Mark IT PROUD - A Canadian/Broadway Kickstarter LGBTQ Success Story!
We all know that feeling of flipping through the greeting cards at a local drug store, searching for the card that we feel is "just right" for our beloved friends who are getting married, celebrating the birth of a child, etc. Or when we see one card that is just perfect for them, only to realize that their other friends felt the exact same way...resulting them getting it in duplicate (or triplicate). This frustrating occasional challenge becomes all the more frustrating, and much less occasional when the card literally does not make sense for the people we are getting it for. It doesn't really matter how lovely a card is, if you have no other option than to get a 'His and Hers' greeting card when there are in fact 2 Hims or 2 Hers.
Luckily, Graphic Designer Daniel Malen had a very innovative and important idea, and Actor/Artist Mark Uhre (currently on Broadway in LES MISERABLES) helped bring it to life. Mark IT PROUD is a line of LGBTQ inclusive greeting cards!
See the News Release below and check out their Kickstarter page for a delightful video and more information:
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Daniel Malen and Mark Uhre are celebrating PRIDE month by launching their passion project on Kickstarter
Proudly made in Toronto Canada, MARK IT PROUD is a line of LGBTQ Inclusive Greeting Cards celebrating life's big (and not so big) moments.
Don't have time to read our full story, our ONE minute video pitch that explains it all can be found on our Kickstarter page at http://kck.st/1WwYSmu
THE STORY OF MARK IT PROUD
On August 16, 2015, Daniel married Aaron. It was a magical evening filled with family, friends, food and plenty of bowties!
But as luck would have it, there was a silver-lining to Daniel and Aaron receiving countless generic bowtie-esque wedding cards with the words "Mr. and Mr." strewn across them. Namely, the genesis of an idea. But to make this idea a reality, Daniel would need some help. So he enlisted the talent of his amazing artist-friend Mark Uhre and MARK IT PROUD was born!
OUR MISSION
The mission of MARK IT PROUD is to not only give those searching for the perfect Wedding, Birthday, Baby, Coming Out and/or Celebratory card a little more variety then can currently be found out in the greeting card aisle, but to expand the visibility of LGBTQ cards as well.
Should our Kickstarter reach its funding goal, MARK IT PROUD is our way of telling generations of past, present and future LGBTQ that it can (and does!) in fact get better. It is our hope that the next time someone walks down their local greeting card aisle, they see that a Wedding, Anniversary, Valentine's Day or Baby Shower card isn't just reserved for those with the title "Mr & Mrs.'
ABOUT THE FOUNDERS
Daniel Malen (Founder/Graphic Designer)
Daniel loves to create. When Daniel isn't busy building and operating Toronto's first cold pressed juice company, he can be found blogging about television on his popular television blog theTVaddict.com, walking his dog, or knitting on the couch while watching Netflix alongside his amazing husband Aaron. Follow his exploits on instagram @notthetvaddict
Mark Uhre (Founder, Artist)
When Mark was four years old he started drawing on the bottom of his parents' coffee table. His family discovered his work seven years later when the table was flipped over into a moving truck - Mark draws on paper now. He is a published Illustrator and Actor, currently performing on Broadway in LES MISERABLES. www.markuhre.com
Kickstarter: http://kck.st/1WwYSmu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markitproud/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/markitproud
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markitproud/
Website: http://www.markitproud.com
Photo Credits Ken Tsujimoto; In picture: Daniel Malen (Founder) and Mark Uhre (Co-Founder, Artist)
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