Wolfgang Busch

Wolfgang Busch (born November 6, 1955 in Heppenheim, Germany) is a multiple award winning documentary filmmaker, director, producer, cinematographer and editor. He was inducted into the Queens Business Hall of Fame for his company Art From The Heart Films for "Best LGBT Business" and into the LGBT Music Hall of Fame. For his social and artistic activism for the Black and Hispanic LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Ballroom community, aka Harlem Drag Ball community, Wolfgang received a Humanitarian award for his documentary How Do I Look, and the "Keep The Dream Alive" Martin Luther King Humanitarian award from the straight Black community.
He is an influencer, entrepreneur, grass-root organizer, special events producer, motivator, inspirational and touches people's life from all walks of life. His Documentary How Do I Look is screened worldwide and is used by University students for thesis. He lectures about Artistic Empowerment and HIV/AIDS awareness at prestigious universities, Yale, NYU, Penn State, not for profit organizations, The Door, Hetrick Martin Institute, Fierce, the Gay Men's Health Crisis, the LGBT Community Center in New York City & Chicago, and in Churches in New York City & San Francisco; and internationally in London, Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin.
After filming the ballroom community from 1995 until 2006, Busch released in 2006 his first feature-length documentary How Do I Look, which is about the Harlem house ball community, also known as Ballroom, the originators of the dance "Vogue" (see also ball culture). Wolfgang's second release in 2911 was [Flow Affair; *http://www.FlowAffair.weebly.com], which is about the New York City and San Francisco flagging and fanning dance community with the origin in the gay leather bars in the late 1970s in New York City.
History
Founder of Art From The Heart LLC in 2006, a video production company focusing on trend setting under-served artistic communities in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, producing authentic art documentaries for the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community and people with disabilities in the performing arts, The Special Needs Color Guard of America. His up-coming release is about the New York City Rock Live Music Scenes during the 1980s and 1990s and ballroom icon Octavia St. Laurent.
Early life and career
Wolfgang started his career in the music industry in New York City in 1985 at the Local 802, the musicians union, producing seminars and showcases for its Rock R&B committee and its 1,200 members. He was a club promoter, booking agent, host and special events & fundraising producer at legendary disco's, the Limelight, Palladium, The Tunnel, Danceteria and China Club and had 1,000 bands on his roller desk. He served on the Boards of Directors for the MetroBears, Outmusic, All Out Arts, MCAANY (Metropolitan Community Athletic Association NY), on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network TV producers committee and served on C. Virginia Field, Manhattan Borough President's Gay and Lesbian advisory council.
From 1990-2000 he produced New York New Rock, a weekly TV show highlighting cultural and educational aspects of various communities such as the local New York City Rock and R & B communities, LGBT, reaching 500,000 Manhattan households. The show was a successful outreach tool for artists and not for profit organizations and Busch was able to sign national and international licensing deals for Barbara Powell and Jimmy Lifton. As an openly gay artist, he has been embraced by a wide range of LGBT organizations to produce high level events including GLAMA (The Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards), SAGE (Senior Action in a Gay Environment) Lifetime Achievement Awards ceremonies and events for LifeBeat, Center For the Media Arts and Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center.
Busch's video production work can be seen on Film, the After Stonewall documentary, CBS, MTV, PBS, CNBC, E channel, New York 1, France, England on the Internet and on the Island of Bermuda and Jamaica.
Awards
Busch's company Art From The Heart Films was inducted into the Best Gay & Lesbian Business in Queens, NY for eight consecutive years and Busch has received numerous awards: Martin Luther King Jr. Keep The Dream Alive Humanitarian Award, Gay City News Impact Award, The A-List Award from Schneps Media, Pill Award for Best Documentary, Communicator Award, director for the "NY / Tokyo Youth Baseball Sister, City Exchange Program", sponsored by the United Nations and the Mayors office, Draco Editing Award, for co-producing with Darryl Hell the MTV music video of the band "Sum", Live Audio for the Ace Award winning Gospel TV show "Gospel Today", Mikie Award for sound and lights at the Pines and Cherry Grove, Fire Island Arts Project, Camera for the Emmy Award Winning Series on PBS for Sterling Films, Volunteer of the Year by the Gay & Lesbian Community Center and the Dedicated Service Award from Metropolitan Community Athletic Association of NY.
See also
LGBT culture in New York City
References
External links
How Do I Look NYC, 2006 Website for Wolfgang Busch's documentary on the ballroom scene as it has evolved since Jennie Livingston's Paris is Burning (1990).
American documentary film directors
Living people
American LGBT film directors
German gay men
Emigrants from West Germany to the United States
People from Bergstraße (district)
1955 births
German documentary film directors
German LGBT film directors