Daily Inspiration: Meet Christopher Cain

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Cain. 

Hi Christopher, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I grew up in Kansas City and moved to Los Angeles to go to The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. It took a pandemic for me to realign myself enough to realize I was ready to come home and after 24 years of living the SoCal life, I took a job in social media marketing here in Kansas City. 

After months of isolation and civil unrest in my boarded-up Beverly Hills office and six lonely months here next to the Mighty MO River, I decided it was time for me to figure out how to live a full life inside the pandemic. So, I started reaching out looking for opportunities to meet new people and align myself not only with the business people but with KC’s gay community. 

After all this time sheltering in place, I knew what I missed most, my LGBTQ+ community and the way we have learned to be interdependent by sharing our talents with each other in a way that lifts us up with good old-fashioned dignity. In this quest to connect I found PridewearKC, a fledgling t-shirt company with a mission- to support LGBTQ+ tees designed by LGBTQ+ people for LGBTQ+ people and their allies to support only LGBT+ initiatives. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? Yes and no! If we’re using roads as a metaphor here, I have to say that the t-shirt business, like any other right now, is driving down a curvy two-lane highway with low visibility in a deer-infested forest. 

This covid19 state of uncertainty and our crumbling supply chain is nerve-wracking but I’m getting used to it. Sure, I have to ‘drive slower’ because of the conditions and it may take longer to reach my destination but I have resolved to get there no matter how much time and effort it’s going to take. 

I’m not akin to the word ‘struggle’ in business. I don’t allow myself to go there. Being a gay man, I struggled finding my voice, confidence, place in society, etc. and I came to know these struggles as hurtles- life is full of them- it’s a fact and there are always more on the way. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a trained actor with a successful commercial career behind me. Auditions were at random times and often last minute so I had to learn to be a jack of all trades. 

Creativity is at the core of my being. This combined with years of picking up skills I find that I have a nicely sized tool kit to pull from. For example, I’m cautiously driving down that mysterious covid road aware of my surroundings, knowing there will be hazards ahead so I continually ask myself, “what decisions can I make now that will keep us going if A, B, and C happen?” This translates into me pulling from my creative skills- I’m currently producing and will photograph our next advertising campaign. Would I prefer to hire a photographer? Yes, but my mind is on that hurtle down the road, and in these uncertain times if I can save money by doing something I know I do well, I’m going to do it myself. 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice for finding a mentor is to BE CAREFUL. It takes a special person and the right connection to be in a successful mentor/mentee relationship. 

I’d say a good start for someone in need of a mentor is to go to the next LGBT Mid America Chamber of Commerce mixer. You don’t have to be a member. I have found it to be a resourceful reservoir of good-spirited uplifting people who want to help. 

Contact Info:

• Email: christopher@mightymomarketing.com
• Website: www.pridewearkc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pridewearkc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=pridewear%20kc
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/pridewearkc