Today we’d like to introduce you to Harold “Reaux” Pool.
Hi Harold “Reaux”, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I moved to Dallas in late 2023 from my hometown of Waco Texas. Growing up in the church I had little to no access to the LGBT lifestyle. I wasn’t sheltered just not around it often. I used to frequent venues like “The Brick/Joes” & “Havana’s” back in the day and was introduced to my mentor “Comedian PT” He used to host drags shows & the like on the popular nights. I was for years his right hand man. Always moving with the mindset that bills have to always be paid I had a flourishing career in Telecommunications for at least 7 years. Under PT’s guidance I ended up helping him and eventually following him around at multiple venues. With that I was introduced to venue owners, promoters, DJ’s, bartenders, security guards and everyone behind the scenes. This gave me a understanding of the business aspect of entertaining and hosting events. Eventually PT moved to ATL and I was thrusted into the spotlight and ended up taking over where he left off for 2 years. I worked and hosted the show at Havana’s & Club Che for a long time. It was exciting and entertaining and so much fun. With that I was able to move into promoters bag and start hosting events of my own. I then became “Reaux D’or” and my persona spoke for itself. I was and still am regarded as the “Black Gay Socialite” in the Dallas/Houston Urban LBGT Scene. After a while I relocated to Houston and took a little hiatus from the club scene but was still sought after for my experience, marketing mindset & overall understanding of lgbt events should be run. To make them as entertaining as possible. After loosing everything in Hurricane Harvey in Houston I eventually moved back to Dallas. Not immediately or intentionally jumping back into the scene I was again sought after for my knowledge. I eventually caved and started a group called The Unit Dallas. Where I would be the liaison between all of the Black LGBT businesses, promoters, DJ’s and event groups. My goal was to bring them out of a competition headspace and into a collaboration headspace. It was as simple as staggering events on the same day so everyone had a crowd or even sharing dj’s. To this day these practices are still used and all of the parties that be are in communication with each other. I am very proud of that. As far as today I am still in the mix. Doing my part to ensure that any suggestions, tips, offerings I can contribute are all for the wellbeing of the Dallas Urban LBGT Scene as a whole.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has most def has not been a smooth journey. I had to endure a lot to get to where I am now. I had to deal with disrespectful entertainers, promoters and dj’s. I had to deal with hate from other promotors that had been in the game longer but had less of a marketing acumen than myself. I had to navigate who I could work with because some businesses wanted to keep me to themselves but not pay me accordingly. Infact a lot or most of the work I did was free only because my goal was unity. I had to deal with jealousy from former friends. A lack of a significant other because I was a “Club Queen” and that had a cloud of promiscuity over it. Even though I was as single as a penny on the ground at a church parking lot. All of this was unwarranted nor did I do anything with intent to become this infamous being. It just came with the territory. Mind you I went through all of this with a full time career at T-mobile.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Currently my 9-5 I work in IT for a reputable corporation here in Dallas. On the side I have dissolved the actual entity of “The Unit Dallas” but the practices and polices are still in place. Now the majority of the promoters & venues and such are my friends. So we have constant communication and they look to me for ideas and positive energy to keep Dallas as a premier destination for LGBT Entertainment.
In order to stand out and be noticed some things had to be done. They Gay lifestyle is a fashion show and I is an appearance based lifestyle. While in Houston I became a Luxury Handbag aficionado. I started carrying handbags and became known as “Reaux With The Bag”. This stuck and followed me back to Dallas where I was often recognized for my eccentric style of dress and handbags. Thus giving me a more appreciation of fashion and how to dress to impress. Walking the beat of my own drum. Thus setting me apart from the masses and making me known as me. this and my club promoting acumen is what I am most known for.
One of the things that makes me most proud is my graphic design skills. I have created flyers, logos, advertisements and the like for a lot of my friends in this industry. I created to logo for the group “Thirsty Thursday” and also flyers for them as well in the past. One thing I al most proud of is I designed the logo on the from of the club “Marty’s Live” for DJ Rudeboy. It is now painted on the front of the club and that I sit with pride knowing I did that.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I would like the Black Urban LBGT Scene to move in the direction of different type of events. Day Parties, Picnics, Field day’s & stuff like that. Weather permitting of course. However I know that the nightlife is not going to change much different venues are defiantly appreciated. Patrons like new fresh hip ideas and venues. Also a resurgence in the celebrity aspect of it all. Dallas for a long time moved away from celebrity guests but there is nothing wrong with that occasionally.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reauxbydesign?igsh=OWtxZ2plMnYzN3ll&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A9-aZcdM6SY&pp=4gcEEgJpZw%3D%3D&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio
