Meet Kristina Bozanich

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristina Bozanich. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristina below.

Hi Kristina, so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?

It is strange, I know, for a creative director / photographer such as myself to be such a voice and position in the local LGBTQ+ community. It was a shock to many people, including myself, to be brought into a political battle when the pride event that I was hosting had to be canceled during the tumultuous law changes in 2023. Regardless of the cancellation of that event, and full success of our recent rebranded, community-involved “Proud in the Cloud”, I’ve learned that when you overcome the hate and negativity with such purpose and value, it is truly worth the fight.

I’ve remained steadfast in my commitment to being an LGBTQ+ ally in my community. The love and support I have for this community (my friends, my family, and those yet to befriend) are my driving forces. While there have been difficult times, I’ve persevered because I have seen and felt how my efforts have made a positive difference in St. Cloud and beyond.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

When I began my pop-up photoshoot series, SPECTACLE, I never expected that it would create the impact that it has today. In four years, I have done almost 30 episodes of unique photoshoot themes spontaneously in public. In Season 2, Episode 5 “Pride in the St. Cloud”, I produced the first pride event in my town of St. Cloud which was filled with all sorts of people in different ages and backgrounds. From this event, my heart felt filled by the outpour of love and appreciation for hosting pride, so much so, I decided that I would do the same event again the following year.

In 2023, my life drastically changed in more ways than one. Starting off the year, I had moved into my first commercial lease in a new studio. Months of planning and preparation had already begun for Pride in St. Cloud in 2023. Since I was hosting the event via my business, I handled all logistics, coordination of vendors and entertainment, ticketing, and marketing. Come May, there were some drastic political changes which impacted the feasibility of hosting pride again. Having to cancel for serious reasons, the fallout from this became a very distinct chapter in my life – one to which that I became a voice for the LGBTQ+ community for what was happening here in Florida. This chapter also made a devastating turn for what it did to my small business.

For speaking out, I have received hate calls, hate mail, and scrutiny by others for supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Being a small business owner, it is a frightful thing when your own business becomes a target under attack. Even after closing my new studio location, I persisted against these battles to plan a rebranded pride event in 2024 – one that would be community-based and driven. Through the support of my gathered committee, the “St. Cloud Pride Alliance”, we formed a very powerful and productive team. (That team consists of members who are all very close friends today.)

In June of this year, Proud in the Cloud had its debut under its new name and fortified mission. What started with about 100 attendees in 2022 became 1,000+! We provided resources, entertainment, and most importantly, a safe space for expression of love and acceptance. I know for a fact, that we have changed lives by hosting this event and that brings all of us pure joy and redemption for the hard days we’ve put in.

I don’t think that there are many people in world that can understand the feeling that I was blessed with that day. Imagine, seeing people all coming to celebrate with their friends and family something because it all (accidentally) started with you. Quite literally, all began because of my camera in my photoshoot series.

Fast forward to today, the visuals in photo and film that I and my team have created have been seen by millions on news stations and articles. Our footage has shown the impact of this event in ways that words cannot express. And this is where my two titles really finally marry each other – as a creative director, I have been in the orchestration of visual media, but as an LGBTQ+ advocate, I’ve made sure that those visuals were possible to capture. My LGBTQ+ advocacy is a cornerstone of my professional identity, even if it’s not the defining factor of my career path.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Before my story really took its turn, I was never very involved in politics at a local level. I truly see the trickle-down effect that politics has in our cities and counties, to which I pay much more attention. I urge everyone to educate themselves about the candidates on their local ballot and vote. I urge all residents to please contact your officials to express your opinions on matters because, most often, they truly will listen!

In the circumstance, like I was, where I had such hate and negative attention directed my way, it easy to keep silent and not let others know what is going on. Isolation is not the answer – seek help to others when you know you’re feeling this way. Little by little, the journey might take time to get through, but it is worth the climb.

Finally, the last word of advice is let the haters hate. They can live their life, but you need to live YOURS.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

Having “filled my plate” with so much responsibility and roles in the past year, my greatest challenge has been maintaining what is most important – family life. I am now trying to create effective systems or to simplify what’s on my plate so that I can be the best mother and wife that I need to be.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Artistic Self Portraits (HMUA / Photographer / Model): Kristina Bozanich
Features with Proud in the Cloud / St. Cloud Pride Alliance; ft Collins Creative entertainers, Twila Holiday
Proud in the Cloud media crew: Kristina Bozanich & Jerry Nikolaev
Portrait w/ Hat by Everyday Moments Photography (Dena Powell)

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