top of page
Pup Nitro
Bryson “Pup Nitro” HankinsonInternational Leatherboy 2011 In 2006, he moved to Atlanta where he met Sir Alan Penrod and began to discover his “Leather Heart”. Nearly a year later he earned his collar and was given his pup name, “NITRO” (Needs Intense Torture to Reach Orgasm). Nitro is currently the President of Panther L/L, and is a Co-Founder of the Hotlanta Rubber and Gear Club. He is the co-owner of Southeast Black and Blue, LLC. Nitro teaches BDSM and Leather Lifestyle classes on a variety of topics and enjoys any play involving tight bondage, mummification, rubber/latex, electricity, cbt, and watersports. He also serves as a mentor to other boys, helping them find their voice within our beautifully diverse leather community.
MICHAEL KAPLAN
Michael Kaplan, MR. HEARTLAND LEATHER 2014, a resident of Sherwood, Arkansas outside Little Rock is proud to represent the Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma leather and fetish communities as Mr. Heartland Leather 2014. Born in Evanston, Illinois, he has had the opportunity to not only learn but to educate others about leather and kink across the country, traveling and moving through Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, as a Civilian Airman of the United States Air Force.
 
Michael stumbled his way to the community in a way that many do – at the Ramrod bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where his biological father resides. Recently, Michael found his partner, Woody Woodruff aka “Daddy”, with whom he coincidentally shares some of these same leather origins.
 
Michael is the founder of Team Friendly Arkansas and the Arkansas Leather Alliance, an organization dedicated to expanding knowledge and participation of the greater Arkansas community in leather, fetish and BDSM. He is also a patron of the Leather Archives and Museum and a proud member of the Titans of the Midwest. Michael is hard at work building up his local Arkansas community and will be producing the first ever Mr. Leather Arkansas in June 2014.
 
Michael is an advocate and supporter of several worthy causes including the Matthew Shepherd Foundation, the International AIDS Vaccine Project, and the Human Rights Campaign. He donates to them through the Combined Federal Campaign which is a program that allows federal employees to divert a portion of their income to many notable causes. He also feels that enrollment in this program is severely underutilized by potential benefactors in our community so if you would like more information on how to take advantage of this program please make sure to reach out to him.
David Payne
 
David Payne hails from St. Louis, MO. Originally from Kansas City, KS he represents two of his favorite groups of people as Mr. Missouri Leather 2014 and Mr. Heartland Bear 2013. Bears in leather? Yes, please.

A Brazilian Dance-Fight instructor, David has learned how to explore himself through interaction with others. It is his desire for self expression and discovery that led him into Leather and kink: rope bondage, water sports, and exhibitionism are a few. He has been a Balloon Brigade marcher and St. Louis Black & Lou Fetish Ball kink-minion, as well as emcee during STL’s bear run, HiBearNation. These efforts have helped David raise money for Project ARK and the St. Louis effort for AIDS, while giving him an opportunity to test his limits.

Presently, David is organizing Team Friendly in St. Louis, and kinky dance-fight classes at his home bar, JJ’s Clubhouse and Bar.

What turns David on? Men with a confident voice who are comfortable in their own skin, regardless of their size, and are comfortable moving: dance; acrobatics; fighting; you move and he'll drool...no, watch…no, drool… no! Both.
Gator Bate
 
Gator Bate, International Leatherboy 2013, has been enjoying his adventures in the leather and kink worlds since he entered his first leather bar in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2001. Kansas City is also his home. Gator came to the ILSb contest by way of winning Central Plain Leatherboy 2013.
 
He enjoys exploring a range of play including leather, power dynamics, watersports, flogging, bondage and more.
 
The part of his title he has enjoyed the most is meeting new people and listening to their stories. Gator lives by the philosophy that we are all trying to do the best we can with the tools we've got and he takes each person he meets at face value. He hopes he can encourage others he meets during his title year and beyond to do the same by adopting a more live and let live attitude.
 
