Pink Mafia Productions
Pink Mafia Productions is a Canadian talent management company that has been a leading figure in Drag entertainment for over 10 years. They represent a diverse roster of Canada’s best Drag artists.
They are based in Thunder Bay, ON, and have artists working all over Canada and internationally.
Founded by the legendary Godmother of Drag, Ms. Gia Maria Corangie, Pink Mafia Productions stands on a rich foundation of queer arts, associating with the best acts in the business. Regularly hosting superstars from Canada’s Drag Race, as well as iconic local Drag artists, Pink Mafia Productions promises high quality productions “For Those Who Simply Prefer the Best.”
The Empower the North team recently had the pleasure of getting to know more about Pink Mafia Productions and the art of Drag. Get a sneak peek of premier performer, Icesis Couture, and keep reading for our Q&A that we did with Pink Mafia Productions owner, Gia Brunetti-Povenzano.
For those that don’t know anything about Drag, in your words, can you describe what it is to our readers?
First of all, I want the say it is a real honour to get this request to interview me for your article. Drag has always been an art form and it started way back in 1882 from what history tells us. With its mainstream success, some may be surprised to learn that the history of Drag as a form of entertainment dates back to Shakespearean times and for more utilitarian purposes. Indeed, the history of Drag seems to be one inextricably tied to the theatre, and before the theatre of Shakespeare’s time, the stage was used for religious purposes. One of the first known people to call themselves a “queen of Drag” was William Dorsey Swann—a formerly enslaved man. Swann, in 1882, began hosting guests, many of them former slaves, for Drag dances at his Washington, DC home.
Can you share with us the story of how you first discovered Drag and what motivated you to pursue it?
I met a friend who told me about the gay dances they had and that I should come with her. By this point in my life, I knew I was transsexual and I would be able to dress as my true self and no one would care if I was in woman’s clothes. Another friend of ours said he was also going to get dressed in Drag and would join us. That truly freed me and I was able to realize what my next steps were going to be.
What specific aspects of Drag inspire and fuel your passion for it?
Oh my God, the attention was so intense, and the crowd was screaming and clapping. It was just like I became a movie star. The biggest rush was that I was able to dress as a woman and finally be my true, authentic self. I didn’t have to hide anymore. I was around people who accepted who I was and they gave me the strength that I needed to keep going. At that gay dance, I remember when they played the first Madonna song, I knew that this is what I was going to do. My friend and I both got up on the stage and started to perform. The audience went absolutely crazy and that’s when Gia was born.
Could you tell us more about your role at Pink Mafia Productions and how it contributes to your overall Drag journey?
I have many roles at Pink Mafia Productions. First and foremost, I am the owner, but I also produce Drag shows and different events for promoters and companies. Believe it or not, we do anniversaries, birthdays, bridal showers, and even retirement parties. We’ve also added a new section to Pink Mafia, which is the management side. We manage Drag artists from Canada’s Drag Race and Call Me Mother, which are two TV shows that are viewed all across the world. At Pink Mafia, there’s always something to do, it never just ends with that. Like many good things, they must always come to an end. With Drag, your shelf life is only as good as your last number, so by having this company, I’ve been able to still do what I love, but just in a different capacity.
Many of our readers might not be familiar with Pink Mafia Productions. Could you provide some insight into what Pink Mafia Productions is all about and what its purpose is within the Drag community?
I created Pink Mafia so that I would always have a place in the community and a place within the Drag world. We provide many services for many different things. Our main goal is to keep Drag alive, to keep it classy, and to keep it fresh and new. Plus, there will always be a safe place for new Drag artists to be themselves, and to express themselves in a professional manner. My number one goal was always to have a place where Drag artists could feel safe, and not be exploited, but people who have never been in business. What better person than a former Drag performer? We know what the life is all about and we know what’s required. We all share in each other’s journey and protect each other.
How has it evolved since its inception?
Pink Mafia Productions has many different services available. We are a production company of the finest in Drag entertainment. We host many, many shows at the Italian Cultural Centre here in Thunder Bay, and in different cities across Canada and in the United States. We also host an array of private parties for different functions. Since we have opened the management side to the business, we have many opportunities for brand deals, government events, and social media events. We now have a new section called Pink Pearl Tours Mazatlán. We will create your perfect Mexican vacation for you at the Reina Del Mar resort in Mazatlán Mexico. Trust me, our Empire is just going to get bigger and bigger.
