Inside the Mind of Jeff Consoletti, the Producer Behind Today’s Biggest Pride Experiences

Kirstie Nicole
Apr 14
4 min read

Editor’s Thoughts: I’ve had the chance to meet Jeff a handful of times, and every single time I walk away feeling more inspired than the last. There’s something really powerful about watching someone not just exist within a community, but actively build it by creating more spaces, more visibility, and more room for joy in ways that feel intentional and lasting. The way he shows up, both in his work and in the environments he creates, is something I deeply look up to. It’s a reminder that impact isn’t just about scale, it’s about how people feel because of what you’ve built, and Jeff is changing that feeling for so many.

Jeff Consoletti doesn’t just produce events, he builds environments where people feel a sense of belonging. As the Founder and CEO of JJLA, the Emmy Award–winning live events and experiential production agency behind some of the country’s biggest cultural moments, his work spans everything from Pride festivals in Los Angeles and New York to large-scale activations around Coachella, Sundance, and the Super Bowl. But underneath the scale, the throughline has always been the same: creating spaces where people, especially queer people, can see themselves reflected and feel a sense of real connection.

That intention became even clearer during the pandemic, when live events came to a sudden stop. For someone whose entire career had been built around bringing people together, the uncertainty was immediate, but so was the gap it left behind. “Artists lost their platforms and people lost that sense of connection that comes with live music,” he says. What started as a response to that moment became something much bigger. OUTLOUD began as a digital series to keep that connection alive, and quickly revealed itself as something the community genuinely needed. “Once we saw the response, it stopped feeling temporary and started feeling like the foundation for something bigger.” Today, it’s grown into a national platform, including the OUTLOUD Music Festival at WeHo Pride, centering queer artists not as an afterthought, but as the main event.

Discover how Jeff Consoletti is building live experiences that bring queer community, connection, and belonging to life on and off the stage | She Comes With Baggage Media — Photo by Callaway Gable

For Jeff, that shift wasn’t sparked by a single moment, but by a pattern he couldn’t ignore. “There were so many talented queer artists, but they weren’t always given the same level of visibility or opportunity,” he says. “After a while, it felt obvious that something needed to be built specifically for them.” What he’s created through OUTLOUD is exactly that: a space where queer artists aren’t pulled from the sidelines, but fully celebrated for who they are. That same philosophy extends to how he approaches leadership. He didn’t set out to be a founder or executive producer, he set out to create. “As the projects grew, the responsibility grew with them,” he says. “Leadership was something I had to step into to protect the vision and make sure it could actually come to life at a larger scale.”

We asked Jeff what it feels like to stand backstage while thousands of people sing in unison, and he shared “That moment never really gets old,” he says. “You can feel the energy shift when a crowd is fully in it together.” It’s something deeper than just a concert, what he describes as a kind of shared emotional experience. “For a few minutes, everyone is inside the same feeling at once.” That feeling is what drives everything he builds, and it’s also what he looks for in artists before the world catches on. “The ones who stand out are grounded in who they are,” he says. “They’re not trying to fit into something, they’re just showing up as themselves, and that kind of honesty makes people pay attention.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75qUobTyJPE

That authenticity is also what separates meaningful Pride events from ones that simply look good on paper. “You get that gut feeling instantly,” he says. “When something is meaningful, there’s intention behind every part of it. It feels connected to the community.” For Jeff, creating safe spaces is only the baseline. What matters more is what happens after that. “Celebration is what allows people to fully show up as themselves,” he explains. “When you have both, safety and celebration, that’s when it becomes something people carry with them long after the event ends.”

Of course, building something at this scale doesn’t come without its challenges or "baggage". The day-to-day reality of running large-scale events can be unpredictable, shaped by everything from shifting audience behavior to the broader political climate. “There are a lot of moments that feel uncertain,” he admits. But over time, he’s learned how to navigate that unpredictability with patience and perspective. “You have to take each day in stride, be grateful for where you are, and not be too reactionary. A lot of it is about embracing the unexpected.”

At the core of it all is a much bigger vision. Jeff isn’t just thinking about the next event or the next festival, he’s thinking long-term about impact:

“I want to feel like I helped build something that lasts beyond me,” he says. Not just moments, but infrastructure. Not just experiences, but opportunities. "Especially for queer artists and communities who haven’t always been given the space they deserve."

And sometimes, that impact shows up in the simplest ways. Someone walking into an OUTLOUD event feeling alone, and leaving feeling seen. “That’s the goal every time,” he says. “If we can create that kind of experience for even one person, that’s what reminds you why the work matters.”

Because at the end of the day, what Jeff Consoletti is building isn’t just about music or production. It’s about connection, visibility, and the kind of community that reminds people they were never alone to begin with.

Follow Jeff's Journey: