Hello from Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, GA! As I mentioned before, I am in my hometown this weekend to promote Crowning for a Cure – a pageant that is sponsored by Sassy and Classy Salon to benefit Relay for Life. I am honored to be asked to judge tomorrow’s event, and look forward to seeing so many new and familiar faces.

I have been on a radio tour this morning, and now I am going to spend my afternoon and evening with old friends and family. I cannot wait to relax and unwind at the lake. I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend, and next week you can expect a full blog complete with photos of the pageant.

BTW, if you missed my radio show on Waking up the Lakes with Tony Taylor on Z-97, click the 2 links below. We had a ball!

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Be M Famous,

CMC

Hello, hello! How was your weekend? It was just plain gorgeous in Atlanta.

I just wanted to take a moment and sit down to fill everyone in on the incredibly exciting things that are developing here in my world.  As many of you know, I have been in Atlanta for 9 months, and in that very short time, many things have taken off far faster than I could have ever hoped – I am so grateful!   Some of the most recent “happenings” include my affiliation with DIY Weddings Magazine as well as a partnership with a Music Artist Development company in which I oversee the image of the artist.  I am also meeting with “mega event” producer and clothing designer, Valery Knight, to potentially partner with her here in the Atlanta area.  I am truly having the time of my life watching my career unfold before my eyes.

Recently, I have had the privilege of meeting some of the neatest people. Just last night I was hanging out with Lil Scrappy’s mother, “Momma D” and some of the production team in town for the recording of a music video they are filming with P Diddy and Snoop Dogg. “Momma D” is a riot and always fun to be around.  Oh, and just so we are all clear, my father wanted me to explain, Lil Scrappy is a hip hop recording artist, and as he says, P Diddy is the guy from the Ciroc commercials.

I spent the day today scheduling meetings with people before I return to my hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia. I have been asked to be a guest judge for the Relay For Life Pageant that is being held in Gray. It is sponsored by Sassy and Classy Salon, and all proceeds go to the Jones County Relay for Life.  I am honored to be asked, and to be honest, I am very excited to be able to assist with such a noteworthy cause.   So, I am headed home early Friday morning to go live on WGUR 88.9FM at 7:30 and then over to WMGZ Z97.7FM at around 9 am with the hilarious D.J. Tony Taylor.  Some of you may recall that some years ago, I was a regular personality (Marcus Nieman) on the “Winning Wednesday” show with Philip and Tony.  I must say that I am excited to return and look forward to a good time in that same familiar studio.  If you can pick up the stations please be sure to tune in this Friday morning.

While I am in town, I plan on spending much needed quality time with my family as well as hitting up The Brick for their legendary wings and of course, Aubri Lanes for a glass of wine on Saturday evening – just a nostalgic walk down the streets where I grew up.  I hope all of you will be able to attend the pageant and support Relay for Life.  If you have ever been affected by cancer, you know they do so much.

Oh, and as for DIY Weddings Magazine…new and very exciting developments are already beginning to unfold, and I will be sure to keep you all posted as they do.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement, and I hope to see you this weekend.

Be M Famous,

Christopher Macken AKA Mr M Famous

I would like for everyone to take a moment and take a very nostalgic walk with me – one that has had many ups and downs, twists and turns and experiences that are unparalleled.

Picture a 6^th grade boy – introverted and awkward, wanting so badly for the more popular children to like him.  Shy among his peers and creative, this child was kind and caring and always felt like the teachers liked him more than his classmates.  Over the years, he was tormented and bullied, because he was different.  Not exactly knowing how he was different, he knew he wasn’t like everyone else.  Secretly he held inside that he was gay.  So afraid people would find out and the teasing and taunting of “fag” and “queer” would get worse, he just knew it. Severe depression consumed him, and that combined with years of bullying from his fellow students, lead him to a suicide attempt his senior year in high school.  He wasn’t able to graduate and even if he did, he had no vision of where he fit into the world in the future.  In his head, if college was anything like the Hell that was high school, he had no desire to go.

