IML 2014 Judges
This article shared 2 times since Wed May 14, 2014
Andy Cross ( IML 2013 )
San Franciso, CA
Andy was born in Santa Maria, California. San Francisco became his home 11 years ago. Although interested in leather from childhood, his adult introduction to the leather community began at the Powerhouse Bar on Folsom Street and quickly spread from there.
In 2011, Andy was selected as a Bare Chest Calendar man for the 2012 Bare Chest Calendar, helping to raise over $150,000 for AIDS-related charities. He has since served on the Bare Chest Calendar judging committee for the past two years. His title run began with becoming Mr. Powerhouse Leather 2013, and ultimately going on to become Mr. San Francisco Leather 2013. In May 2013, Andy became the 5th International Mr. Leather to hail from San Francisco.
He has done work with the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance, Mr. S Leather, AIDS Emergency Fund, Folsom Street Events, among other national and community organizations.
When he is not too busy traveling, he enjoys watersports, boots, rubber/latex, Daddies, boys, and pretty much everything else.
Chandler Bearden
Chandler Bearden is a native Georgian and has been a resident of Atlanta for nearly 20 years. Chandler was Mr. Atlanta Eagle 2010 and has worked with the LeatherHeart Foundation and also taught SM 101 classes at the Atlanta Eagle and Southeast Leatherfest. His interest in the community extends beyond the leather community, assisting on a variety of levels including Hotlanta Roundup ( an event for LGBTs in recovery ), Street Meals Volunteer for the homeless, Intergalactic Love Affair ( an annual event benefitting various non-profits ) and involvement with the Atlanta Meth Task Force.
Career efforts have led him through many creative venues from multimedia design to the body piercing industry, ultimately culminating in a position as Outreach Specialist for the MISTER Program of Positive Impact. While working on the Community PROMISE project at MISTER, he served on forum panels at Emory University and Georgia State College. He was also named Best Male Activist in 2011 and 2013 and a member of the Top 50 Most Influential Persons of Atlanta 2011-2012 by the community.
Tobin Britton
Tobin Britton has been a longstanding member of the Portland, Oregon Leather Tribe and a queer activist since the early 1990s. He jumped head first into the fray with memberships in a number of the local groups such as Portland Leather Alliance, Rose City Discussion Club, Blackout Leather Productions and Bad Girls. He served as Parade Coordinator and President of Pride Northwest for five years, streamlining many aspects of Portland's large pride festival and parade.
Tobin has held the titles of Ms. Oregon State Leather 2001 and American Leatherwoman 2002 which afforded him the honor of traveling the country as well as abroad as judge, tally master, judges' boy, and contestant handler for numerous large and small titles. He has presented on such topics as knife play, race play, psychological terror, releasing your inner monster and D/s dynamics for many clubs and organizations throughout the country.
He currently serves as President and founding member of The Boiys In Leather Service-Rose City, a volunteer group based on serving its various communities as well as President of Blackout Leather Productions, Inc., the organization responsible for producing the Mr./Ms. Oregon State and Oregon State Bootblack Contests and NW Sash Bash ( soon to be revamped into something even more spectacular! ).
Tobin is head of a poly household that includes his beautiful wife and boy Justin, girl Joni, pet Tani, pig boy Spike, babygirl Sophia and lovergirl Shae. He enjoys beautiful things and is a proud member of Mama's Family as Mama's Daddiruff and Mama's Warrior Slave and extremely proudly humbled to have been chosen as the NW Regional Pantheon of Leather 2013 Award Winner. Tobin had the honor of being featured on The Logo Channel's Portland, Oregon, edition of Round Trip Ticket to talk about leather. He enjoys boots, cigars, motorcycle riding, boys, girls and the art of the mind fuck. He is an old-school stone butch dyke who prefers male pronouns ( if you hadn't noticed ). He is overjoyed to be allowed to take part in the big show!
Paul Ciantar
Paul ( Argo ) Ciantar, Canadian Leather Man 2004 and Mr. Leatherman Toronto 2003, is an active and outspoken member of the International Leather Community. As an ambassador of the Toronto Leather Community since November 2002 and the Canadian Leather Community since July 2004, Paul has travelled across North America for Leather events, speaking engagements, media interviews, and fundraising events. He has judged several major Leather contests in both the USA and Canada ( including Mr. Edmonton, Mr. Michigan, Mr. San Diego, Mr. & Ms. Vancouver, Mr. MontrÃ�ï��Ã�ï��ï��©al, Mr. Atlantic Canada, Mr. Ottawa, Mr. Toronto, and Oklahoma Mr. Leather ). He has organized many highly successful fundraising events for charities like the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation and the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto; and has continued to support the fundraising efforts of other Toronto Leather Titleholders.