When asked what he likes most about the leather community, he said “the acceptance, I just feel truly accepted. I have also found our community to have some of the nicest folks anywhere. And the family structures we form are a breath of fresh air in terms of the closeness, relationship freedom and variety they can foster.” When asked what he'd like people to remember about him after his title year, he said “that I'm a really nice guy and a hot piece of ass.”
Jeff Gruenberger:
 
Jeff Gruenberger is the Executive Producer of the Mr. Wisconsin Leather Event Weekend and President of MRWL, Inc., the production company behind MWL. He holds the title of Mr. Northwoods 2011 and was a top twenty finalist at IML 34. Jeff is a member of the Titans of the Midwest and a former member and Secretary of the Argonauts of Wisconsin Leather and Levi Club. He has been honored to have been a judge for the Mr. Michigan Leather 2012 Contest, a judge for the Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2012 Contest, and Tallymaster for the Mr. Michigan Leather 2013 Contest. However, of all his experiences in the Leather Community, Jeff is most proud of being collared as boy of Sir Robert Miller, Mr. Leatherman Toronto 2013 and IML 35 Second Runner-up. Together with Sir Robert, his leather family includes Sir Robert’s husband, Daddy Bob; and their family puppies, Pup Wolf and Pup Champ. Jeff is a former Firefighter Lieutenant; enjoys weightlifting and Packers football; loves to travel; is an avid history buff; and enjoys working on home improvement projects.
boy elena
 
Hailing from Kansas City, Kansas where he resides with his partner Jessica. boy elena is 39 years old and self identifies as a leather boy and bootblack. He has been around the fetish community for over 15 years, but fully involved for the last 12+ years and currently holds the position of At-Large South for the Titans of the Midwest, Former President, pledge mentor & web boy for the Kansas City boys of Leather (KCboL), Producer of Heart of America Leatherboy & Leatherman contest/ weekend and also KINK U KC. boy elena was honored to hold the title of Great Plains Community Bootblack 2007-2008 and represent the Midwest at International Leather Sir/boy & International Community Bootblack (ICBB) in 2008.
 
boy elena relates his bootblack love and devotion to the memory of being about 5 years old, sitting and watching his father polishing his shoes and boots. It did not matter to boy elena what he was doing at the time, the minute that exhilarating smell of saddle soap & shoe polish was in the air it became his first priority to be allowed to help or at least watch in awe and with admiration. From that cornerstone, he grew into providing service as well offering mentoring and education about the art of bootblack, care, repair and all things boot related and being a boy. This education includes writing informational articles on the subject for Midwest Bound, a fetish magazine out of print.
 
Besides boot blacking, he has volunteered for Gay Talk (a youth GLBT suicide prevention hotline), AMFAR, Susan G. Komen Foundation, The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City and many others. In his spare time he is an associate member of the New York boys of leather, New Jersey boys of Leather and was named Honorary Associate of the year 2007 from the KC Pioneers club. boy elena is thankful for having the opportunity to attend, boot black, teach or Judge at various events such as Mr. Dixie Belle Leather, WOOF! Bear & cub contest, Kansas Bear & cub contest, IML, IMsL, New Jersey Leather, Mid Atlantic Leather, Wichita USO Show, Tribal Fire, South Central Leather and American Brotherhood Weekend (ABW), Totally Boots, Ms. Iowa Leather and is honored to have been asked to be a Judge for Mr. Heartland Leather this year.
Adrian Thompson
 
Adrian Thompson, Owner of Art House Salon and Gallery Okc has been in the leather community for over ten years. Adrian is a member of The Discipline Corps Dallas TX, Tabu Oklahoma City, vice president of Oklahoma Power exchange. He is the Master of the Thompson House with a boy, and slave. Adrian is the founding director of MAsT: Oklahoma City and is the Regional Representative MAsT southwest for 2013 and 2014. October 2013 Adrian won Oklahoma Mister Leather 2014, and is looking forward to a great title year.
 
 
bottom of page