Over the past few years, RuPaul’s Drag Race has become a global phenomenon that has spawned a series of tours and events that have helped bring the glitter and glam from television screens to fans all over the globe. Brandon Voss, the founder of the creative agency Voss Events, collaborates with Drag Race alumni to produce the international Werq the World Tour, which features over-the-top performances by Drag Race queens.
Before becoming the owner of a multimillion-dollar company, Voss was a bartender in New York City while he was earning his master’s degree. After the housing-market crash in 2008, Voss lost his job at a former investment banking company and found himself back in the bar scene where he began to host events.
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“I just fell back into this whole nightlife background that I already had, and started throwing parties as a hobby,” Voss told Billboard. “It kind of just went from there and I never really left it.”
After hosting and promoting the crowning events of Drag Race season 1 and two winners, Bebe Zahara Benet and Tyra Sanchez, Voss was hired by Logo to start producing events for the television show. However, as he got older, Voss felt it was time to move past the nightlife scene.
He decided to use his skills from investment banking and connections to the Drag Race franchise to form an agency that would professionally market drag queens toward an audience in the form of tours and events.
“I’ve always loved drag queens, even when I was in college I was always at a drag bar all the time.” Voss said. “So going from nightlife to Drag Race was just a natural progression.”
Now an empire of drag brunches, an annual world tour, and a roster of top drag talent (which includes Asia O’Hara, Kameron Michaels and season 10 champion Aquaria), Voss is very excited to kick off the second Werq the World Tour. Stopping in an astounding 200 cities, the next leg of the tour will begin in Europe in April, and then Latin America halfway through the year.
“It’s really fulfilling to see how much the brand has grown,” Voss said. “It’s become this production with three semi trucks, a crew of 30 people and a massive set. To think a few years ago I was carrying around Detox’s bag in between shows!”
After an exhausting but exciting trip from the tour’s leg in Australia and New Zealand, Voss told us some juicy details about himself and some queens he’s worked with. From his personal music taste to a crazy story involving Violet Chachki leading a mutinous march during Drag Race’s season 7 premiere, Voss spills all the tea.
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Favorite Drag Race queen: Aw man, I can’t pick a favorite! That would just be bad business. [Laughs] I guess you could say that the ones that I manage are my favorites, but I love them all equally.
Favorite NYC queen: I’ve worked with Shequida Hall and Epiphany ever since 2009 when I threw my first party in New York City. They’re both super talented and I’d love to see either one of them on Drag Race. I still work with them both. Shequida hosts our drag brunch in New York every Sunday.
Crazy event memory: Oh god, I have a million. There was the time when we were producing the season 7 premiere. For some reason there was a time constraint, so VH1 had to cut the runway portion of the show. Violet Chachki led this full mutiny and got all of the queens to march onstage in the middle of filming because they had these runway looks. It was pretty funny how she got 14 drag queens to revolt against myself and VH1.
Favorite city to tour in: I thought Hong Kong was super cool; we actually just came from there. It’s a fun place to go.
Favorite season 11 queen: I’d say Yvie Oddly and Plastique Tiara are my two standouts.
Favorite LGBTQ musician: I really like Kim Petras.
Theme song: I would say “Time of my Life,” from Dirty Dancing. I played it at my wedding and baby shower, so I guess that’s kind of my theme song.
First celebrity crush: I think it was Ryan Phillippe.
Favorite diva: Madonna!
Last show binged: Does RuPaul’s Drag Race count?