Shane Bitney Crone

Born on December 19, 1985, in Kalispell, Montana, Shane Bitney Crone grew up with the nickname "Motor Mouth." Now that name seems even more appropriate in light of his recent YouTube video, which went viral with almost three million hits. Shane's film portrays the many injustices he experienced after losing his partner and the great love of his life, Tom Bridegroom. This gut-wrenching, mini documentary (in memory of Tom) has now inspired millions of people worldwide to join Shane's pursuit of marriage equality. From a young age, Shane has used his considerable voice on behalf of good causes, inspiring others through his talent and actions. In Montana, he also regularly performed at the Missoula Children's Theater International Performing Arts Camp. During high school, he was active in the community and was awarded Student of the Year for his leadership. Shane worked part time to earn money so he could pursue his dream of moving to Los Angeles after graduation. Armed with this money and with all of his worldly belongings in the trunk of his car, Shane headed to California without a job, but with an abundance of ambition and willingness to work hard. In 2005, Shane met his partner, Tom Bridegroom. Dedicated to each other and their mutual success, Shane and Tom started a social media/public relations company, Bridegroom and Bitney, in 2008. Targeting up and coming artists in the music industry, they assisted clients in obtaining record deals, performing at national league sporting events and garnering international exposure (via Tom and Shane's expertise with social media). He soon landed a position on Entertainment Tonight as a production assistant and was subsequently promoted to talent coordinator. In 2011, the devastating accident that took Tom's life, turned Shane's world upside down. As a form of therapy, he created his now viral video in order to honor and mourn Tom. As a result, he has found a new calling and is slowly regaining the voice he was born with. Shane has vowed to devote himself to the cause of marriage equality, giving interviews to CNN, ABC, E! News, and numerous radio programs and has been invited to write guest posts for GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, The Advocate, and The Huffington Post. He is receiving speaking requests from around the world and has been invited to Amsterdam Pride as one of their international guests of honor. Shane has also partnered with Designing Women creator and director and producer of the critically acclaimed Man from Hope, Linda Bloodworth Thomason, in order to make a documentary film about his and Tom's life together and what happened in the aftermath of Tom's death. After successfully raising over three-hundred-thousand dollars using the crowd funding website Kickstarter, the film, entitled Bridegroom, A Love Story Unequaled, is currently being made.