JAY BREWNER Creator of “Chandelier” for a cause JANUARY / F E B R UARY 2 0 1 4 15 BRIAN PLESCIA Stuntman lands safely in Napa Brian Plescia jokes he was born a large child. Anyone who knows Brian gets his humor. Raised in Palo Alto by parents who were hippies turned yuppies turned hippies, he completed high school in Grass Valley. “Living in the mountains was amazing, awesome and good social experience for me,” said Brian. He went on to get a creative writing degree from the University of Arizona and left college wanting to do two things: be a fighter pilot or do something with making movies. He woke up one day and headed to Hollywood to see what would happen. The year 2000 began his eight-year career as a professional stunt man working in twenty films and thirty television shows. His most memorable experience was working on the movie Pearl Harbor because it was so historically realistic. In 2009, a bottle of wine brought him to the Napa Valley. “I wanted to see what the Napa Valley was all about, and moved here in 2011.” For the past three years, Brain has been living the Napa Valley lifestyle and learning more about wine. His social, flashy, man-about-town personality is just a façade, he says. He is actually a shy person who likes to keep his life private and that is one of the reasons he left Hollywood. “I find Napa Valley people develop friendships based on authenticity and that is attractive to me.” He plans to start a 1,000 case small production wine label in the next year or so. photo by KARI RUEL Many people know the larger-than-life Jay Brewner as one of the hospitality gurus of the Napa Valley, but his other persona that he happily brings out on request—or not—is his female impersona, Chandelier. In a valley that is a bit on the conservative side, Brewner’s antics are still met with acceptance and love. One of only a handful of drag queens in the valley, Brewner said he started dressing in drag three years ago to be creative and raise money for charity. He started the drag brunch where both gay and straight people could dress up for fun. Tips they raised would go to a specified non-profit. One of seven children, Brewner said people would be surprised to hear that he is the quiet one in the family. An artistic Mom who focused on nature in the Santa Cruz Mountains raised him. Instead of going to day care, he would sit in her studio and paint. “I love who I am and I love to dazzle my friends,” said Brewner, and he is definitely a showstopper at many Napa Valley events. If it’s a conservative event, he will dress over the top and vice versa, though his conservative style always has a twist. His iconic rhinestone pistol belt buckle is among his favorite accessories that sparkle, glitter or shout the unexpected. “People should have fun with their wardrobes and I’m always happy to influence friends old and new on what to wear.” ▲ ▲ photo by KARI RUEL
NVLife_Feb_2014
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