What sort of presence does Pink Mafia Productions have in Thunder Bay?
I would like to think that our work in the community is appreciated by all. Our performers are always trying to excel at everything they do and always thinking of something new to showcase to our audiences. Another thing that we try to always do is to stick by our motto, which is, “For Those Who Simply Prefer the Best.” We offer traditional, classic Drag, and some of our younger performers are bringing the edge out into their performances, which is keeping us up-to-date with all the different fads as Drag has evolved so much.
When and where can I attend one of the Drag shows?
Our main shows that showcase our local talent from Thunder Bay are at The Westfort on Brown Street and our New Port Arthur location is at Wild Thyme, South Cumberland St (at the corner of Pearl). We have also done many different shows throughout the city and have hosted many Drag shows at NV Music Hall, Black Pirates Pub, the Outpost Pub, and many different ballrooms in different hotels throughout the city. Our main Drag shows where we showcase girls from Canada’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race are at the Italian Cultural Centre on Algoma Street. I have to say, all the business owners that we have worked with in this great city have treated us like family.
How would you describe the experience of a Drag show to someone who has never attended one?
That’s a real hard one because not everybody sees things with the same eyes. In my experience, most people are shocked because at the end of the night they all have the same thing to say, “Oh my God, we’ve had such a great time and we can’t wait to come out to the next Drag show.” Sometimes we get people who just don’t understand and don’t care for it and they don’t come back again, and that’s fine, because Drag is not for everyone and respect is needed on both ends.
Please explain what some of your other services you provide are, like your Pageants or Mentorship.
Since Covid, we have not had our yearly Pride Pageant, which is held at the Italian Cultural Center in the month of May where we crown a Miss, Mr. and MX of Pride. The pageant is run like a regular beauty pageant that you see on television, except with Drag artists.
We hope to have another pageant in 2024, right before Pride, and we will keep you all posted on that. Our mentorship deals with our Gender Journeys programs that we provide throughout the city. We have Drag artists that are transgender, and they come out and speak to our guests who are identifying as transgender or questioning. Our team will talk on their life experience, and what they’ve gone through, and some of the things that other trans people might have to go through. We hope our programs give them a little bit more strength and power to face our everyday world that we all know can be so cruel.
I personally want to see them have another shield to protect themselves. We also offer makeup classes to people who may be dabbling in a bit of Drag, cross dressing, or trying to figure out who they are, and that’s everything from wigs, to jewelry, to outfits, to shoes. The list can go on and on and on.
What are your goals/plans for Pink Mafia Productions in the future?
Our younger members of the team always have new ideas that we want to try out. They’re always up-to-date with new trends and fads, so it brings young, fresh life to Pink Mafia which is what we need. As I said, Drag is an evolving art form that changes constantly.
We also have many new projects coming out which we can’t talk about right now, but we will be advertising them shortly. Right now, we’re also working on our next big project, which is the search for Thunder Bay’s Next Drag Superstar. It will be similar to what you see on TV with RuPaul’s Drag Race or Canada’s Drag Race (or any other Drag Race franchises), except it’s held in the city for the local talent to participate in.
Drag families or Drag lineages are an integral part of the Drag community. Could you explain the concept of Drag family trees and how they contribute to the overall sense of community and support within the Drag world? How does being part of a Drag family impact your experience? In what ways do you support and collaborate with each other?
Drag families are your chosen family, just like your every day family. It consists of a Drag mother, who takes on younger Drag artists and mentors them and guides them through their journey at the beginning. As a Drag mother, you always want to see your Drag children surpass you, to be greater than you, and hopefully they learn from your experiences and hope they become better than yourself. In my words, being a Drag mother is all about watching your child grow up, picking them up when they fall down, helping them out, encouraging them to do better and wanting to see them flourish in something that they really want and can’t necessarily get that from any other place other than from someone who is already in the Drag world.