He served for three years as one of the founding directors for the Church Street Fetish Fair. He created the "So You Want To Be Kinky?" series of pansexual Kink/BDSM workshops in 2007 ( which continue to this day ), and significantly expanded the MLTC Weekend Seminar Program ( from six classes to 18 ) as Chairman of the MLTC Educational Programs Committee ( a position he held from 2005 to 2010 ). He also wrote a regular opinion column for Toronto-and western New York-based "abOUT" magazine, covering the queer and fetish lifestyle for for years.
Paul continues to be very active in the Toronto Leather Community, hosting a monthly "Kink 101" night and ( since 2008 ) the monthly "Pup Night" at the Black Eagle Toronto. He is the founder and Pack Leader of the Black Eagle Kennel Klub, and served as Chief Judge for the Toronto Puppy Contest in 2013 and 2014. He is also well known for his continuing fetish photography work ( especially his work for Northbound Leather ).
Recipient of the 2005 International Pantheon of Leather "Canadian Award", the 2009 MLTC Courtlan Forsey Award for his lasting community contributions, and the 2011 MLT Titleholder Impact Award, "Mama's Shit Disturber" continues to passionately promote Safer and Smarter BDSM, and the importance of Community Involvement, Education, Mentoring, Respect, and Responsibility through seminars, interviews, writings, and one-on-one conversations.
Will Clark
Over the past 19 years, Will Clark, a former Drummer titleholder and XXX performer, has produced and emceed well over 1,000 fundraising events—including The Bad Boys Pool Party and Cocktails With the Stars in LA, Porn Idol and Porno Bingo in NYC—and raised millions of dollars for hundreds of LGBT non-profits in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and more.
Recently, Will was honored by the Gay/Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, United for the Ride and New York's Imperial Court for his work in New York's LGBT community. Will resides in New York City and regularly officiates at same-sex weddings. He likes gas masks, football uniforms and straight jackets.
He is honored to be on the IML 2014 judging panel and deeply feels his participation is in memory of Mr. Marcus, Robert Davolt, Daddy Philip Turner and Ralph-Paul Gernhardt, who he was proud to call his role models, his mentors, his inspirations and, most importantly, his friends.
Mike Maez
Mike Maez is from Denver, CO. He is the owner/photographer at Maez Image, specializing in editorial and fetish photography. Mike also works as a personal trainer where he helps clients achieve their overall health goals.
His leather life began early, as evidenced by childhood photos of him actually wearing leather. He discovered his kinky, leather soul the first time he walked into a leather/fetish shop and realized his leather life had come full circle.
After the passing of a longtime partner, Mike decided to become more active in the leather community. He competed for and won the title Mr. Leather Colorado 2006. He was so proud of the rich history of the title that, in 2009, he took over the reins of the Mr. Leather Colorado Foundation, which produces the Mr. Leather Colorado contest. Under Mike's direction, the Foundation has expanded to produce the Mr. Colorado Rubber and Colorado Bootblack contests. Mike has served as an officer on the Board of Directors for the Rocky Mountain Leather Alliance for the past five years. He was awarded the Leather Heart Award in 2012 by the National Leather Association — Colorado.
Mike is honored to serve as a judge at IML this year. As a past Mr. Leather Colorado and now producer, he is even more honored to serve at IML on the 30th Anniversary of Mr. Leather Colorado Ron Moore winning IML in 1984.
Jeremy Morris
A simple smile and a "oh honey just try it" was the start of an interesting and kinky journey for the yellow loving Fruffy Pup from Iowa, Jeremy Morris. Little did he know that so much would come from this one experience over the next decade of his life!
Jeremy currently resides in Des Moines, Iowa, where he lives with his pup (Pup Chia'hua'hua) and two very spoiled animals. By day, he spends his time working as a claims adjuster for a national insurance company and most of the rest of his time working for his community. Even before his time as Mr. Iowa Leather, Jeremy was known for being an advocate in Iowa, working extensively with One Iowa, The Dubuque Regional AIDS Coalition, CAAP (Community AIDS Assistance Program), The International Pageantry System, ImpactCR (an eastern Iowa young professionals organization) and many animal charities, just to name a few.
