On Thursday, September 29, the Long Beach Post hosted an event to honor young people from around the city who are doing great things to better their community and beyond. Out of hundreds of nominations from our readers, judges chose 40 winners, representing a range of professions and activism. The Post will be profiling each honoree in the coming days.
He’s got thousands of followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram captivated with his thoughts and opinions on various issues and breathtaking photos of Long Beach’s landscape, food and architecture. Meet the most opinionated man in the city: Brian Addison.
When the 33-year-old “Mr. Long Beach” (and former Long Beach Post executive editor) isn’t working as the communications manager for the Downtown Long Beach Associates, he takes to social media to showcase the beauty Long Beach has to offer, whether its architecture like the Villa Riviera highrise, delectable treats like those found at Recreational Coffee or the quintessential Long Beach icon—the Queen Mary.
At the same time, Addison is known to peel back the bandage and examine the city’s shortcomings in an insightful, thought-provoking way.
“I’ve always said that if I say something and the whole room is full of nodding heads, I said something horribly, horribly wrong,” Addison said. “The odd thing with love—and I fucking love this city—is that it isn’t true love without the honesty, frustration, the dark side.”
For Addison, no subject is off limits.
“Oh, except telling the oppressed how they should feel about or act toward their oppression,” he said. “There’s nothing worse than people who critique a marginalized person’s resistance without critiquing the oppression they’re experiencing.”
He doesn’t like rules either. Actually, he hates them. But he can take the criticism that comes with his no-holds-barred style of writing.
“I enjoy being called out because I love learning the lesson and that just comes with the territory of speaking on things,” Addison noted. “It may not be fun licking your wounds but damn does it enlighten your perspective and show you how small you really are.”
Addison has discussed topics as serious as #BlackLivesMatter and homelessness to even cute, adorable posts about his boyfriend and puppy.
Apart from the Post’s 40 Under 40 award, Addison has received numerous other accolades for his work, including being named Online Journalist of the Year in 2015 by the Los Angeles Press Club and winning the California Bike Coalition’s inaugural Bicycle Dreamer Award.
Recently, Addison announced his resignation from his post at the DLBA to focus on creating his own communications venture that will help Long Beach businesses, nonprofits, restaurants and organizations hone their online presence, something he said he’s “insanely” excited about. Addison hopes to also focus on creative writing and maybe finish some novels currently on the backburner.
Speaking on his 40 Under 40 award, Addison said it was nothing short of humbling.
“So sometimes I feel recognition is unnecessary—I really do because I don’t experience the struggle that many others do while accomplishing the same things,” he said. “But this was just heartwarming and humbling because it came from Long Beach. That speaks volumes.”