This is the email I received :

I'm writing to you because I know that you are a big supporter of the LGBT community in Chicago. There is a new organization forming called dot429 that will be empowering for the LGBT community and our supporters. I've been asked to become a founding member of dot429 and also invite founding members in the inaugural cities of New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. I would love for you to consider it.

We have already lined up an impressive list of founding members in a variety of professions, including fashion designers John Bartlett and Isaac Mizrahi; chefs Elizabeth Falkner and Anita Lo; Weinstein Co./Miramax CFO John Hadity; Jodi Goodman, SVP booking Live Nation; hotelier Chip Conley; and GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios and past GLAAD President Neil Guiliano, Curator of the Guggenheim Museum David Vanderleer, Chef Art Smith, Christine Alloro founder and CEO of OURSCENETV, Publisher of INTERVIEW Magazine David Hamilton, and Vice President of Experential Marketing for Hennessy Billy Paretti and Richard Klein founder of Surface Magazine.

A Little Background
dot429 has a simple vision in mind – we want to create a way for LGBT people and our supporters to network in order to help each other move ahead in our professional lives and passions. We want to make being gay an advantage in the professional world. We also want to inspire younger LGBT people and those either struggling with being out or just coming out to thrive in their lives.

dot429 will be a way for LGBT people and our supporters to connect with other successful people both in person and online. Online there will be member profiles, professional opportunities, information about exclusive events and content related to professional interests and expertise in a variety of areas. In person, there will be events—from intimate to larger gatherings—designed to connect one another sharing similar professional goals, passions and interests. We will begin with a monthly networking brunch and a series of intimate dinners around the city designed to create meaningful conversation and connections.

What it Means To Be a Founding Member
To kick off the launch of dot429, we are inviting a select group of thought and industry leaders to be founding members of this dynamic network. As a founding member, your membership will be free for life. We will be creating short videos of some of our founding members and would love to include you as well if you are interested. These video interviews will be part of the key DNA of the online presence and let thousands of LGBT people learn about and be inspired by you, your accomplishments and your life story.

By becoming a founding member of dot429 you’ll be doing something to help all LGBT people and our supporters have more opportunity and help each other. You will also have the opportunity to attend engaging events in your home city and across the country and meet interesting and accomplished people like you. You will be part of something powerful, something that makes us stronger, something interesting and something fun.

If you’re game, I’d like to set up a time to tape an interview with you to include on the site when dot429 launches. I hope you’re not camera shy.

Please, please please consider this. You can call me any time. I think that you would be such a positive model for this organization.

Thank you so much for reading this message. I appreciate it.

I’ll be filling you in on exciting events that will be coming to our city soon!


Cheers,

Nina J. Fernandez
nina@dot429.com