Now, flash forward to that same boy, only exactly ten years later…sitting at a long table at the front of a room of teachers, community, civic, political and religious leaders.  His suit a far cry from the jeans and polo of high school, sitting with him at the table are experts in everything from Criminal Justice to adolescent development.  As the room of 100 plus people ask the panel on which he sits how to put an end to the epidemic of bullying that has been progressively been getting worse with the advent of CYBER BULLYING.

A week ago I was asked by The Georgia Afterschool Investment Council (GAIC), the Georgia Municipal Association and America’s Promise Alliance to sit on a panel as a part of an anti bullying Summit entitled, “An Afterschool Grad Nation Summit: Creating Bully Free Environments for Student Success” in Milledgeville Georgia to address the problem of bullying and keeping children in schools.  I have not lived in this community in sometime, however I was more than eager to come back to the town that I will always call home and help.  As I sat there I have to admit, I was so humbled and honored.  Just ten years ago I never could have envisioned this day.  A day where my peers and fellow citizens were not only embracing of me as an equal, but where also visibly disturbed as I told of specific beatings and cases of bullying that I endured as a child. I got chills just sitting there as I spoke with my hometown’s Mayor (he and his wife have always been very supportive of diversity) on how I may be able to assist in this initiative.

That very moment I will admit made me the most proud…of myself, my town and my fellow Georgians.  We stood together… black, white, man, woman, straight and gay.  We stood united to fix a problem.  We looked past our differences and gazed onward.  I am so proud to have been able to be there to see that.

I have done many things in these past ten years – developed my own cosmetic line and started no less than three other companies.  I have met celebrities and traveled.  I have been on TV and have so many more things to come I am sure.  I live in a beautiful city, in a beautiful building.

Being asked by the local news to make a statement (view the video here and read the article here) on what we were doing and hoping to accomplish, being surrounded by such amazing men and women who have achieved so much in their careers and feeling like I was a part of something so much bigger than me – truly extraordinary.  Something that could actually help many children to live a happy life and to ensure that suicide is not an option for any child.  We discussed how the town as a whole can show that we embrace diversity and each other.

If this isn’t a testament to how terrifically things are changing, I don’t know what is.  I don’t know if I will be asked to be a part of anything like that in the future, but I tell you this – that day will go down in my scrapbook as a monumental day for me.  I never felt like a cool kid in high school, but I have never been more happy to have been different than I was as I looked in the audience and saw my Mother’s face, fighting back the tears.  I have seen her do that before…at my bedside in the hospital ten years ago, but this time it was different…this time it was as if to tell me…”look how far we have come.

I love you Mom and cannot even begin to tell you how thankful I am for you.

Be M Famous,

Christopher Macken

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I have decided to make the announcement. Word is getting out anyway…

…I have had such a great run here in Milledgeville over the past two and a half years. So many terrific people and great clients. Thank you all for your support of, both me and Christopher Macken Cosmetics. The time has come, however, for me to branch out and extend my career in new and exciting directions. Most of you know about my love of the city and how I miss living there. I guess by this point you all see where this is going…

I will be relocating to Atlanta in the next couple of months. It is time for me to challenge myself again. My Cosmetic line will still be available here in Milledgeville and you all know I am still very much a part of Salon 2000.

This was not an easy decision and took some time to make. I knew that leaving would be difficult but the challenges ahead of me are exciting and the opportunity for myself and my company to grow are plenty. Again I can’t begin to thank everyone of my friends, family, and clients for their support over the years. You all have made everything possible.

I will not be gone for good. I will continue to come back to the lake and visit on a fairly regular basis. I have had all the R&R that Lake Sinclair can provide and am ready once again for hustle and bustle. I do encourage all of my clients to continue to support Salon 2000 and know that if you can’t make the trip to Atlanta I understand and Kenny Dennis and Barbara Morrow are very Talented and will take very good care of you.

You can follow my journey on Facebook, Twitter, and of course, the official Christopher Macken Blog. I certainly hope you all stay in touch.

Thank you all for your warm “well wishes” and you will all be missed.

Much love,
Christopher Macken