AIDS Action Committee Names Media Host and Event Producer as Marketing Manager
Effective immediately, well-known Boston radio host, veteran columnist, event producer and restaurateur Keith Orr joins AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc. (AAC) as Marketing Manager, focused on the increasing visibility of and support for agency initiatives to gay men.
“Gay men suffered more infections than any other community in Massachusetts in the early days of HIV/AIDS and still do today,” said Rebecca Haag, Executive Director, AAC. “HIV remains the number one health threat to gay men and we need to do more to get the word out to the next generation. We established the MALE Center several years ago to serve the gay community, but need to redouble our efforts to get the word out more broadly. Other major cities are reporting a significant rise in new infections among young gay men, and we need to ensure that doesn’t happen in Massachusetts.”
“Keith brings a wealth of experience both in his media work covering the entertainment and news that affect gay men in Boston, Provincetown, and the surrounding area and his relationships will help us involve more gay men in the important fight to increase awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS in their community,” Haag added.
Orr will continue his role as Producer and Co-Host of WFNX Radio’s award-winning “One in Ten,” the nation’s first radio program for LGBT people, where he has been a weekly presence since 1997. From 2000-2003, Orr was Section Editor and Nightlife and Entertainment Columnist at Bay Windows, New England’s largest LGBT newspaper and previously was a columnist at Stuff Magazine, now Stuff@Night. Both Stuff@Night and WFNX are owned by Phoenix Media/Communications Group. Orr most recently was Dining Room Manager of Stella Restaurant & Bar and his past restaurant brand affiliations are Smith & Wollensky, Olives, and his own restaurant Zinc, which featured French cuisine from 1996-2000. He also brings entertainment management experience from his work with David Flower Productions in Provincetown and The Lyons Group in Boston.
“HIV/AIDS has been a part of my life for all of my adult life,” said Orr. “As a gay man, I’m honored to be able to use my knowledge, experience and skills toward working with the gay community to serve the clients and programs of AIDS Action Committee, for whom I’ve emceed Pridelights and whose work I have admired since it began 25 years ago.”
AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is the state’s leading provider of prevention and wellness services for people vulnerable to HIV infection. It provides services to one in six people in Massachusetts living with an HIV diagnosis. These services include HIV counseling and testing; needle exchange; mental health counseling; housing assistance; and legal services. AIDS Action works to prevent new HIV infections, support those affected by HIV, and tackle the root causes of HIV/AIDS by educating the public and health professionals about HIV prevention and care; and advocating for fair and effective HIV/AIDS policy at the city, state, and federal levels. Founded in 1983, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is New England’s first and largest AIDS service organization. Learn more at www.aac.org.
