Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht

Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht (36–37 years old) is an American actor, floral artist, and television personality from Seattle who came to international attention in 2020 as the mentor and judge for the Netflix reality show The Big Flower Fight.[1][2] He owns a boutique floral design company, Wild Bloom Florals, and strives for representation as a younger Black man in the florist industry.[1][2][3] According to Digital Spy he is “known for his incredible sculptures and bouquets”.[4] Harper's Bazaar named him one of the top florists in the world.[5][6]

Early life and education

Kristen Alexzander Griffith was born in Seattle, Washington.[2] He grew up in Detroit, Michigan and spent much of his youth in his mother’s garden, “I was like, yes, this is amazing! I get to play in the dirt, and pull stuff out.”[1][7]

He later would be active in theater but finally turned to creating floral artwork as a more creatively satisfying experience.[8]

He had dabbled in flower arranging as a hobby, but his interest peaked when he was studying to be a counselor in graduate school at Columbia University and interning two days a week at a florist.[8] The interest grew into a passion and with the support of his boyfriend Aaron, he dropped out of school and focused on flowers full time.[8]

Career

In April 2009 the web series Drama Queenz premiered about three young Black gay actors—friends and roommates—struggling in New York City.[9] Griffith-VanderYacht was one of the leads; previously he was in the national touring company of the musical Rent.[9] Drama Queenz ran for twenty-four episodes over three seasons.[10]

In October 2011, the film Into the Lion’s Den premiered with Griffith-VanderYacht as the youngest of a trio of gay friends, one of the three leads in the gay action thriller.[11][12]

Griffith-VanderYacht was building his business in New York City at the same time planning his wedding, and for a family.[8] He did the flowers for his own 2013 wedding and reception, his attention to detail attracted new clients, “I translated what my experience was like planning my own wedding into a business model. I relate very strongly to bold visuals and storytelling. I really focused on creating a strong visual presence. That’s what I responded to when I was planning my own wedding”.[8] Interested in raising children, and knowing doing so in New York City was not an option, the couple looked to Seattle, Washington in 2016 as an ideal place to lay down roots.[8] Since opening his own studio, his flowers have been in major publications.[7][13] He is the owner and creative director of Wild Bloom Floral in Seattle.[14] He is “known for his incredible sculptures and bouquets”.[4] He is also the floral designer for Glasswing Greenhouse.[15][16] In February 2020 Harper's Bazaar named him one of the top florists in the world.[17][18]

In May 2020 Netflix’s reality show The Big Flower Fight premiered with Griffith-VanderYacht as a mentor and main judge who is an “energetic, emotionally engaged expert”.[5][19] The eight-episode season features teams of designers creating oversized and intricate themed floral installations on location in England in a geodesic domed tent in countryside near Maidstone in Kent.[5][20] The premier landed in the middle of the first wave of the Covid-19 (coronvirus) pandemic when people worldwide were staying at home so more watched the show.[8] At the same time ongoing Black Lives Matters protests have helped spark conversations about white supremacy since the George Floyd murder by police, when asked he answered “Right now is an ‘awakening’, not just for white people, but for every single person who is becoming aware of how racism has played a part in our society. There are a lot of connections being made between the civil rights movement, the LGBTQ movement and human rights in general. They're actually all connected. Racism hurts everyone.”[8]

Personal life

Griffith-VanderYacht is gay, he got engaged to Aaron in Brooklyn on November 11, 2011; they got married in June 2013.[1][21] To lay down roots where they could raise a family they moved to Seattle, Washington in 2016 and soon joined a foster-to-adopt program, a long process but the couple adopted their son in June 2019.[1][8]

Reference
  1. Moore, Camille (June 21, 2020). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht". TVOvermind. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  2. Nicolaou, Elena (May 19, 2020). ""Big Flower Fight's" Judge Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht Was Scouted on Instagram". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  3. Stevens, Ashlie D. (May 24, 2020). "Pulling back the foliage of "Big Flower Fight," from the eye-popping designs to the fairy tale final". Salon. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  4. McMahon, Liv (May 29, 2020). "Netflix's The Big Flower Fight is so much more than a Bake Off with flowers". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  5. Palmer, Katie (May 25, 2020). "The Big Flower Fight judge: Who is Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht?". Daily Express. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  6. Hall, Heather; Goldberg, Carrie (February 27, 2020). "BAZAAR's Little Black Book: The Top Wedding Florists in the World". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  7. "Big Flower Fight: Who is Kristian Griffith-VanderYaucht?". ScreenRant. May 23, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  8. Kahn, Jason Mitchell (July 1, 2020). "The Kristen Griffith-Vanderyacht Interview with Jason Mitchell Kahn". Men’s Vows. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  9. "Kristen-Alexzander Griffith". QBC Festival. April 7, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  10. Edwards, C. (December 12, 2014). "The Ultimate LGBT Web Series Viewing Guide". Out. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  11. DiGuglielmo, Joey (October 13, 2011). "'Den' of doom". Washington Blade. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  12. Villarreal, Daniel (October 28, 2018). "These 6 Horror Films Featuring Queer People of Color Are Scary (and Often Problematic)". Hornet. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  13. Edwards, Eve (May 18, 2020). "Meet The Big Flower Fight judges: Kristen and the guests from every episode!". Reality Titbit. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  14. Editors, Brides. "150+ Black-Owned Wedding Businesses to Support Now and Always". Brides. Retrieved 2020-07-19.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  15. JSeattle (January 29, 2019). "Glasswing Greenhouse blooms at the corner of Melrose and E Olive Way". CHS Capitol Hill Seattle. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  16. "Opening soon: Glasswing Greenhouse". Capitol Hill Times. December 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  17. Hall, Heather; Goldberg, Carrie (February 27, 2020). "BAZAAR's Little Black Book: The Top Wedding Florists in the World". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  18. Palmer, Katie (May 25, 2020). "The Big Flower Fight judge: Who is Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht?". Daily Express. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  19. Paskin, Willa (May 18, 2020). "Netflix's Big Flower Fight Supersizes Reality TV Competition". Slate Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  20. Gray, Kristy (May 12, 2020). "New GBBO-style series sees florists compete for 'Best in Bloom'". Homes and Property. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  21. "Aaron VanderYacht and Kristen-Alexzander Griffith Wedding Plans". ulctempe.org. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
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