Sarasota's OUT Award winners:
FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ ANNUAL EVENT:  Harvey Milk Festival
FAVORITE LOCAL NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION: ALSO Youth
FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ ACTIVIST: Nate Quinn
FAVORITE LOCAL HAIR SALON: d. cole hair design
FAVORITE LOCAL FITNESS CENTER: CRUNCH
FAVORITE LOCAL REALTOR: Robert Krasow Realtor with Michael Saunders & Company
FAVORITE AREA MUSEUM OR GALLERY: The Ringling
FAVORITE AREA ATTRACTION: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT: Clasico Sarasota
FAVORITE LOCAL BARTENDER: Hunter Vance
FAVORITE LOCAL BAR: Barrel 87
FAVORITE LOCAL LGBTQ NIGHTCLUB/BAR: Elevate - Level 2 at Starlite
FAVORITE LOCAL HOTEL: Aloft Sarasota
FAVORITE LOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY or AGENT: ALandCHUCK.travel
FAVORITE LOCAL COFFEE SHOP: Pastry Art
FAVORITE LOCAL HAPPY HOUR: Barrel 87
FAVORITE LOCAL PERFORMING ARTS VENUE: Manatee Performing Arts Center
FAVORITE LOCAL ACTOR: Brian Craft
FAVORITE LOCAL ACTRESS: Corinne Woodland
FAVORITE LOCAL MUSICIAN/BAND: Eduardo Correa
FAVORITE LOCAL SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONALITY: Mattyson Barksdale
FAVORITE LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER: Barbara Banks
FAVORITE LOCAL DRAG PERSONALITY: Brianna Summers
FAVORITE LOCAL ADULT NOVELTY STORE: Giggles Sarasota
2017 OUT ICON AWARD: Beneva Fruitville

​Tyler Butler is one of the hardest working social media gurus I know. Ever since knowing Tyler, he has been at the pulse of whats happening around town. His socialites group are the center of attention on Friday nights, and now he is in the spotlight himself with his Facebook segment 'Out and About.' I wanted to sit down with Tyler to find out his inspiration behind his many businesses - so we caught up with Tyler on the elliptical machine at the local You-fit to get the “gander!”

Tyler moved to Sarasota from Tampa in search for a slower paced lifestyle but quickly found out that although Sarasota is a beach town, there is a lot of work to be done here. His first project was “The Butler Did It” which is an Estate Management/concierge company where Tyler manages many wealthy homes around town. “Sarasota has so many seasonal residents so it was a great fit” Tyler explained.
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​Over the last 2 years you may have seen Tyler around town being chauffeured in a stretch limousine taking pictures at restaurants and bars with a group of fabulously dressed men and women. This sassy group is named The Sarasota Socialites. “The Sarasota Socialites was a way for me to support my clients of my concierge service businesses. I wanted to support them by bringing a large group out and featuring them on social media. My socialites would start at the official kick off venue which is Classico and we would have complimentary appetizers and then receive a round of drinks at each location we stopped at. A classy bar crawl” He explained. “We would end the night at Elevate on the second floor of The Starlite Room and by that time everyone was feeling the moment thanks to the generosity of all the establishments”
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​Tyler recalled. “And they were OK with it, especially when everyone around town would recognize them from being in my videos” Tyler’s videos became a hit receiving thousands of views and Tyler started to get recognized everywhere he went. 

​Over time Tyler decided he wanted to use his social media success for a greater purpose. The content of his videos changed from drunken nights out to reviewing refined happy hours and covering charity events. He named his segments OUT & ABOUT and has his own catchy tag line “Lets go inside and take a gander” Tyler cheerfully tells his audience! He posts a video every couple days covering the widest variety of events from local drag shows to charity fuctions. He has worked with just about every business I can think of featuring their Happy Hour specials and a variety of charities including American Cancer Society, Kids by the Sea and Harvest House. Tyler passionatly joked... "The feeling of giving is so much better than buying a new pair of Louis Vuittons"
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​Tyler has received accolades from being in the spotlight as well as people who criticize him for his videos. “I’ve helped so many people for nothing in return, so when people say things about me it really hurts” Tyler said. “I just hope that my videos will do more good and will help build awareness of local businesses and charities around town. I hope that I can make the right business decisions so that OUT & ABOUT can grow into something that could be even bigger than I can dream because ultimately I’m doing this for the community!”

Tyler Butler has exceeded our expectations during our interview and I found myself seeing a little of myself in his story. Many of us start our careers on one path and find ourselves down another serving a greater cause. Tyler has created a platform for himself and what he will do with that platform is exciting for his audience and himself. We couldn't be more proud of Tyler’s success here at SarasotaOUT.com, and are excited to see whats next.

By: Joshua Beadle, Editor and Chief of SarasotaOUT.com