I have a hard time believing that it’s that time of year again -- time for Pride! It comes so quickly every year. For this month’s column, I interviewed Bethany Cain, who is involved with the Kansas City Diversity Coalition and this year’s PrideFest. Here’s a chance to get to know Bethany before you head out to this year’s festival. It’s going to be a great time!
1. You work at Red Nova Labs. What is your position, and how long have you been with the company?
[I am an> SEO (search engine optimizer) - the art of ranking a website in a search engine like Google. SEO is the traditional term, but that’s interchangeable with SRA (search ranking artist). Ranking dances a fine line between data and creativity. I’ve been with Red Nova for 2.5 years.
2. What is unique about Red Nova Labs?
Trust and priorities. We focus on the things that make us a successful team instead of on the typical corporate rules and regulations that can restrict creativity. No dress code. No cubicles. Open doors to management. We’re encouraged to challenge protocol, remain open-minded about possibility, and we’re trusted to create our own rules. We have a wall of posters that represent failed projects to remind us that when one door closes, another opens.
3. Has your pingpong game improved since joining the company? (Red Nova Labs has a pingpong table.)
Remove the ping and the answer is yes. I’m pretty terrible at pingpong. I prefer vintage arcade and video games.
4. I have to ask about Kevin the Munchkin cat. I understand that he is the office cat at Red Nova Labs. This sounds as though it might be a high-stress position. What responsibilities are involved for Kevin as the office cat?
Mainly a micro-manager and short-coder.
5. I know that a number of felines read this column and are interested in Kevin’s status. Does Kevin have anyone serious in his life?
Kevin has a female companion named Marty McFly, who is seriously gassy. Not sure on the romantic status of their relationship, but they enjoy a variety of activities together like time traveling and being left home alone.
6. How did you become involved with the Kansas City Diversity Coalition?
In the spring of 2014, I was searching around for information about the Kansas City PrideFest. There wasn’t much to find, and what was there wasn’t very informative. I’m a stickler for accurate information that is well-presented, so I contacted KCDC to offer my help with their web presence. They accepted and eventually offered me a position on the board as the social media/website chair. I’m on a team of three, which includes my co-worker Andrea Hewitt and my twin brother, Bradley Cain, who designed the website.
7. What are some of the exciting features of this year’s PrideFest?
There’s a lot to be excited about this year! Following the festival last year, we asked the community via social media what they wanted for 2015. It was important to us to mold the festival around the wants of the people who attend it. This year we have a beautiful location at Berkley Riverfront Park during the traditional first weekend of June. There’s a family/kids area with inflatable jungle gyms, youth hangout tent, animal adoptions, and a volleyball tournament. People are welcome to bring yard games, have a picnic under a shade tree from the variety of food truck options, and check out the 50-plus vendors/exhibitors. We’re thrilled that Mayor Sly James is joining us on Saturday at 5 p.m. to show support from the City of Kansas City. The diverse group of headliners and supporting entertainment is also exciting! I’m personally excited about MK Nobilette, a lesbian singer who was in the top 10 of American Idol last season. We also have the First Ladies of Disco, a supergroup of chart-topping singers
