'King of Publicity' tops OUT100 list
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A hundred people from across the country are being honored for being trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community.
They're part of the OUT100 list, a list of the year's most impactful and influential people in the community.
In addition to WABC's own Sam Champion, another name that's at the top of the list is a longtime activist that lives in the Tri-State area.
His name's Angelo Ellerbee.
He made a name for himself in music circles around the world, and recently, the Newark Street where he grew up was named after him.
"I'm totally shocked," said Ellerbee.
If you don't know who Ellerbee is, singers in the music business do.
He has worked with many of them from Dionne Warwick, to Whitney Houston, to Michael Jackson.
"And they call my company the charm school for rappers so yes, I have a lot of titles," said Ellerbee.
He's known as the King of Publicity but started his career as a fashion designer before switching to PR. He says it's not about the big names he represents but it's about giving back.
He spoke out about the AIDS crisis at a time when no one wanted to talk about it. He held annual fundraisers for almost two decades.
"It wasn't really plaguing the African American community until boom, and so it was very important to me," he said.
He's still educating people today and he attributes his success to two things - his faith and the love and acceptance he received from his mother at a young age.
"She taught me how to be real, she said be who you are, be original don't follow, I made you a leader, lead," said Ellerbee.
That's still one of his main goals today, providing mentorship through his foundation.
"My family gave me the sensitivity, the love, and the understanding of acceptance of me, so I never ever had to hide in a closet, I was always Angelo Ellerbee," he said.
The OUT100 list hits newsstands on Tuesday, October 29th.
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