Age: 44

Occupation: Talent Agent

Voice Type: African American; boisterous, jovial baritone; think of Bernie Mac but with the anger and yelling toned down

Note: We are looking for a person of color for the role of Cole Pierce.

Born into a staunchly-conservative family, Cole Pierce spent his boyhood years idolizing then-President Ronald Reagan as his parents had done. Before he was born, his family had lived in San Francisco but had relocated to San Diego in the mid-70s amidst the growing presence of homosexuals in the city government and gay rights laws being passed by officials such as Harvey Milk.

In his younger days, Cole had a fascination with He-Man, and would frequently comment on how he wanted to have big muscles like his hero. His father, Richard, an investment banker, encouraged his young son to pursue such goals in becoming the physical embodiment of the masculine ideal. In his teenage years, Cole began weightlifting and playing football in high school. His female classmates seemed to fancy him, but he was never really interested. Instead, he found himself drawn towards one of his teammates. It was in his sophomore year that he realized that he didn’t like girls; he liked men. He was gay. He was originally terrified, fearful of the possibility of contracting HIV. But his teammate alleviated those fears when they made love for the first time. It was just the two of them.

When Cole came out to his family, they kicked him out of the house. His boyfriend publicly refused to help him in order to save face at school. Cole became ostracized as “the gay kid”, was kicked off the football team for fear of being a sexual deviant, and lost all his friends. He was homeless during his last year of high school, secretly prostituting himself to older men for money. When he walked on stage in his cap and gown, he looked to the crowd and realized that his parents weren’t there.

One of his teachers found him quietly sobbing in the parking lot later that night, and after hearing out her former student took him in so she could help him get back on his feet. Cole began working at the port while going to college for business and marketing. It was through his general education courses that he met Anthony Howell, an English major. The two spent a lot of their time together and eventually realized that they were in love.

After graduating at the age of 24 with two Bachelor’s degrees, Cole asked Anthony to move to San Francisco with him, to which his partner agreed. They were accepted into the community with open arms, and as Anthony began teaching high school English, Cole began working at a marketing firm. But Cole wanted to actually help people who had dreams and were being kept down; he wanted to be a talent agent.

After dating for seven years and adopting a baby girl together, Cole proposed to Anthony in the wake of the state’s Supreme Court ruling that the same-sex marriage ban in California was unconstitutional in June 2006. They tied the knot in August 2008, with their three-year-old daughter, Natalie, as the flower girl. Cole invited his parents, hoping they could bury the hatchet, but they never responded to the invitation. He would later learn that they had perished in a fire in 2002. He was distraught, but made peace with the reality.

Cole and his family relocated to Santa Monica two years later when he was offered a job as an agent for BCG, where he would work alongside Mariah Michaels for three years before she struck out on her own as an independent agent. She was a good friend of Cole’s, and they kept in touch, but he was growing concerned about her liberal use of cocaine.

After his rough formative years and coasting in a so-so job for a while, Cole was finally happy. He was married to a wonderful, supportive man; they had a beautiful daughter; he was helping people achieve their dreams in entertainment; and he lived in a breathtaking beachfront home in a city that was more than accepting of who he was inside and out.

Cole is a jovial man who emanates an aura of warmth and comfort to those around him. His years of experience being a smooth talker have allowed him the ability to defuse most situations and turn negotiations in his favor. Similarly, his troubled past and struggle to find his place in the world have imbued him with tremendous empathy, a valuable asset when he's helping his clients. He is patient, understanding, and accommodating to others, though with his daughter preparing to go off to college he begins to act more fatherly towards his newest client, James Greene, than he had with other clients. He and Anthony are starting to feel empty nest syndrome creeping up on them. This is exemplified by his tendency to call James "son" every so often. But even still, he maintains high spirits in the company of others.

However, while he is out of the closet and comfortable with who he is, he is not flamboyant or "visibly" gay.