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About Karel

About Karel

Karel (Charles Karel Bouley)

He’s made history in life and career, changed state laws for the LGBTQ community in California and been at the center of international controversies. He is as at home on a stage as he is in front of a camera or microphone, in a recording studio or on a set and has worked on them all. He’s entertained for years in the No. 2 and No. 4 radio markets in the country, Los Angeles and San Francisco on the No. 1 stations KFI and KGO. He’s written for Billboard, and then been featured in it as an artist; he’s was with the HuffingtonPost since it started as well as Medium, and has published two books and been and editor for magazines such as The Advocate.. He’s been a guest on every major cable network, and a pioneer in the recent trend of reality TV for five years on cable TV. There’s even an App for him.

He is Karel, Charles Karel Bouley.

 

Karel Dorian Promo
Karel Stands Up
Karel Hat

A Man of Many Hats

Like media, Karel is constantly changing, producing content for radio, podcast, television, stage, online, OTT, streaming and print.

He can be seen as the producer and host of the star-studded Dorian Awards on Revry and here media for the LGBTQ critics (Revry is the top LGBTQ streaming platform in the world). He is seen on Free Speech TV (DirecTV, Roku, OTT) in a show he created, Life In Segments, a reality chat show. He is  heard three times a week on every streaming service (Spotify, iTunes, iHeart) with The Karel Cast which often ranks in the Top 200 Podcasts in the world on Apple’s charts.

He released the single “Married Men” in 2020 to add to the other nine singles and albums in release, as well as Stronger Together in 2022 and is readying remixes of both for 2023. His singles often feature his lead vocals with powerhouse collaborators like Thea Austin from Snap!, Morgan Mallory (AGT) and even the late Steve Bronski (Bronski Beat). His singles have charted all over the world.

Here’s the cliff notes:

  • Three times a week he delivers  The Karel Cast, a look at current topics and events on all streaming services and YouTube;
  • Producer and host of The Dorians TV and Film Toasts seen on Revry.tv;
  • Host of Life In Segments on Free Speech TV for four seasons comprised of entertainment segments and documentary-style location segments;
  • Tours with Karel Stands Up! A 90 minute one man show of comedy, parody, satire and music that the Bay Area Reporter and San Francisco Examiner says “does not disappoint, Karel delivers a powerhouse tour-de-force non stop.”
  • Featured columnist for syndicated publications;
  • Has released one full length album, nine charting singles and been a guest vocalist on three other singles all supported by live dates;
  • First book You Can’t Say That was published through Alyson Press, second book Shouting at Windmills: BS From Bush to Obama available at amazon.com;
  • Made history with partner Andrew Howard on KFI AM 640 Los Angeles as part of first LGBTQ couple on air and off in history to host a drive-time major-market radio show; went on to KGO AM 810 San Francisco; He’s served as an entertainment reporter for KNX 1070 Los Angeles (CBS) going live from every major entertainment award show and event;
  • Did reality show Ultimate Revenge on SpikeTV for Woody Fraiser Productions starring Ryan Seacrest and Marc Summers for two seasons;
  • Written for Billboard Magazine, HuffingtonPost, Advocate, Genre, Rolling Stone, BAM, Medium, GED and many others;
  • Debuted as a comic in the Belly Room of the Comedy Store on Sunset Strip, Los Angeles, CA.;
  • Co-wrote a song for the film Just One Time from acclaimed director Lane Janger and wrote two songs for the Dorians Toasts;
  • Co-wrote the International Press Academy’s 1999/2000 Golden Satellite Awards at the Beverly Hilton, and hosted the event twice broadcast in several countries;
  • Co-wrote the treatments for two major videos for A&M Records by the late Vesta Williams;
  • Co-wrote and produced five music videos for himself and headed the film production;
  • Released two singles executive produced by Jellybean Benitez on Jellybean’s label;
  • Recorded and released successful independent album with top name producers and vocalists named one of Billboard’s 10 Best that year;
  • Emceed and hosted over 200 prestigious and televised events;
  • Appeared in interviews on every major network including ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News and more;
  • Co-authored several screenplays and novels currently in development.
You won't believe this story....

Karel started his career on the opposite side of the business, working as a music journalist, photographer and publicist for some of the biggest magazines and artists in R&B music.

