You may remember Max Emerson from his very funny web series, Max’s Underpants, where he and his friends (including the likes of Colby Melvin and Willam Belli) told us all about the difficulties of being an underwear model – while not wearing an awful lot, of course. He’s also an author, singer, actor and a fave on the internet for his half-naked pics.

Now though he’s planning something a bit more serious, as he’s launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $150,000 in order to make Hooked, a film about homeless LGBT youth.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Jack is a homeless teenage prostitute with a smart mouth and impulsive tendencies. He battles through a violent world of reckless johns between New York City and Miami, desperately seeking a better life with his boyfriend Tom.

‘The story depicts a harsh world where even good intentions can cause ruinous results. Without pointing fingers at any particular group, HOOKED shows how even the gay community is contributing to the perpetuation of the LGBT homeless youth problem. The allegory is not completely bleak, however; hope is found through the humanity in both the leading couple and (eventually) even the married closet case antagonist, Ken.’

The hope is that half of all the profits from the movie will go to LGBT homeless charities, so that means any donation to the Indiegogo campaign could end up benefitting those in need.

On the campaign page, Emerson says, “You may be thinking…. Max, you’re a self-proclaimed international male underpants supermodel… why do you care about a bunch of homeless kids? Well here’s what happened:

“About a year ago I published a novel called HOT SISSY about growing up closeted in redneck Florida. It seemed appropriate to make the e-book free for anyone currently still in school, or unable to afford a copy. Within just a few days, hundreds of kids reached out, and even shared THEIR stories.

“Turns out I’ve had it pretty easy in comparison to what some of these kids are currently going through. It was shocking how some of these people are being treated just because of their sexual identity. I’m really grateful for the chance to have shared my story, but now I want to use my time to tell some of theirs, and hopefully make their lives better in the process.”

Take a look below at the campaign promo and the video for Max’s new single (featuring Tom Goss), and then head over to Indiegogo to help out. [Read more…]

While most people think of Vimeo as a video sharing platform with reputation for having users who are more artistic and professional than the more mass-market Youtube, the site is now branching out into original content.

Its first shows have been announced, which Deadline reports includes a second season for the popular gay-themed web show The Outs (which has used Vimeo for many years before being officially backed by the site. In Season 2, gay life in New York hasn’t gotten easier, as ‘It’s been three years since the first season ended. During that time, Jack (Hunter Canning), Oona (Sasha Winters) and Mitchell (Adam Goldman) have gotten a little older, a little more tired, and the tiniest bit closer to figuring out what they want. Figuring out how to get it, though… that’s another story.’ It will debut in 2016.

The Outs isn’t the only LGBT-friendly content Vimeo is planning, as their first stand-up special will be Drag Race alum Bianca Del Rio, whose Rolodex of Hate Comedy Special: Live From Austin, will also feature exclusively on the site.

You can take a look at the announcement video for Season 2 of The Outs below, and you can watch the first Season at theouts.com. [Read more…]