In many ways, being a Drag mother is like being a teacher, you want to give them knowledge. You want to help them in every aspect of it, and when you’re family, you feed off of each other, you see each other’s experiences. You help each other in a way where everyone succeeds, not just yourself. Some Drag artists start out on their own and they don’t have anybody to mentor them, and at times, that can be a lonely spot compared to someone who is connected with a Drag family. I’ve always believed that to succeed, you have to learn from someone. Before you conquer something, it’s better to be in an army than conquering it all by yourself. Plus, you get encouragement that you necessarily won’t get if you’re by yourself.
Within the Drag community, are there any significant members who have influenced your style or performance? How have they shaped your journey as a Drag artist?
I was very fortunate and very lucky to find the Drag mother that I had. Her name was Miss P, and at the time, I had no idea just exactly who she was or how famous she was. As it turns out, she asked me if I was looking for a Drag mother and I told her yes, but I wasn’t experienced and I needed help, so she took me under her wing and gave me the guidance and the encouragement that I needed at that time in Orlando, Florida. It was very hard to get stage time. If you didn’t have a Drag mother, or if you didn’t have somebody mentoring you, you never got a chance. In my case, like I said, I was very lucky. I come from a very huge family with many famous Drag sisters and Drag nieces. I think my Drag mother had around 32 or 34 Drag children at the time and I was the baby of the bunch, so I had so much guidance and so much protection with having all those Drag sisters, it was amazing. I still stay in touch with a lot of them today.
For those of you who don’t know who Miss P is, well, I will tell you she ran the show in Orlando, Florida at the famous gay resort The Parliement House. She ran the stage in the Footlight Players, which was the name of the club at the resort. I’d have to say the number one thing that I learned from my Drag mother was to always have respect for those that came before you. I find that today in the Drag world, the younger ones don’t necessarily always respect the older ones and that’s really sad to see because if it wasn’t for us who paved the way for them, they would have nothing today. I’ve been blessed with all my Drag children who have taken that advice from me and respect all Drag performers that have come before them.
In your opinion, what makes the Drag community unique and special?
Drag is a whole separate world in its own world. What makes us unique is that we’re on the edge. We’re out there always fierce and fabulous. I think being unique is what makes us special. For anyone who could transform themselves into another person and get on stage and perform is definitely unique all on its own. To most people, when they see a Drag queen on stage, they think, “Wow, that person is so powerful, they’re so strong,” but once all that Drag comes off for a lot of performers, they’re shy, they’re scared, they’re insecure and most times, they don’t even like themselves. Drag gives them the courage to change all that.
Drag is often associated with costumes, makeup, and performances. Could you shed some light on the behind-the-scenes process of creating a Drag look and preparing for a show? What are some challenges you face in this process?
Many Drag queens have many obstacles about getting ready and creating their looks and preparing for a show. Sometimes you feel like your whole stomach is just going to explode because you’re excited, but scared at the same time. Getting ready is always a lengthy process for some Drag artists. It takes 2, 3, or even 4 hours to get ready. You’ve got your prep before even prepping. You have to shower, do your shaving, your lotions and potions, and then you must start to create your Drag persona, and as I said, that can take hours.
For myself, I find that the heat is definitely a downfall for me. Once you start sweating, it’s hard to keep your body cool so you’ve got to constantly keep drying yourself so that your makeup will stick. Each Drag artist has their own regiment of how they prepare themselves to get ready for the night—some listen to pop music some listen to meditation. Everybody has their own style on how they get their creative juices to flow. It’s actually a lot of fun to be in the dressing room watching everybody get ready and scrambling and screaming and all the chaos is what makes it so fun. Having a few cocktails always makes things much better.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in exploring Drag as an art form but might feel hesitant or unsure about taking that first step?
My advice would be to research online in your community to see, first of all, if they even have a Drag culture there, and second, I would reach out to friends. Nowadays, somebody always knows somebody that knows a Drag queen or is related to a Drag queen or is a very close friend of a Drag Queen. Get your start that way, and if you can connect with a Drag family, that would be the best. If you must do it alone, then I would suggest watching tutorials on YouTube or Instagram—any type of social media where a Drag queen is showing her steps on how she prepares. If that is the only way that you can get help, that is my suggestion. Don’t hesitate; just make your dreams come true and remember to always love yourself.
Lastly, where can people follow Pink Mafia Productions?
www.pinkmafiapro.com
www.instagram.com/pinkmafiapro
twitter.com/PinkMafiaPro
www.facebook.com/PinkMafiaProductions
