Bear Magazine
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Bear Magazine (in publication San Francisco 1984-2000) was the original erotic periodical specifically geared toward gay men who are admirers of blue-collar, working-class men, often with body or facial hair. The magazine and its readers were the beginnings of today's gay bear community. The magazine was started by Richard Bulger and Chris Nelson (photographer) in 1984 as a xerox-copied flyer, published from their apartment in San Francisco's North Beach.
The magazine was used to promote erotic videos shot by Richard, as well as the San Francisco Bar Lone Star Saloon, operated by Richard's friend, Rick Redewill. It evolved into an internationally distributed high-gloss magazine, which featured erotic photographs of masculine men, erotic stories, and a classified personals section, which, prior to the web, was one of the only means of long-distance-networking for like-minded men.
The publishing company which Richard and Chris established was first named COA: Creative Options Associates. In 1991, COA became Brush Creek Media (named for the town where their vacation cabin was located, Brush Creek, California.
In 1996, Bear Magazine was sold to Bear-Dog Hoffman, who continued to expand Brush Creek Media into several special-interest gay magazines and video series.
Under insurmountable economic conditions brought about by the mere presence of the networking capabilities of the Internet, Bear Magazine ceased publication in 2000.
