Shannon Wentworth
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Shannon is the chief executive officer & founding partner of Sweet. Sweet combines Shannon’s passion for the environment and human rights with her love of travel and women. Obsessed with finding a way to make the economics of doing good in the world work, Shannon strives to create a successful and green business run by happy employees for blissed-out guests. It’s her favorite kind of situation—a win-win-win.
Working as director of promotions and editor in chief at Care2 with visionaries like Randy Paynter, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Timothy Brantley and Annie B. Bond showed her that it’s possible to create an uncompromising business dedicated to making a difference in the world. As vice president of marketing at Olivia and director of marketing at PlanetOut, Inc., Shannon sharpened her lesbian and gay marketing skills. Additionally, she has consulted with Anheuser-Busch, USMP, the Game Show Network, Suzanne Westenhoefer, and green builders CMW Architects, McCutcheon Construction and Live Oak Estates.
A bookworm at heart, Shannon earned her master’s degree in literature at California State University, Fresno (go Bulldogs), where she had the extreme pleasure of working with renowned lesbian historian and author Lillian Faderman on “Chloe Plus Olivia,” an anthology of lesbian literature. Trouble sleeping? Ask her about her thesis on Katherine Philips.
Shannon recently completed her fifth AIDS Lifecycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. In her spare time, Shannon enjoys sleeping, running, playing basketball, hiking and working to overcome her fear of swimming to compete in triathlons. She’s an enthusiastic supporter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Equality California, the Galapagos Conservancy, the Humane Society, Sports for Kids and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
Current Press Opportunities
(Suitable for business press, women’s interest, LGBT press)
Shannon Wentworth believes that Sweet is about changing the impact of the travel industry on the planet – for lesbians and for everyone else too. Her goal is to lead the way in that effort by showing that it’s possible, and profitable, to do well by doing good in the world.
(Suitable for business press, green-interest coverage, travel press, women’s interest, LGBT press)
Shannon Wentworth is the co-founder of Sweet, a new lesbian travel company that’s dedicated to making the world a better place while having a blast in it. As a lesbian businesswoman with a long-time focus on the travel industry, Shannon is a uniquely positioned expert on the social, environmental and cultural impact of travel – for lesbians and for everyone else too.
Q&A with Shannon Wentworth
(Originally posted on the Gay Travel Blog)
GT: How did you come up with the name Sweet?
SW: Since about the sixth grade, everything I’ve liked, I’ve called “sweet!” You could say that “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” made a big impression on me. Anyway, as my co-founder Jen Rainin and I were planning Sweet, we’d say it all the time. CarbonFree? Sweeeet! Volunteer projects? Sweeeet! Parties by Club Skirts? Sweeeet! Raise money for non-profits? Sweeeet!
Ironically, we were wracking our brains for a name, when it hit me between the eyes, I should see if “Sweet” is available. And it was. It fit perfectly with our mission and philosophy.
GT: What’s the response been so far from potential travelers to Sweet’s eco-based excursions?
SW: Overwhelmingly positive across the board. Whether our guests want to do our volunteer projects or not, they love that something good is being done while they’re having fun. While it’s completely awesome that we’ve energized a shipload of lesbians to do good in the communities we’re visiting, it’s even better that the hotel, tour and cruise companies we’re working with are inspired to incorporate these projects into their businesses the rest of the year. That’s world changing.
GT: Are there any surprises in store for inaugural Sweet cruisers? If so, can you give us a hint?
SW: Everyone is going to be completely delighted by our on-board experience. We have some wonderful surprise guests, shows and programs in store. Oh, and our earliest booking guests are really in for some special treats. But I’m not going to ruin the fun by saying more.
GT: Where is your favorite spot to vacation?
SW: For me, it’s all about the journey, trying something new, meeting new people, eating new food. Two things I look for in a vacation: The opportunity to learn something and the opportunity to challenge myself physically. A seven-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles may not be everyone’s idea of a vacation, but it’s been mine five times. Two years ago, I spent four days in Kona at a triathlon training camp. I had the good fortune to spend 10 days in the Galapagos — a completely mind-blowing experience. I love Australia. I spent three months working my way around Australia in 1999. Not being a tourist there, I learned so much more about the culture and landscape — and I got to touch a lot of kangaroos and wallabees. In 1993, I drove my Geo Metro to Alaska to work in the fisheries. It was such an adventure. I hiked and camped all over Alaska, Canada and the Northwest. While I love traveling, I really love being home, too. The San Francisco Bay Area is an amazing place to live. And my dog is so cute, I have no idea why I ever leave.
GT: Do you have any advice for first-timers on an all-lesbian vacation?
SW: Big deep breaths. Yes, this really is happening. You have seven days to take it all in. Hydrate.
GT: If there was a soundtrack to this inaugural cruise, what would it sound like, or who would be on it?
SW: With six DJs on board, this ship has an off-the-hook soundtrack. There’s a jukebox on our site where you can hear songs from all of our artists. Jen Foster wrote a Sweet song that we use in our commercial. I love it. It perfectly encapsulates what we’re doing at Sweet.
If I had to pick some songs for our soundtrack, it’d go like this:
Boom Boom Pow — Black Eyed Peas
Dare — Gorillaz
Sweet (remix) — Jen Foster
My Heart — Edie Carey
Closer to Nowhere — Jen Foster
Pull Me Through — Adrianne
The Game — Melange Lavonne
Love Game — Lady GaGa
So What — Pink
The Climb — Miley Cyrus
I Gotta Feeling — Black Eyed Peas
Just Dance — Lady GaGa
That’s Not My Name — The Ting TingsOK, that’s pretty much my workout mix, but I’m multi-tasking.
GT: I read somewhere you’re afraid of swimming. Will you be wearing a life vest on the ship?
SW: No. I’m not afraid of being on a ship. While swimming is one of my challenges in life — seriously, there’s no air in water — I’m determined to overcome my fear of being in the water. I work on it all the time, so I can compete in triathlons, snorkel and scuba dive. Some of the best moments in my life have come in the water, like night diving with octopuses in Roatan, swimming with sea turtles in the Galapagos and touching the giant clams on the Great Barrier Reef. I don’t let my fears limit what I can do.
GT: Final thoughts?
SW: Call your friends. Request time off work. Visit DiscoverSweet.com. The largest lesbian cruise ever is more affordable than you can imagine. With our 12-month payment plan — we’re talking no interest, no hidden fees — your Sweet Caribbean Cruise starts at $36 per person per month.
Media Resources
- Shannon Wentworth – in the news
- Sweet – recent press releases
- Sweet – media center
Interview Opportunities
- Shannon Wentworth
- Jen Rainin, co-founder of Sweet
Contact Information
Cause+Effect
510.922.9999 [main]
866.843.6697 [fax]
ShannonWentworth@cause-pr.com
