Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Jeff Crilley sits down with three of the driving forces behind DIFFA Dallas's legendary House of DIFFA event: Trustee Grant Farmer, Trustee Richard Rivas, and Creative Director & Producer, House of DIFFA Robyn Chauvin....
Jeff Crilley is a former news reporter, who spent more than 25 years in newsrooms across the country. He’s an Emmy Award winning journalist, who decided to make the jump from news in 2008, when he founded his own PR Firm, Real News Public Relations.
Today, the firm has more than 100 clients, and Jeff continues to tell the stories of interesting people he meets along the way.
These are those stories.
Coming up next on the Jeff Crilley Show, you're gonna meet three of the driving forces behind. They are coming up on thirty five years of an over the top event. It's coming up, in just a couple weeks. We're gonna talk about it next. Many are predicting that the worst is yet to come, which is unfortunate, said one person here. Until now, they've enjoyed the reputation of being the nation's icebox. Watched a burglar in his home this morning by webcam. As a journalist of over twenty five years, stories are what make my world turn. Reporting live from The Dallas Newsroom tonight, Jeff Crilley, Fox four news. But in 2008, I took the jump from my familiar life and started a PR firm from my home. We're talking about anyone with a camcorder like the one I'm using becomes a television network. We started slowly growing the company, and we now have over a 100 clients. And we've branched into the world of live digital broadcasting. I now own eight different TV studios and have a huge team. And the stories that I now get to share are sometimes the most important of my life. Life has a funny way of coming around full circle. This is The Jeff Crilley Show. Well, I'm very excited about this next show because my wife served on the DIFA board for about three years, and the events are absolutely over the top. They've been doing it for thirty five years now, coming up on thirty five years. And three of the driving forces behind this year's event are in the studio right now. To my left, Grant Farmer, Richard Rivas, and Robyn Chauvin. Thanks for coming on the show. Thanks for having us. Yeah. Thank you. Alright. Why don't we start with you, Richard? Tell us a little bit of the history. Thirty five years, how why did it start? Yeah. Sure. So we're celebrating our thirty fourth year of House of Diffa, but what it started in 1984, so, that's when the AIDS epidemic was happening, and there's a huge stigma when it came to AIDS specifically in the eighties. So it started in New York, and so a group of friends got together to raise money for their friends because there wasn't enough funds for medication, housing, transportation to doctor's appointments. Right? So it started as a group of friends coming together. Since then, it's grown across the country. The Dallas chapter started in 1984, and we've been here ever since serving North Texas. And it's really a showpiece for DIFA worldwide, isn't it? I mean, it's, your events are are truly exceptional. What tell us again where the money goes. Yes. So all of the money that's raised at House of DIFA stays here in North Texas. So we serve over 20 aid service organizations here in the community. So non earmarked funds, and what that means is money that the government does not offer or cover, rather. So counseling, medication aid, gas, transportation, really, you name it, that's what we're there for to help serve. Grant, what do you wanna add to that? We are very diverse in the way that we support, and we hold that very close to our hearts as individuals who are on this board. As you said, we have over 20 organizations that we support, but really we keep on trying to do better, right? We're trying to give more, publicity, more optics, more vision of who we serve. This year we actually have a website, continuation that we're trying to work on and hopefully get done before House of Defer this year, which allows the funnel of more individuals to help serve and help support these organizations as the year goes. Yes. Robyn, I think you have the most pressure of anybody because you're the person who has to herd all the cats. That's true. So why don't you describe this year's event and how many models are you working with? How many meat moving pieces are we talking about? So this is really a show like no other. I do several different shows in the community and different things, but this is really more akin to, like, a Broadway performance type thing. We have 80 something models. It it varies year to year. Nearly 200 looks will walk the runway. Our runway is, I believe, the longest in Texas. It's a length you know, it's just a it's a ginormous show with the two story stage and dancers and singers and performers. And so, you know, it's it's my job to make sure that we are wowing our audience every year so that they come back so that we can support these incredible organizations. So it's really it all comes down to creating that support for the people that need it, but we're doing it in the most fabulous way possible. I wanna stay with you for a second while we roll some video. This is from a previous show. When I say over the top, I mean, it truly there's nothing like this. And and Robyn, you produce a number of events every single year. What is it about Diffa Dallas that is so exceptional? So I think our audience has come to expect these surprises from us. So we've really moved from what was what really kind of started as a way to to showcase the jackets that people created to auction off. It really more it sort of morphed into a very costume heavy show with large headpieces and amazing outfits and, you know, it's just not something that you see in in a regular runway show and so that's really kind of the difference and I think we're I think the way it kind of moved in that direction is celebrating the creatives that really started this organization because it was really started by designers and artists and and creatives who were losing their friends to AIDS. And so it's really an it's an ode to to those people who originally created the the whole thing. And Robyn, you were telling me before the show that there's only, like, one run through. Yeah. So, I mean, all of these all these movie pieces, and they really don't get any practice. I mean, I I I see the productions. I mean, I seem I it feels like you guys have been rehearsing for days. I know. Well and, you know, we I work with some incredible models who who also, you know, give a lot of their time to make this happen because it's such an important cause to everyone. And so you sort of you you run through and you do the best you can, but at the end of the day, you're just hoping everything works out the way it's supposed to. But it it really does, and I think that's why it's that element of, like, excitement and surprise. And, you know, I give them autonomy on the runway to create these characters, and then everybody just feels it because it's such an electric room. Yeah. Yeah. Grant, how long have you been involved? This is actually my first year on the board. Is that right? Yes. I've been involved supporting other board members and other trustees in the past. But, no, I I feel very honored to be the first year for me. Well, since we're we're we're talking, we're all fans of the great Jan Strempel. So give us a little background about Jan and why she has been so important to fashion in Dallas. You know the the funny thing is is I first met Jan when I first moved here. Believe it was back in 2013. My, I worked with an agency here in Dallas and I was told this woman was gonna come in and teach us how to walk and then Jan walks in, this gorgeous person with such elegance and grace and the way that she taught it and then I got to be exposed to her within the community and how she gets back And so for me it's been an honor. I feel like that I've had wonderful people who've been a part of that development and been a great example for how to show up for others. And so now she's exceptional and I'm just grateful to be a part of this now and keep that going. Well, since we're doing a little Jan Strample Love Fest, let's continue along along the circle. Sure. Mine's a little different. So I moved here from New York, and I was working for a company and we support a lot of local not for profits. And she was the first show producer that I met and I was like, who is this person? And I don't know how to act around her because she's just like has this presence about her. But little did I know that she would turn into a mentor in a lot of ways and a sound board, and she taught me how to navigate the social scene in a lot of ways, but also how to be true to yourself and authentic, and really showing up in the correct and right way. So that's my been my interaction with her. Robyn, why don't you add to that? So I owe Jim quite a lot. I've, my career was at Neiman Marcus. I was a buyer there for a very long time. And when it was time for me to step away and cut back on some of that travel and craziness, I was introduced to Jan and I started working with her. And, she started training me on how to produce these shows, and and then as she was sort of ready to take a step back, I took on kind of the shows that she was had created and made these incredible things in our community, and I was so honored to be able to to take them over. But I she's still such a huge part of all of them. I mean, even if I I talk to her several times a week about ideas or will this work? And, you she's always pushing harder, like, think about it this way. Could you do it this way? Like, what if you did that? You know, and so it's it's so great to have that creative push and to help you just dream bigger and bigger so that you can create something really incredible. Yeah. We're down to our last three minutes, so let's give each one of you a chance to do a call to action. So this is coming up May 9 Yes. At the Sheriff. I would just say really know who we're serving. We're serving the lowest and I don't mean that in the way that their values people, but in where they are in life and many of us will never understand what that means to be in a place of there's no one here for you and as an organization to be able to give to others who have never felt that love, felt that appreciation, or felt that time from someone else. To me, I don't think there's anything else worth serving in such a capacity. So to those out there who see this, I would a 100% say please be a part of this. If you can't this year, we would love to see you next year. And those who have, thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for what you've given. Robyn, I want you to add to that and we'll end with Richard. Okay. Yeah. I would say, you know, I think we have this beautiful event and this show that you will no doubt be entertained by and you'll remember forever. But I think it's such a it's also we're highlighting the best of Dallas, these incredible designers and creators and makeup artists and models and performers. And I think it's such a great way to highlight what amazing things we have here in Dallas in our community and also to support a really important cause at the same time. Richard, bring us on. Perfect. So just kind of add on to what everyone has said. So the money that we raise benefits men, women, and children. I think that's one thing that people don't realize. Mhmm. It's, and I'm gonna take us home. So we're also accepting sponsorships. If you're interested in sponsoring, there are tables, are tickets for sale. All of that information can be found at diphadallas.org. Outstanding. You guys have been an amazing guest, we'll have to have you back again before next year's. Thank you. We're gonna end with the website which again is difadallas.org. Thank you all three. That's it for now. We'll see you next time.