NEW YORK—Will Clark’s Porno Bingo, the weekly gay gathering and bingo event, is only about $500 away from reaching its goal of raising $100,000 in charitable donations. Founder and host Clark said he expects to pass the finish line Wednesday night during the 239th party.
“After a very good week last week where we raised $750 for the gay basketball league, we are now only $525 away from a long-held goal of raising $100K for New York LGBT non-profits,” he said Monday. “I hope everyone is able to join us this Wednesday night for what will be, I hope, a landmark night.”
To help celebrate the impending milestone, gay adult performer Matthew Rush will appear on stage. Rush is a former Falcon Studios exclusive who currently appears on MightyMen.com. Also scheduled to attend Wednesday is 2009 Outmusic nominee Dudley Saunders, who is expected to perform two original songs.
Special prizes to be given away include tickets to Love Child, currently playing at New World Stages, and tickets to Coco Peru’s and Joan Rivers’ sold-out shows at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in the West Bank Café.
Clark founded Porno Bingo in 2005, soon after he arrived in New York from the West Coast. Having raised more than half a million dollars for charities in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, Calif., he was not about to let his promotional expertise and love of variety and game shows go to waste. By adding LGBT cult personalities to call numbers and perform, he transformed bingo—once considered a game best suited to retirement communities and Catholic churches—into a bona fide gay adult entertainment phenomenon.
“Certainly $100K seemed a long way off when we started in 2005,” Clark told GAYVN. “My main goal was to keep each week going; I didn’t think too much of the future. It wasn’t until January 2008, when we crossed the $50,000 mark, that I really thought this was possible—but I didn’t think we’d get here so fast and certainly not when things have been so difficult financially over the past year for the country.
“People are incredibly generous and I have a hardworking team behind me: my photographer AB, who shoots all our models and excites people into coming each week; and our once-a-month guest host Amanda Takehometomother, who comes in outrageous outfits; plus my ad guy Muffin Taco who does the NEXT ads. They’re all just terrific.”
Porno Bingo takes place every Wednesday night from 8-10 p.m. at Pieces Bar. No cover charge applies, and each bingo card costs $1. Past beneficiaries have included Bailey House, Braking the Cycle, the Gay/Lesbian Anti Violence Project, Gay Games, AIDS Walk, Lifebeat, Friends in Deed, Heritage of Pride and the New York Imperial Court.
“Pieces has been amazing this past year after our original venue, the 9th Ave. Bistro, closed down,” Clark told GAYVN. “I’ve worked in a lot of bars and clubs in my life, but the Pieces staff doesn’t make it feel like ‘work’ at all. It’s a lot of fun!”
For more information about the event, visit WillClarkWorld.com or contact Clark via email.
