11 years of dedication to
Portland Area Youth

Some Teen Idol auditions, elimination rounds and performances, have been updated on IMBD.com. Some other performances have actually aired on local public access television. It is the long term goal, even with the program discontinued, to have all near 200 performances on IMDB giving credit to all the volunteers, contestants and staff possible.

Teen Idol, unlike any other program of its kind that we've found, is the only singing related program that required contestants learn and perform the National Anthem. It was required for all performances where the program or event we were at that hadn't immediately before hand, already had it performed. Teen Idol also on occasion, had siblings, kids in the audience and in one case, a Korean War vet hold the Flag for the National Anthem to engage even more people in the productions.

Under DWP, Teen Idol had many performances during the summer to ensure all the students had ample opportunity to meet their performance contract agreement. No contestant, not even the winner, was expected to be at all of them. Only 2 people are known to have had perfect tour attendance - Daniel Nyounai-Herrera (Season 7 Spanish Winner) and Jesse Rosario (Season 8 English Finalist)

Teen Idol is one of the only youth programs in Oregon to include non-English components and the only one to include non-Singing. Producer Dennis Gleason while serving on the Oregon League of Minority Voters decided that since Spanish was not included in the agency, that he'd add it to his own. Seasons 6, 7 & 9 had Spanish competitions, Seasons 6 & 9 had standup comedy and 9 even had a Russian winner.

When national shows love drama, make fun of under developed performers and use both as content and ratings boosts, Teen Idol didn't allow any of it. Trouble makers, rude contestants, over bearing parents met with a good by. Auditions where students that didn't make the cut were not and will never be in any public production. Those who refused to perform for the tour, were let go. Anyone that made it through that caused issues later, were not asked back. Decisions were always based on the collective good. Not ratings.

Though hundreds volunteered an truly were necessary for Teen Idol to be the success it was, many are not aware the Dennis Gleason, the producer, put in an estimated 400 hours every year on the program. The program never made a profit by design, in fact it fell short most seasons, but he donated what wasn't raised in ticket sales. He never got paid, reimbursed and wouldn't accept either even if offered.