A student of theatre, performing was a natural progression for him. After session and demo work, he enlisted the help of contacts made over the years to create his own project. He released four singles and an album independently, on his own record label to rousing success. He worked with incredible writers and producers, including Eddie Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland), Steve Bronski (Bronski Beat), The Factory Team (Mauro Farina) and Thea Austin (Snap!, “Rhythm Is A Dancer”).

Those projects were featured in all major national sales outlets and gained him media and public acclaim. His first album is still a strong seller and received many honors and was named to over 10 “Best Of” lists. Live performances followed, where he opened for and/or performed with the brightest artists in Dance music, including Grace Jones, Bronski Beat, Dead or Alive and many more.

It was on the tour circuit that he came to the attention of Jellybean Benitez (who produced hits for Madonna and a musical who’s who) and Jellybean immediately signed Karel to his label, Jellybean Recordings. To date, Karel has released two projects on Jellybean Recordings (“I Am” and “Take Your Heartache Away”) with Jellybean serving as Executive Producer.

Being a visual artist, Karel has starred in three music videos to support his musical releases, two of which he produced himself (“I Am” and “Live To Tell”). His strong mixture of comedy and music on stage made him a natural for comedy clubs and he made his debut at the prestigious Comedy Store on Sunset in Hollywood, CA as one of the headliners in the Belly Room.

He started appearing as a regular guest on a L.A. radio morning show, and soon had his own weekly talk show on air entitled “Different After Dark.” That show became a critical success and boasted many top name celebrity interviews. Karel again proved that if his talent was challenged, it would rise to the occasion

He, along with his partner Andrew Howard, went on to become the first openly gay male couple to host a major market radio show in drive time when KFI AM 640 put them on daily from 4pm to 7pm in 1998. The duo quickly beat their competition at KABC 790 and even gathered weekly total audiences comparable to Tom Leykis on KLSK.

 

They continued at KFI until Howard’s unexpected death in May of 2001. After his death Karel stayed at KFI while he began a wrongful death lawsuit that would end up changing the standing Domestic Partners had when it came to wrongful death suits. Karel’s suit originally got thrown out because the court said he had no standing with his partner under existing law.

He changed that and went on to settle. From KFI it was off to KGO San Francisco, a legacy 50,000 watt station, where Karel served in the station’s heyday in the early 2000s and through the first decade of 2000. In 2008 he was fired, rehired in 2010, fired again in 2015 when the station changed hands yet again.

After creating national controversy and being fired for a year from KGO for an off-mike expletive that was inadvertently aired in 2008 he launched Karel Stands Up, a one man stage show with parody songs, comedy and satire and it has been a hit all along the West Coast of the United States.

Receiving rave reviews every where he takes it and always being asked back, the show is another extension of this multifaceted performer. In March of 2009 he launched the Karel Cast . It is going strong in 2023 three days a week;  Karel had to stop the daily long format radio to pursue other endeavors.

But while radio and journalism have been a strong focus, Karel’s heart lives on stage, in the studio (of all kinds) on the web, film and TV. In 2013 he took the daily Karel Cast down to one hour, to concentrate on video projects and produced Life in Segments an entertainment show for Free Speech TV (DIrecTV) and the web and scripted shows as well. He has secured a role in an upcoming film and is currently developing other on screen projects. And in January of 2019 after 26 years Karel moved on from a daily long-format radio broadcast to other endeavors, reserving just a half-hour a day three days a week for radio/podcasts.

In 2020 and 2021 in the midst of a pandemic, Karel produced and hosted the inaugural Dorians TV Toast 2020 on streaming giant Revry for GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. That show shot to the top of most popular on the network, and in 2021 Karel hosted both the Dorians Film Toast 2021 and the Dorian Film Toast 2021 on Revry and here!media

In 2022 Karel released new music and began work on Die Healthy, a book based on his over 110 pound weight loss and vegan life style. He has become an influence in the vegan space incorporating it in his podcast and writing. 

 

Through thousands of live performances (both musical and theatrical), hundreds of hours on radio and a series of acclaimed record releases, Karel is proving to be an unshakable force in today’s entertainment industry and will be one of the most enduring stars of the future, no matter what the medium.

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