You don’t have to look too deep into Nick Oram (photos) to see the Wisconsin boy in him. There’s no rough LA exterior, there’s no toting of a tiny pup in a Louis Vuitton sack nor is there the slightest wince of vanity famous with the likes of those in WeHo. When I finally did jump on the phone with Nick, who was hard at work in his West Coast pad, all I received was straight up Midwestern charm and a lot of chit chat. You can blame that charm on being born and raised in the old dairy state (farm boy fantasies, check), specifically in the small city of Sheboygan home to a slew of Packer fanatics, "We would watch them in the freezing cold or on TV every Sunday." About all that chattiness he possesses? Well Nick has a lot to talk about, from landing a gig on a hit daytime soap opera, to his recent career move, producing and hosting Q Television's Q On the Move.
Nick made his mark on the daytime sudsy drama, Passions his first entry into mainstream entertainment. Shooting 5 days a week, he admits "busted his chops" a little and "set the tone for how hard an actor must work in the industry." A fast paced schedule, however, and the camera’s love for Nick seemed to be a match made in heaven, though, and after several castings and interviews he was face to face with the VP of programming and CEO of Q television with the opportunity of a lifetime "I sat down and was asked to tell them about myself I started and within the first two minutes the CEO stopped and said, Ok your hired I want you to host this show where you travel around exploring gay culture."
From white parties to pride parades usually showcasing memorable characters and scantily clad men, Nick travels the globe, camera ready, capturing the best of the gay world to share with the rest "Q on the Move has been an incredible adventure taking our viewers all over the world to experience gay culture and travel in a really fun, entertaining exciting way."
No doubt we all love a good reality show, especially a gay one. Besides the fun in the sun and frenzy though, what personal goal does Nick want to accomplish with his QOTM, which fairly has no competition and a road to pave as his own "My ultimate vision for the show is reach out to our youth who are struggling with their sexuality. I want the 22 year old male/female in Iowa who is going to college, who has their own apartment and sees there is a gay network that can be subscribed too. I wanted to them to be able to see someone like myself freely enjoying life and all the wonderful things it has to offer and see that they don't need to be isolated and it's ok to be gay!"
Party hopping and gay pride promoting must get pretty tiring right? Our cultures is known for polishing up a busy week only to tear up the weekend, but when your job involves flying coast to coast to interview crowds of people is there a time when the jet leg comes in along with a the need to hide under the covers? "Surprisingly enough, when I do get time off when I’m back in LA I don’t go out much, I don’t like going to clubs, I don’t like, you know, being in settings with a lot of people, of course I know I have to go out sometimes to be in the community and to social network and make appearances, but I try to limit that and spend quality time with my friends."
Next season Q On the Move takes on the world, Sydney, Bali, Thailand, Italy, Barcelona. One would wonder if there is a gay crevice on this earth Mr. Oram can’t squeeze his production team couldn't squeeze into. It doesn’t look likely "Next month we’ll be shooting the first gay African safari ever shot for T.V. Then we’re going to Cape Town, to shoot Cape Town’s South African pride, so we’ll be showcasing gay Africa...it’ll be an experience of a lifetime.” What about all those less than enjoyable shots you receive to protect from Malaria? “As part of the show we’re shooting me doing that, it’s all part of going to those places”.
The show’s highlight may be the candid torso shots of circuit boys, but the QOTM’s light-heartedness still makes room for some eye opening moments "Being in El Salvador, having the chance to experience that is unbelievable. It’s a third world country, very impoverished, and its in its sort of natural state. The touching thing of going there was going to the Mayan ruins and the temple. Nothing is obscured by western civilization."
Skipping across continents you would guess Nick’s sex life, love life, any life was on the backburner for his new booming career "It makes meeting people a little more difficult. I’m always on the road, always busy and I think it may or may not put people off or make them feel intimidated. I have a lot of people around me and there’s not really a quiet moment where I can sort of introduce myself or have some sort of privacy."
Though with that dashing smile, fit for the covers of Teen Beat, and a taste for worldly culture, what’s there that doesn’t make you want to steal Nick for your own globe trotting desires? "Well, I have a boyfriend, (sigh) it’s relatively new. We’ve been together for 4 ½ months. This is actually the first time I’ve publicly stated that."
Whether he’s hitting the beaches in Palm Springs or in the frozen tundra back in Wisconsin, the beauty of Nick's work remains evident in his philosophy on travel, life, and his homes away from home "We are all human and those qualities transcend to everywhere you go. Which makes the world an incredible place to experience."