Shortly before winning Mr. Iowa Leather in October 2011, Jeremy and three others founded the Titans of the Midwest, a social kink/fetish-based organization designed around three simple principles: to educate; to cultivate; and to motivate. Jeremy currently sits as president of the organization, whose membership now spans over most midwestern states. The organization continues to grow as a place of fellowship and mentorship for all kinksters in the Midwest communities and beyond.
In March 2012, Jeremy founded an event, which in February of 2013, with the help of the executive board, would move under the Titans banner, based around bringing engaging kink education back to key spots in the community. This event became known as Kink U, the flagship event for the Titans of the Midwest. With the help of great partners within the club known as "Deans," Kink U grew from a one-city event to a multi-day, multi-city event in seven different locations. Now in its third year, it is being held or planned in ten Midwest cities with over 15 events planned for 2014.
Jeremy thanks his executive board for always being ready to work and approaching every obstacle with such passion and dedication to the future of the kink lifestyle in the Midwest. In February of 2013 Jeremy and his partner in crime, Jesse Driscoll (Mr. Midwest Rubber 2013) co-founded Team Friendly — Iowa in an effort to help reduce stigma around HIV/AIDS in the Iowa communities. The program continues to be a growing resource for education and resources in the local community.
After planning and producing his own stepdown in 2012, Jeremy was asked by the contest owners to stay on as producer. At the helm, Iowa Leather weekend has continued to grow, celebrating twenty-five years and the addition of the first Ms. Iowa Leather contest in 2013. Jeremy would like to invite everyone to Iowa for the 26th annual Iowa Leather weekend Oct 10-12, 2014, in Des Moines.
Justin Terry-Smith
Justin, AKA Mister J, has been a human rights activist in the Washington DC/Baltimore area since 1999. He is an avid and outspoken leather switch with the right balance of sado-masochism for all. He is originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, but now resides in Laurel, Maryland, with his husband Dr. Philip Terry-Smith (married Aug 7, 2009) and son. A United States Air Force veteran, he was honorably discharged with awards and decorations in 2003. Justin is one of the founders and an associate member of the ONYX Mid-Atlantic. He is also an associate of the DC boys of leather and the Mid-Atlantic Kennel Korps.
In 2008, Justin created Justin's HIV Journal to advocate for HIV/AIDS education, prevention and awareness. In his journal he tells people about the trials and tribulations when it comes to living with HIV/AIDS. After being named Mr. Maryland Leather 2010, he authored the HIV-themed children's book called I Have A Secret, a story about a young boy living with HIV. He is currently working on his second book called Foster Parent Moments.
In 2012 Justin was awarded the Pantheon of Leather Mid-Atlantic Regional Award. He also writes an advice column called Just*in Time for A&U, America's AIDS Magazine, and created his HIV campaign called Write A Letter to HIV Campaign. He also is in Graduate School for his Master's in Public Health. Justin also writes a column called Mister J's Living In Leather'for the Leather Journal and has a blog named Mister J's Living In Leather.
He co-produces the Mr. PW's Leather contest that will continue next year. Justin is always looking to play as much as he works ... hard ... really hard.
Andrea Pressi
Andrea is a high school art history teacher who, since 2011, is the Chairman of Leather Friend Italia, a club now entering its fifth year. The club has roots going back to a former leather club with a 20-year history. Along with six close friends, Leather Friends Italia was formed and now organizes and holds parties on a regular basis in Italy. They are proud to partner with Leather Club Roma in organizing the Mr. Leatherman Italia and Mr. Rubber Italy contests.
In November 2013 he organized the Annual General Meeting of ECMC and the election of Mr. Leather Europe. In spite of numerous challenges, after six months of planning, the Italian fetish community welcomed the European clubs to celebrate.
Andrea enjoys travel throughout Europe as it helps him keep in good contact with the other clubs, make new friends, and keep in contact with others. Sharing the same view on Gay life is a great experience for him. Meeting so many different people gives him the opportunity to broaden his point of view. He strongly believes that life is so very colorful—and so is our community: a shimmering mosaic piece within a great work of art that life gives to us as a present.
Andrea feels very lucky to have met some of his closest and dearest friends within the Leather community. With them he has the possibility to have all of these great experiences. They have shown him what Leather brotherhood is all about.
Andrea is very happy and excited to be part of the IML judging panel for 2014. For him, it will be a great event where he can make new friends and learn much from the many communities represented.
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