David Meets... Ian Parks
Ian Parks is perhaps best known for his leading role in Where the Bears Are, but he also works as an editor. He is well-known to so many of us bears and can now be seen as one of the faces behind a major campaign from Axiom for Men to make sure all of us are well-groomed (even the hairiest of us). We were able to catch up with him recently and found out a bit more about the man himself.
David Goodman: Ian, thanks for letting us chat with you. We are thrilled that you are our lead story today, and almost two years to the day you were on our launch cover with the rest of the cast from Where The Bears Are. Welcome back. We have interviewed you before about Where the Bears Are, and so we won’t ask too much more. But now that Season 3 is out, how is it going and what’s the response?
Ian Parks: First of all, thanks for taking the time to talk to me again! As for Season 3, it’s hard to gauge the response at times. The statistics on the Vimeo and YouTube channels for the show are not the most specific, and the hits each episode accumulates aren’t necessarily indicative of how many people are watching, so that number is hard to figure out. But the comments are overwhelmingly positive across the board! More and more people are joining the fan page on Facebook, and a recent article in The Los Angeles Times has brought a lot of new eyes to the show from viewers outside the bear community. I was just stopped at the gym the other day by someone who told me he saw the Times article, got all his friends together, and they caught up on all three seasons in an afternoon. None of them had ever heard of us until then! That kind of feedback is very encouraging and inspiring.
DG: Would you say you are getting recognized now?
IP: In spite of what I just said, I wouldn’t say I’m getting recognized more now, no. It’s been pretty much the same over the last couple years. Maybe people are recognizing me, but not many people come up and actually say anything. Every once in a while, I’ll be walking down the street and someone does a double-take and then compliments me or the show, or will want a picture with me. And at gay events, pride functions, etc., it’s a lot more frequent, but in my normal day-to-day life it’s not a regular thing. But whenever it does happens, I’m always thrilled to hear from people who watch the show and support the hard work that goes into it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—the best part for me is working on something that so many people are watching and enjoying!
DG: Tell us about the Ian Parks we don’t see on the screen. What do you do when you’re not filming?
IP: My normal bread-and-butter job is editing, so I spend a lot of time hunting for the next freelance gig, and I have been going to auditions more and more lately. I’m also working on a website of my own which is almost ready to be launched. I hesitate calling it a “fan page”; it’s really more of a platform for me to streamline all my social media and to post my own original content, like blog posts, original videos, etc. So I spend a lot of time keeping these various plates spinning.
In my downtime, I’m always poring over films and television, reading about the industry ... I kinda live and breathe this stuff. I have a GoPro and a lot of fun toys to go with it, so I’m always playing around with cameras and filming this or that. And I love to learn. I’m very curious. Etymology is fascinating to me, for example. I’m a bit of a science geek, too. Plus, there’s the gym, traveling, playing piano and singing, writing, museums, etc. ... my range of hobbies is pretty wide. And I love cats. Actually they all love me for some reason, and I can’t help but love them back
DG: Where are you from? Where did you grow up?
IP: I’m originally from Pennsylvania. My family moved a few times during my upbringing, but I used to live outside Scranton, then moved to a small town called Everett, then to Harrisburg, which is where my folks still live today. During the summers, for as far back as I can remember, we’d all go to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as our beach destination. There’s a huge gay population in that area, so when I was in high school this sort of became my gay stomping grounds. I learned all about cocktails, rainbow flags, the bear community, the hanky code, drag queens, poppers, lesbian bars, cruising spots, three-ways with couples, and how to assemble outdoor furniture. It was a comprehensive gay education. Later, I went to college in Philadelphia before moving out to Los Angeles.
DG: What are your passions?
IP: My passion really and truly is for film—the entire process from start to finish. Nothing makes me happier. I also love pushing my boundaries and expanding my horizons; I’d try anything I’ve never tried before, go anywhere I’ve never been, and gladly step outside my comfort zone at every possible opportunity.
DG: What role would you love to tackle, either in film or on stage?
IP: You know, I kinda have already tackled it. Years back, I was doing theater in Pennsylvania and was the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. I can’t imagine ever having more fun than that while playing a part. To this day, I still regularly blurt out for no reason, “Poppies is my favorite flowers!”
DG: We have seen you now as a poster boy for Axiom for Men. How did that come about?
IP: Mike Waxman from Axiom contacted me through Facebook describing a new ad campaign he wanted to do with someone representing all the different kinds of gay culture and gay life. Since he asked if I’d be his bear representative, I assumed he had seen Where The Bears Are, and that was why he was coming to me. He had never heard of the show, though, but he identified with what I wrote in my various Facebook postings. Paraphrasing, I basically talk about how I wish gay men would be nicer to each other, more accepting, more forgiving, more understanding, and more willing to give each other a leg up in the world. We are all supposed to be in this together. This is what Axiom is all about too, in so many words, and Mike read that and it resonated with him. And so, he contacted me and the rest is history.
DG: You are quite hairy. What are your usual grooming routines?
IP: Well, I keep my beard pretty well-groomed, I suppose. Every couple of days I’ll take my beard trimmer and do a quick once-over. The neck and sides I trim at the #3 setting, the goatee part I trim at #5. Then, a standard shave for the rest of my face and neck. As far as my body ... you know, I personally think a little manscaping never hurts anybody, but I don’t go overboard. I’ll leave it at that; interpret it however you want to! I do keep my back and shoulders pretty clean and groomed, though, for my own personal preferences.
DG: What are your goals for the future?
IP: In a nutshell? My goal is to make a living doing what I love with interesting, creative people, working on projects that I am excited about. Editing, acting, or whatever it ends up being ... I want to make my passion my lifelong career.
DG: Will we see you do more for Axiom?
IP: Absolutely. Their message is important and I believe in it, so I’d do anything they asked of me. Well, that’s a bold statement [LAUGHS] ... I’d do anything within reason, I mean.
DG: Will we see you in anything soon?
IP: The whole audition process is surprisingly secretive, as a matter of fact. They specifically say, “Do not post or mention anything about this audition on social media,” and very strictly enforce this rule. So I can’t really say at this point; I guess you’ll just have to keep an eye out in the months ahead.
DG: Thanks again, and it’s been great chatting with you. Good luck with all your projects!
Find out more about Axiom for Men, at their website here - www.axiomformen.com