They’re back! The City of West Hollywood has teamed up with drag sensations Willam Belli, Misty Violet, and Mayhem Miller, and actor/comedian Drew Droege in Season Two, Episode One of the comedic “WeHoans” video series, with the timing designed to call attention to the Great California ShakeOut.
The Great California ShakeOut is an earthquake drill and preparedness activity that takes place each year on Oct. 19 at 10:19 a.m. in communities across the state. The Great Shakeout began in California in 2008. Since then, it has grown to include millions of people who practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold-on” during Great ShakeOut earthquake drills all over the world.
Season One of the WeHoans debuted in August 2015 to raise community awareness about a temporary closure of La Cienega Boulevard for construction and improvements. Historical episodes of The WeHoans can be viewed on Willam Belli’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/2qnFyYD6vgg.
Season Two now offers four episodes, which will be centered around serious themes concerning preparedness and safety, nighttime safety, crimes of opportunity and sexual assault prevention. However, as with the launch of the WeHoans in 2015, the episodes will deliver somber messages wrapped in a humorous and entertaining format.
The WeHoans is a parody of the popular Saturday Night Live skit “The Californians” in which soap opera-like characters in platinum blonde wigs hilariously describe in hyper-detail how to navigate the freeways and streets of Southern California.
Season Two, Episode One was released at 10:19 a.m. on 10/19 and is available on Willam Belli’s YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/tnA40uYrTV4. Four episodes, in total, will be released for Season Two; weekly episodes will be released each week on Thursday mornings: Oct. 26, Nov. 2, and Nov. 9. The new episodes serve as an anchor in a multi-faceted public safety outreach strategy that blends with the City of West Hollywood’s “Live, Work, Play, Be Safe” campaign on key public safety issues.
The City of West Hollywood annually encourages residents, businesses, and visitors to participate in the Great California ShakeOut. Participating is a way for families and organizations to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from an earthquake. Earthquakes are an inevitable reality in California, and community members should make plans to ensure that a natural disaster doesn’t become a catastrophe. For additional information about the Great California ShakeOut, please visit www.shakeout.org/california.
The City of West Hollywood provides helpful tips regarding emergency services and disaster preparedness. To find out more information, please visit www.weho.org/publicsafety. For more information about the WeHoans Season Two, please contact Lisa Marie Belsanti, the City of West Hollywood’s Director of Communications at (323) 848-6378 or at lbelsanti@weho.org For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
I love that my city is so creative in its message delivery. This beats the same old and tired public service announcements you see from every other generic community. Now I have to get to the Supply Sargeant and stock up on earthquake supplies and MOPS! lol!!