Interview with Steven Blank from PinkMafiaRadio.com

Steven Blank, host and founder of PinkMafiaRadio.com talks about Harvey Fierstein, the real gay mafia and the one thing he'll never cover on his podcast.

Let's talk about you for a second, Steve. Where are you from and what were you up to before you started your radio (now video) show?

I am originally from Maryland in a suburb just outside of Washington DC. I came out to the world in my junior year of high school and was very active in gay youth politics in DC. I was a youth leader in S.M.Y.A.L. (Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League) and got to speak to members of congress and schools all over the DC area on issues affecting gay young people.

Once I moved away for college I focused more on my education but still founded the first GLBT group at my small school in Pennsylvania. My move to LA was all about my career but my need to address issues affecting my GLBT brothers and sisters was still strong. So when I became aware of podcasting I decided to dive in and deal with things other shows were ignoring or in my view getting wrong.

I think being from such an economically and ethnically diverse area as well as my self-awareness from such an early age of my “otherness” really drives me to explore all aspects of our community. I try to address people and topics on PinkMafiaRadio that show more of the rich mix of people and ideas that make up who we are.

So is there really a Pink Mafia in Hollywood or is it just a conspiracy theory?

I would have to say yes and no. Hollywood really is very much all about “who you know,” with that in mind if you are gay and know some of the extremely powerful gays in this town then you might benefit from the "Pink Mafia." However, there are no official meetings or handshakes and there clearly is no gay agenda at play here or homophobic jokes and characters would not be so prevalent in films and TV.

I have worked in LA for nearly a decade and in my field being an out gay man has not helped or hurt my career.

Who's the one celebrity you want to interview most, but haven't been able to?

I would have to say Harvey Fierstein. Not that I have tried to get him on the show yet, but of all the potential interviews his would mean the most to me. I came out to my mother at the age of 14 after watching Torch Song Trilogy and have always been inspired by Harvey’s work on and off screen.

What does PinkMafiaRadio have to offer the non-pink listener?

Most of my email comes from my non-pink listeners. I always try to remember when I do my show that there are people all over the world of all types of life experience who subscribe. I have been told that my show is like NPR for straights that want to understand gay issues in a non-combative forum. I get a lot of parents of gay kids listening and I think it’s wonderful. I also cover shows like Noah’s Arc that have huge straight female fan bases.

What's the most played track in your iTunes library (besides your own show)?

My most played podcast would be Gay Pimpin' and my most played music is Rob Dugan. They are both amazing at what they do!

What's the one event that you would never cover?

It’s hard to say, most every event has an angle that I find interesting. I try to use my show to bring attention to vital issues that are not giving enough attention by the larger gay news media. So if you see it on the cover of every other gay magazine or podcast then you most likely will not find it on PinkMafiaRadio.com.

Steven Blank is the host and founder of PinkMafiaRadio.com a podcast about GLBT media and more specifically about how gay people are represented in all forms of media.