The hunky host of “Q on the Move” will be appearing at Sidetrack Wednesday, January 25th at 7:00pm to host a premier party for his hot new show . No Cover. (event details | view photos of Nick)
Interview by: Justin Boltz
"Drag queens, porn stars, celebutaunts, oh my!" Justin takes us through the glamorous world of hot stars and gay influentials with a unique voice that always proves to be provacative. As a contributor for Gay Chicago Magazine, Boi Magazine, and ChicagoPride.com, nothing's ever off limits with this youngster columnist.
Nick made his mark on the daytime sudsy drama, Passions his first entry into mainstream entertainment. Shooting 5 days a week, he admits "busted his chops" a little and "set the tone for how hard an actor must work in the industry." A fast paced schedule, however, and the camera’s love for Nick seemed to be a match made in heaven, though, and after several castings and interviews he was face to face with the VP of programming and CEO of Q television with the opportunity of a lifetime "I sat down and was asked to tell them about myself I started and within the first two minutes the CEO stopped and said, Ok your hired I want you to host this show where you travel around exploring gay culture."
From white parties to pride parades usually showcasing memorable characters and scantily clad men, Nick travels the globe, camera ready, capturing the best of the gay world to share with the rest "Q on the Move has been an incredible adventure taking our viewers all over the world to experience gay culture and travel in a really fun, entertaining exciting way."
No doubt we all love a good reality show, especially a gay one. Besides the fun in the sun and frenzy though, what personal goal does Nick want to accomplish with his QOTM, which fairly has no competition and a road to pave as his own "My ultimate vision for the show is reach out to our youth who are struggling with their sexuality. I want the 22 year old male/female in Iowa who is going to college, who has their own apartment and sees there is a gay network that can be subscribed too. I wanted to them to be able to see someone like myself freely enjoying life and all the wonderful things it has to offer and see that they don't need to be isolated and it's ok to be gay!"
Party hopping and gay pride promoting must get pretty tiring right? Our cultures is known for polishing up a busy week only to tear up the weekend, but when your job involves flying coast to coast to interview crowds of people is there a time when the jet leg comes in along with a the need to hide under the covers? "Surprisingly enough, when I do get time off when I’m back in LA I don’t go out much, I don’t like going to clubs, I don’t like, you know, being in settings with a lot of people, of course I know I have to go out sometimes to be in the community and to social network and make appearances, but I try to limit that and spend quality time with my friends."
Next season Q On the Move takes on the world, Sydney, Bali, Thailand, Italy, Barcelona. One would wonder if there is a gay crevice on this earth Mr. Oram can’t squeeze his production team couldn't squeeze into. It doesn’t look likely "Next month we’ll be shooting the first gay African safari ever shot for T.V. Then we’re going to Cape Town, to shoot Cape Town’s South African pride, so we’ll be showcasing gay Africa...it’ll be an experience of a lifetime.” What about all those less than enjoyable shots you receive to protect from Malaria? “As part of the show we’re shooting me doing that, it’s all part of going to those places”.
The show’s highlight may be the candid torso shots of circuit boys, but the QOTM’s light-heartedness still makes room for some eye opening moments "Being in El Salvador, having the chance to experience that is unbelievable. It’s a third world country, very impoverished, and its in its sort of natural state. The touching thing of going there was going to the Mayan ruins and the temple. Nothing is obscured by western civilization."
Skipping across continents you would guess Nick’s sex life, love life, any life was on the backburner for his new booming career "It makes meeting people a little more difficult. I’m always on the road, always busy and I think it may or may not put people off or make them feel intimidated. I have a lot of people around me and there’s not really a quiet moment where I can sort of introduce myself or have some sort of privacy."
Though with that dashing smile, fit for the covers of Teen Beat, and a taste for worldly culture, what’s there that doesn’t make you want to steal Nick for your own globe trotting desires? "Well, I have a boyfriend, (sigh) it’s relatively new. We’ve been together for 4 ½ months. This is actually the first time I’ve publicly stated that."
Whether he’s hitting the beaches in Palm Springs or in the frozen tundra back in Wisconsin, the beauty of Nick's work remains evident in his philosophy on travel, life, and his homes away from home "We are all human and those qualities transcend to everywhere you go. Which makes the world an incredible place to experience."
The hunky host of “Q on the Move” will be appearing at Sidetrack Wednesday, January 25th at 7:00pm to host a premier party for his hot new show . No Cover. (event details | view photos of Nick)
Interview by: Justin Boltz
"Drag queens, porn stars, celebutaunts, oh my!" Justin takes us through the glamorous world of hot stars and gay influentials with a unique voice that always proves to be provacative. As a contributor for Gay Chicago Magazine, Boi Magazine, and ChicagoPride.com, nothing's ever off limits with this youngster columnist.
