Handled a multi-tiered promotional campaign. Conceived by Gregory Hinton, consulting producer for the series, Out West was inspired by the Autry National Center’s installation of the iconic intertwined shirts worn by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the Academy Award-winning film Brokeback Mountain. Plus, the inclusion of the archives of the International Gay Rodeo Association into the permanent rodeo collection of the Autry Library—both which Hinton facilitated. Mrs. Gene Autry presided over a launch event celebrating the shirts—on loan from collector Tom Gregory, who purchased them at auction and shared Hinton’s vision for using them toward a greater good—in the Contemporary Westerns case in the museum’s Imagination Gallery.

Having marked the first formal public recognition of the contributions of the LGBT community to Western American history by a major American museum, the Autry National Center delved deeper into the subject matter by hosting Out West, a series of four programs over twelve months. Assembled at each event were Western scholars, authors, artists, politicians, musicians, and friends of Western LGBTs.

In addition, using actors and musicians in collaboration, Beyond Brokeback was presented. It was a staged reading of selected essays written by members of the Ultimate Brokeback Forum, a fan website which received more than 500,000 posts in the year after Brokeback Mountain was released. Eight actors played the characters who interpreted the words and emotions of multiple bloggers.