Below
are the responses from our interview with Gina about her pin-up
project.
Web Site: PinUpsForVets.com
Q. Please give us some personal background about yourself.
I am a native of Southern California and graduated from UCLA with a
degree in theater. I always loved the arts and spent about 17 years
in dance classes. I think that the idea for the "Pin-Ups For Vets"
project probably was helped along by the fact that I was always
comfortable in front of a camera. You can't be self-conscious when
you are acting on stage or in a film or performing in dance shows. I
currently work in the hospitality industry and love interacting with
people from many walks of life.
Outside of my work, I love visiting our veterans in VA and military
hospitals to bring them the "Pin-Ups For Vets" poster and calendar
gifts donated by the calendar project's supporters. From very early
on, I learned the importance of helping others and have always
enjoyed volunteering and doing community service. It really is an
honor for me to support our hospitalized veterans and Wounded
Warriors.
Q. Your pinup calendar is a great way to show appreciation to
everyone who is currently serving or who has served in our armed
forces. How and when did you come up with the idea for the “Pin-Ups
for Vets” calendar?
People ask me all the time how the “Pin-Ups For Vets” calendar
project came to be...
A few years ago, I started seeing news articles about under-funded
veterans’ healthcare programs. Then, there were stories about older
veterans who lay in bed day after day, never receiving any visitors.
Reports started surfacing on TV about the severe injuries sustained
by our troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The more I heard about the uphill battles of our Wounded Warriors,
the more convinced I was of the need to produce a project that would
bring in funds to support all of our hospitalized veterans.
My late Grandpa Lou served in the army for four years during World
War II. I wanted to do something to honor his name. I always loved
the romance of those bygone eras - especially the 1940’s - and I
drew inspiration from the World War II pin-up girls, whose photos
and paintings boosted morale for our soldiers fighting overseas.
Q. Since your grandfather was also an inspiration for this
project, tell us a little bit about him and about his service to our
country.
My late Grandfather Lou was part of what many refer to as "the
greatest generation". He was very proud to have served his country
in World War II. He spent four years in the army during that time.
Because of his background in pharmacy, the army officials felt that
the best place for him to serve would be in actually preparing
medicines for our ill and injured troops. This was in the days when
pharmacists had to compound or put together the medicines
themselves. He was great at what he did and was always commended for
a job well done. He took a lot of pride in every job he did.
Q. You picked some great locations for your photo shoots. How
did you find them and tell us more about some of the places where
the photography was done and which sites were your most memorable.
I grew up in what is called the "Inland Empire" of Southern
California. I lived in three different cities. The Inland Empire
sometimes is referred to as "Hollywood's Back Lot" because it offers
such diverse and scenic locations. I was lucky enough to be
personally familiar with a number of locations because I lived
nearby, and other locations I found through word of mouth.
People were so incredibly generous to allow me to do the photo
shoots in each of these locations... from private homes with awesome
vintage collections, to a beautiful mansion, to a wonderful ranch,
to a privately owned fire engine collection, to restaurants with
retro decor, to the March Field Air Museum, and to scenic orange
groves. People were very excited about the calendar project and all
expressed a desire to support our hospitalized vets and deployed
troops!
Q. Your nostalgic outfits for the calendar look great! How
did you come up with the vintage clothing and which outfits are your
personal favorites?
Thank you so much for noticing! Well, I wanted to have a good mix of
looks because I wanted the calendar to have something for everyone!
Some people like blondes, some like redheads, some like black-haired
girls, and some like brunettes... so, I took it upon myself to
become all of those girls to give the calendar photos a good variety
of looks.
The old pin-ups from the 1940's featured sexy lingerie-clad or
bathing suit-clad ladies, or party girls, or the "girl next door",
so I, of course, had to include a couple of those nostalgic photos.
Then, I also had to show that working girls can be sexy, too– from
waitresses, to firefighters, to ranch hands. And of course, it
wouldn't be a calendar for veterans or troops without featuring
sailor girls and air force girls and army girls. I just scoured the
local area for outfits, both new and used; that I thought would
compliment the themes. I actually had fun posing in them all... that
must be the actress in me... trying to get into character for each
different pin-up girl.
