces for open discussions on social issues. I believe my art has the power to promote empathy, understanding, and acceptance, and I am committed to using my artistic expression to make a positive impact on society.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Overall, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the intersection of art, education, and community engagement, using my creative talents to bring about positive change and understanding I use art as a tool for education, empowerment, and addressing social issues.

I have consistently used theater as an educational tool from reenacting scenarios around teen pregnancy pressures to addressing drug problems and HIV/AIDS awareness, I see theater as a powerful means of engaging audiences, encouraging discussions, and raising awareness about important social issues.

Through the creation of Umoja Sasa! Storytellers (USS), I aimed to bring African and African American fables to life. This initiative was designed not only to entertain but also to educate audiences about the culture, pride, and history of African Americans. It reflects a commitment to cultural education and celebration.

My one-man shows, such as “FREEda SLAVE: Mask of a Diva” and “My Life in 3 Easy Payments,” delve into my personal journey as a gay man, addressing issues like intra-discrimination within the LGBT community and toxic masculinity. By sharing my own experiences through storytelling, I aim to inspire and educate others.

My teaching artist philosophy emphasizes empathy and the idea of “walking in someone else’s shoes” through theater. I believe that theater allows people to vicariously experience different perspectives, fostering introspection and empathy. This aligns with my broader goal of using art for character growth and community building.

I have been actively engaged in community work, including facilitating sex workshops for seniors and serving as co-chair of the Connect 2 Protect coalition, focused on reducing HIV/AIDS among young gay and bisexual men of color. My community involvement reflects a commitment to making a positive impact on public health.

Have you ever had to pivot?

While my friends were preparing for the high school prom I was desperately searching for an apartment. The next seven days were a living hell. My father walked past my bedroom. I could feel him staring at me. He stood in the doorway and paused. I will never forget his tone when he said to me, “If I had a gun,  I would shoot you dead where you lay.”

I was determined never to live life in a closet. Most of my real friends know I even leave the closet doors open in all the rooms of my house. It became my personal mission to teach all straight people that gay people lead normal lives just like them. Yeah, that’s me, spreading universal acceptance, teaching one straight person at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.daleguymadison.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daleguymadison/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/damngoodman
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-madison-b783b97/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/daleguymadison
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfd01JdGxz9vTh6ShgogY5Q

Image Credits
LuckyVirgo Photography Jeremy Lucido Zachariah Shoots Photography