The GLAM nominated creator of nightlife brands Aveq Moi and Camp Classic, Mack Mackey wears many gorgeous and important hats in this city… while carving out safe spaces for all queer people.
Thotyssey: Hello Mack! We’re done with April already, how did the month treat you?
Mack Mackey: April was great; I can’t believe it’s almost summer!
I know, right? Are you a Hot Girl Summer type of person, or do you crave frost and layers?
I grew up in Michigan and then spent college in Chicago… so if I’m being so real, anything over 50 degrees feels oppressively hot to me. But I’ll take any excuse to have a little sunshiney dance party or sit outside at Arriba Arriba.
Growing up in those areas, were you a theater / performance queen from Day 1?
Oh absolutely. The community theatre production of High School Musical Junior could not take my Sharpay Evans. But I stopped performing right as I was graduating high school, and that’s when I found all the backstage and behind the scenes stuff… which is really where I found my footing.
So you were directing and producing stuff, doing tech, etc.?
For sure. I went into college thinking I wanted to be a Production Stage Manager for Broadway musicals. I spent a lot of time on the tech side of things too, mostly in lighting. But then I produced my first theatre show my sophomore year, and I fell in love.
Do you come to New York to pursue stage production?
I actually moved here for a daytime TV producing job right after graduation! I interned a lot in TV, and got really lucky with a gig.
Oh fun, she knows how the daytime sausage is made! Can you still watch shows like The View as a normal person, or are you totally judging it technically?
I’m definitely more sensitive to it, but it doesn’t make me enjoy it any less! I’m like 90% tuned in as a viewer, 10% “oh, those producers must’ve had a late night last night.”
How did you come to discover the creatures of queer nightlife in the city?
I loved the queer scene in Chicago, and I got a little taste of nightlife here right before the pandemic because I moved here June 2019–during World Pride Weekend, no less. When everything was shut down, I knew I wanted to get more involved as soon as it was safe for us to be out and about. So once outdoor shows and stuff popped back up, I was there sitting on 46th Street in the freezing cold!
How did you go about becoming an event producer in the scene? That involves meeting entertainers, matching up with venues, coming up with themes, identifying audiences… it’s a lot!
It’s a lot, but it’s my a lot! I honestly got into producing through feeling like there weren’t necessarily a whole lot of events catered to people who weren’t cis men in the scene, and through meeting a group of folks who felt the same. We sort of all came together to found Aveq Moi, which was my first foray into producing. After Aveq’s success, I wanted to branch out into more theme / concept based parties, which is when my coproducer Andrew Overton and I came up with the idea for Camp Classic.
Aveq Moi got some GLAM nominated love this past year thanks to the success of Family Jewels at The Rosemont! That must’ve felt like a great accomplishment!
Absolutely! It was our second year being nominated in the Event Producer category and our first in Best Bar Party, and I know it’s cliche, but the nomination itself is the win to me.
That Aveq Noi produced party is called “Family Jewels,” and it’s first and third Sundays at The Rosemont in Brooklyn. It’s hosted by Prima Love, and often features DJ Hope 808 and occasional guest performers. How might you describe the vibe of “Jewels,” and what’s the secret to its success?
It truly is family night; I think that’s the beauty of it. We say “when you’re queer, you’re family” as our little in-show joke, but it’s also not a joke. “Family Jewels” works because it’s a low pressure low stakes way to fight the Sunday scaries and start the week off in the best way. There’s no secret, it’s that easy.
You’ll be having a cute situation for this Sunday’s “Jewels,” care of a “prom” edition!
Yes! I heard somebody spiked the punch. People can expect all the classic “Family Jewels” shenanigans, plus gowns. Beautiful gowns. There’ll be a prom court, a snowball dance… the whole nine yards.
What was your actual high school prom like?
My prom was exactly as you’d expect for a closeted lesbian: lots of sequins, but in hindsight not a lot of interest in my date, lol!
And Camp Classic is your other branded venture, which often has you co-producing larger scale events at 3 Dollar Bill featuring bigger drag casts often including RuGirls like Jan Sport, Luxx Noir London, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Amethyst, Denali and Robin Fierce. That’s a big deal!
Oh, it’s incredible. Camp Classic is mine and Andrew’s baby; we like to say she’s 50% parody, 50% tribute. It’s so much fun to take these absolutely ridiculous concepts like Glee and Cheetah Girls and turn them into celebrations of nostalgia. And the response has been bonkers. Who doesn’t want to listen to Radio Disney hits in the club, right?
June 21st, the Camp Classic Glee tribute returns to 3DB for a Pride Month edition.
We’re so excited–we just finished finalizing the lineup, and it’s wall to wall legends. That announcement is coming soon! We’re also working with NYC Pride to make the event an official Partner of Pride, which we’re thrilled about.
By the way, what was your all time favorite on screen Glee moment?
Nothing will ever be Brittany and Santana’s “Me Against The Music” dream ballet duet when they’re hallucinating at the dentist. That turned me gay.
You’re also a DJ! How did that come about, and what do you like your DJ nights to sound like?
It honestly started because I’m super close with Dinah Fire, who is now my DJ mom / mentor; I would be behind the booth with her just to hang out, and ideas would start popping into my head. I asked her to help me learn, and we started playing back to back–which we now do for the afterparty at the Camp Classic shows. But I’m starting to curate my own nights, too! My sound is very 2000s / 2010s pop with a heavy emphasis on dance mixes. I want you to feel like you’re at the party you dreamed your eighth grade dance would be.
So then I will leave it with: will Dua Lipa’s new album Radical Optimism slap or slop?
SLAP, trust. I love the singles that we’ve heard so far. The girls have been giving us absolute meals with these albums lately… and I expect nothing less from Miss Dula.
Thanks, Mack!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Mack Mackey’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Instagram (also IGs for Aveq Moi and Camp Classic).
Thotyssey 