I also wanted to keep these pictures classy. The 1940's pin-up
"cheesecake" photos, as they are often called, can be much sexier
than the bare-it-all photos of today. Many of the troops have
written me great letters expressing how they loved seeing these
photos that didn't expose everything and left something to the
imagination. I knew I had done something right, when those letters
starting coming in that all expressed the same sentiments about the
classiness of the photos. I was so gratified to hear that! I am
thrilled too that wives and girlfriends of veterans and active duty
military are ordering these calendars for their guys who enjoy
pin-up art.
Q. When you first began, what kind of obstacles did you
encounter in getting this project off the ground? And what has been
your biggest challenge to overcome?
Well, I've always been a person who likes a good challenge, even
with all the obstacles. When I first came up with this idea to
produce this pin-up calendar, I had never done anything like that
before. It was a huge undertaking with so many things to coordinate.
There was a lot of risk involved and I had to figure out a way to
produce the 2007 calendar on a shoestring budget. I didn't even know
if people would like something like this.
Some people asked me, "Who wants to buy a pin-up calendar today?"
Some people suggested that I bring in other models instead of just
doing it myself. I had to figure ways to convince each of my friends
with special talents to donate those talents to this project because
the project had a good cause. I was very lucky and these people all
came on board to help me.
I convinced American Legion Post 360 to be my sponsor to lend the
project credibility. Commander Nick Nerio believed in this project
right from the start and he knew that it would be a great way to
help raise funds for our hospitalized veterans and it would be a
great gift for our homesick troops. He liked the idea of the
hospital visits to our veterans, and he helped me get seed money
funding. The 2007 "Pin-Ups For Vets" calendar fundraiser was a
success for me and for Post 360, and we were able to donate the
proceeds to a local veteran’s hospital program that needed funds to
care for our returning ill and injured troops.
So far my biggest challenge to date has been getting the word out
there about this calendar fundraiser project. I am indebted to
internet bloggers like you, who have helped me spread the word about
the "Pin-Ups For Vets" project. This is really a grass roots project
that depends on word of mouth from one person to the next. I am
grateful to everyone who has encouraged family and friends to donate
calendars to our hospitalized veterans and to our deployed troops
and also to our homeless veteran’s shelters!
Q. You have received terrific support from a wide array of
people and organizations. Describe some of the contributions of
effort, talent, and resources that have made your project a success.
I could never have done this project alone. My photographers,
graphic artist, stylists, designers who donated outfits, people who
let me do the photos shoots in their special locations, American
Legion Post 360, the bloggers, the Wal-Mart Foundation– they all
lent their time and talents and funding to this project that they
all believed in. They are all to be praised for their generous
spirit in helping to support our hospitalized veterans and deployed
troops. I was blessed to find such wonderful people who believed in
me and this project.
Q. What kind of feedback have you received from our troops
who have enjoyed your pinup calendars?
I have received hundreds and hundreds of letters of appreciation
from the active duty military who thank me for creating this project
to help their wounded brothers and sisters and for honoring veterans
from all wars, past and present. I have kept every letter I have
received because they all mean so much to me. I have been absolutely
humbled by the certificates of appreciation and the three American
flags that have been flown over military bases in Iraq to honor the
"Pin-Ups For Vets" project.
So many letters express the fact that the pin-up calendars have
given the military units such a great morale boost, as they deal
with long days and difficult situations. The letters from the troops
have been respectful and full of admiration and encouragement to
produce a calendar for the coming years. I am so very grateful that
I can give something back to these brave heroes who sacrifice so
much of themselves.
Q. You have a section in your web site, In The Field, where
you post the photographs of the people who have enjoyed your
calendar. How do you feel about the kind of positive support you
have received from your fans, especially from the ones who are
deployed.
I can't even begin to tell you how much those photographs mean to
me. To see the smiles on the faces of hospitalized veterans when I
visit them is priceless to me! To see the photographs sent to me
from the troops and knowing that the "Pin-Ups For Vets" calendar is
bringing a bit of happiness to our active duty military who are
operating under such difficult conditions– well, there are no words
to describe how happy this makes me feel.
I first set out on this project to give something back to our brave
heroes and when I see all the photographs, I know that the project
is helping to do just that. I am also so appreciative of the
civilians and retired veterans who have sent in photos to me because
it lets me see the faces of these awesome supporters. I have come to
know many of them through e-mails and it is wonderful to finally put
a face to a name.
Click here to see the rest of the interview
in Part 2.
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