More Than Friends Proudly "Comes Out" for Pride Month!
Hello everyone,
It's me, Stephen, Owner of More Than Friends, and I have a LOT to share with you!
Our original logo - featuring the likeness of Joseph and myself.
Firstly, I need to tell you a story. More Than Friends has been going through a bit of an identity crisis. When I started More Than Friends with Joseph Yaden, I envisioned a platform in which we could share stories and passions together and make the world a better place. That vision eventually devolved into selling random factory-made toys for third parties at conventions and writing about video game news and reviews. While it was fun, it certainly wasn't what I originally intended, and it definitely wasn't living up to our name.
Our new logo, referencing love and diversity directly in a more all-encompassing design.
The name "More Than Friends" alludes to love and compassion as well as the notion of treating one another as something beyond merely friends or acquaintances, but rather, as a family. After beating myself up over this identity crisis, I receded into the metaphorical closet, dragging my company with me. Now, I am the sole owner of More Than Friends, and I've spent some quality time with the company hiding away in the closet and planning for our grand escape.
So... this is me, and, in tandem, this is More Than Friends, reemerging into the world.
Starting TODAY More Than Friends is going to truly live up to its name, and boy do we have a lot of surprises for you!
Today, I vow to put our "More Than Friends" first. This "family first" approach means prioritizing our community, independent artists and creators, small businesses, and YOU! We will advocate for positive social change and we will support talented artists and collaborate on meaningful projects that genuinely improve lives and make the world a more fun and interesting place.
Due to this more streamlined focus, MTF Gaming is no longer a branch of More Than Friends. There are plenty of other places where you can find video game news and reviews, and we want to focus on making a positive difference, sparking meaningful conversation, and genuinely supporting individuals who do go underappreciated or do meaningful work. Video games are still awesome, and we will most certainly be celebrating them and discussing them moving forward, but it will not be a major focus in and of itself.
Instead, we will put our time and attention towards collaborating with local or independent artists and small businesses in an effort to provide compelling products, support art, encourage positive social change, and present projects and events that bring us together.
We begin RIGHT NOW in June with a focus on PRIDE!
MTF PRIDE FOCUS
For June we are dedicating our efforts towards celebrating the LGBTQA+ community and supporting queer artists! Below is a sample of some of the exciting projects we have to share with you!
Available now! Support LGB+ youth!
Hand-Dyed Pride Shoes
We're collaborating with a fresh new business, To Dye For, and we're providing hand-dyed pride shoes for a good cause!
Available for pre-order now, these high-top and low-top shoes show off your pride and support for the LGB+ community! For every purchase, More Than Friends and To Dye For will make a donation of $10 to "The Trevor Project" an organization that provides crisis and suicide prevention services to queer youth!
PRIDE EVENTS
More Than Friends will be celebrating Pride at various events throughout the month! We're announcing 2 for now:
Art Showcase at Fort Wright Gamestop
More Than Friends will be celebrating pride, showcasing local artists, and unveiling a brand new art print at Fort Wright Gamestop all day June 2, 2018! Art will be available for purchase and there will be cookie cake!
Also, anyone who shows their support is entered into a drawing to win some exclusive items! (FREE STUFF!)
Nerd Nite - June
I will be speaking at Nerd Night at The Rook OTR on June 12th. I'll be giving a talk about how video games help LGBT Youth! The doors open at 7:00 PM. This is a free event open to the public! Come and show your support, and hear talks about a number of different nerdy topics!
Continuum - New Music Presented by MTF
Our biggest project for June, and the first of its kind for More Than Friends, I am proud to announce that we are collaborating with local gay musician Jacques (Jack Carter) and we are releasing his musical album Continuum through our online store!
Inspired by video game music, vaporware, and retro-electro Continuum is an electronic treat for the ears featuring the occasional indulgence into the French language and groovy electric guitar solos!
Today we are unveiling the title track to the album, "Continuum"! You can listen below or support the artist by purchasing the song on our shop!
Look out for more music, and the full album, available later this month!
This Is Just The Beginning
This is just the beginning of a NEW AND IMPROVED More Than Friends! We're coming out proud and firing on all cylinders, and we'll have a lot more for June including new articles, products, projects, and events! Our website and social media accounts will be going through some changes, so pardon the mess and the growing pains, but we hope to continue to provide meaningful content and support for our audience, independent creators, and our communities.
More Than Friends is, ultimately, a celebration of the big, beautiful, and diverse family we're all a part of! Thank you so much for your support, we love you all!
And remember...
Always, treat one another as more than friends.
Love Love Love
-Stephen (Owner of More Than Friends)
