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Audrey Joseph

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Audrey Joseph
NationalityUnited States
TitleSan Francisco Entertainment Commission President

Audrey Joseph is a American political and civil rights activist, who main career focus has been the entertainment industry, She started in the recording industry as a nightclub manager and later record executive responsible for many of the disco-era dance hits. She relocated from New York to San Francisco to run one of the most influential venues (177 Townsend/174 King Street) and several gay clubs at those venues including Pleasuredome, Club Universe and countless others that became the focal point for fundraising and events particular to the LGBT community. With San Francisco's changing real estate market the lease expired, the building razed, and Joseph started 444 Jessie which has also become an industry leader.

Joseph was appointed to the Entertainment Commission by Mayor Willie L. Brown and took office 1 July 2003. She has served as the first Vice President 2003-2004 and the President of the Commission 2004-2005 and again as Vice President for 2005-2006. She still serves on the commission and in 2007 was elected as President again.

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York and influenced by her father, a criminal lawyer and civil rights activist, Joseph was convinced that "everyone had a right to exist". She learned early on that it was all about having the courage to take risks.

Early career

Although Joseph started out as a dancer she ended up working in the night club industry. Her first outing was Dynamite, a Brooklyn night club. Soon after she moved to Manhattan and shortly after began working in the record industry for Aria Productions and MK Dance Promotions. MK Dance Promotions was responsible for the first gold 12" single ever, "Dance, Dance, Dance" by Chic. Joseph became the National Director of the company and went on to promote a vast number of disco hits that went gold. In 1979 Joseph joined Arista Records as their Director of dance music.

San Francisco (1982)

After a devastating fire, Joseph relocated to San Francisco from New York in 1982. Her background in the concert, nightclub and record business in New York served her well in San Francisco. Joseph worked for Megatone Records and was instrumental in the marketing and promotion of Sylvester. Her community spirit led her to volunteer with organizations embarking on a new battle against the devastating pandemic of AIDS.

Club Townsend

1992 found Audrey Joseph along with Bill Camillo and Les Dirks taking over the struggling Club Townsend (177 Townsend/174 King Street). After the death of both Camillo and Dirks in late 1993 and early 1994, Joseph formed a partnership with Ty Dakota, now a prominent Sonoma County designer.

To compliment the popular Sunday night gay tea dance, Pleasuredome, Dakota & Joseph founded Club Universe which became an international renown dance club and entertainment venue and hosted shows for international stars like Grace Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Kahn, B 52s, Blondie, and world class disc jockeys from around the globe. Universe was known for its ever evolving, ever changing themes each week. Club Townsend and its counterpart King Street Garage (174 King Street) hosted numerous and diverse clubs and entertainment including, Wicked, Futura, New Wave City, Club Asia, Club Q, Electric and a host of live music concerts including Sammy Hagar, The Blues Travelers, The Wallflowers, Third Eye Blind, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Reverend Horton Heat, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. Club Townsend was also the drop in center after the 9-11 attacks in New York and prided itself on its philanthropic events.

In November 2000, attorneys for the family of the late Jeffrey Goring, a San Jose man who died on February 13, 2000 after collapsing on the stage dance floor at the popular Club Universe, announced they were filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the gay dance club in San Francisco's South of Market District. The suit alleges that club employees waited too long to call 911 after Goring fell to the floor. Club officials had vehemently denied the charges. The case was subsequently settled with no fault found by club officials.

Community event production

Joseph produced the dance stage at the Folsom Street Fair for many years and the main stage production for the San Francisco Gay Pride celebration.

Entertainment Commission

Joseph was appointed to the Entertainment Commission by Mayor Willie L. Brown and took office 1 July 2003. She has served as the first Vice President 2003-2004 and the President of the Commission 2004-2005 and again as Vice President for 2005-2006. She still serves on the Commission today and in 2007 was elected as President again. Audrey has started the San Francisco Entertainment Commission Academy, which holds interactive seminars to assist in the education and introduction of the night time entertainment economy.

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