BridgieNix Scheiner

BridgieNix Scheiner was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming. She graduated from Cinco Ranch High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Point Park University in 2012. Her career experience includes work as a dancer, choreographer, server, caterer, web designer, social media content creator, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, video editor, cinematographer, director, fire performer, production assistant in film and entertainment, fitness programmer, administrative professional, dance captain, business owner and founder, alcohol promotional marketer, rideshare ambassador, program director, photographer’s assistant, camp director, educator, and tanning salon manager.[1]

Scheiner has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

SAG-AFTRA

Dancer's Alliance

Bloc Talent Agency

Entertainment Plus Productions

BN Creative

Beatz by BridgieNix

Heated Room

Marching Auxiliaries

Dende Entertainment

Scarlett Entertainment

Zero Wheel

Strong Productions

Dani Maloney Dance

Kitt Crusaders

Art of Elysium

Kitty Mafia Rescue

Fostering Dreams

YCA

Sante D'Or Foundation

The Loveland Foundation

NAACP

ACLU

Habitat for Humanity

Strong Women Strong Girls

Wildlife Foundation

Save the Manitees

SPCA

Nevada SPCA

Humane Society

PETA

Wildwest Fund

Democratic Party

Planned Parenthood

50501 Movement

Indivisible

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a professional dance artist, fire eater, choreographer, & filmmaker. I was born in Wyoming, grew up in Texas, & worked many places in the U.S. I graduated cum laude from Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts studying Dance & minoring in English. After college, my career moved me out of Pittsburgh to a cruise ship in Canada/ Alaska before landing in LA for the next decade. I performed, taught fitness, launched my own business, volunteered with non-profits, worked in film, & hustled side jobs. I joined SAG-AFTRA in 2018, the union for on camera talent. I later moved to Vegas to dance in a new show. After working as a casino laborer & freelancer in NV entertainment, I began fighting for workers and performers who are underpaid and under protected as a result of outdated state laws. Outside of the daily dose of art & politics - I love to paint, foster animals, & write poetry next to my 4 rescued cats. I own an on demand fitness brand & recently launched a local film company, BN Creative. Nevada is home to the arts and entertainment capital of the world, yet little arts and entertainment opportunity exists. As a leader in multiple labor sectors, I bring firsthand experience & modernized influence others can't. We need an innovative leader who's expertise is in alignment with the attraction, diversity, & dazzle NV once had. Only an entertainer can save entertainment tourism. I am excited to serve as your next Lieutenant Governor of Nevada.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

NV workers & performers deserve better opportunity and pay. I will eliminate the laws legalizing unfair labor practices. Labor sectors need to raise standards & pay, particularly for marginalized communities, who face heightened adversities. There is no reason full time workers need 2nd & 3rd jobs to avoid eviction, overturn liens, & feed families. The turnover rate of employees is preventable & the wage gap is inexcusable. State officials turned their backs on the arts communities, entertainment labor sectors, & hospitality workers that created the state. Only someone struggling to survive here like myself can bring REAL solutions to make life affordable & advocate for the working class.Plummeting tourism is a main contributor to climbing unemployment & foreclosures. It's the role of the Lt. Gov. to save tourism. We can't have another 4 years of Stavros nor 4 years of someone with no entertainment experience for this specific role. NV needs a leader who is relevant to the industry, who works in entertainment, who frequently consumes nightlife, & knows adventurous nature spots. Our state will collapse if tourism remains in the hands of an ex-cop nearing 70 or someone that doesn't consume or provide the product they're attempting to sell. We need creative leaders to revive profits, generate funding for the state, & increase viable opportunities for residents. We need a NEW leader & now.Liberty & justice for all didn't mean for some. The culture wars have pinned Nevadans against each other, putting many in harm's way. We need to unite & humanize each other & stand together. As an advocate for marginalized communities, equity, justice, & equality, I will end division while protecting Nevadans against dangerous policies. Federal legislation has passed policies that dehumanize & endanger Women, migrants, trans Americans, LGBTQ communities, Latinos, Black communities, & children. A thriving Nevada is a protected, just, equal, & abundant Nevada. Fighting for diminishing civil rights is a top priority. I vow to protect all Nevadans at any cost.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

- Affordable Housing

- Eliminate cause of crime (poverty, unhoused, healthcare, food price gouging)

- Integrate film infrastructure to make NV competitive & fix entertainment crisis

- Expand reproductive access & research

- Water conservation & clean energy

- Mental health

- Boost revenue for education (not reallocating funds from other programs)

- Protection for LGBTQ communities

- Expand healthcare subsidies

- Halt unconstitutional ICE raids

- Safety protections for performers

- Diversified grants for arts, tech, & entertainment communities

- Harsher penalties for sexual assault, domestic abuse, trafficking, & rape

- Animal rescue strategies to minimize euthanasia

- Eliminate poor labor practices & wage theft

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The most unique quality specific to Nevada's Lieutenant Governor role that other states Lt. Governors would not focus on is: boosting the arts, making the state affordable, bringing in jobs, focusing on entertainment, attracting tourists, staying up to date on trends, & bringing in new cultural opportunities to attract people to visit.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

RBG - I constantly am in awe of Women like Ruth Bader Ginsburg who despite how much pushback they received, gave so much of their energy to fight for disability rights, Women's rights, criminal justice, equity, equality, & voting rights. So many people take for granted many of the rights we have today because we were born with them. It's crazy to think how recently Women could be legally r*ped by their husbands, Women couldn't have a bank account, child marriage was (and in some states, still is) legal, & same sex couples couldn't get married. It's easy to assume your rights will always be there, but in recent years we have learned that those rights are not guaranteed without every single generation continuing to fight for them. I hope to see more Americans fight to preserve so many of the rights that are currently under threat, and that previous warriors, like RBG, fought to preserve.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Knowledgeable about the realities the people of the communities they serve face. Also necessary is heightened awareness, passion, care, and energy--be solution driven, authentic, relatable, have strong communication & social skills... should be adaptable to new trends, ego-free, have a sense of humor, communication, versatility, experience on government funded programs, good multitasker, & have good problem solving skills. Authenticity and relatability are the two most important characteristics elected representatives need, that currently most of ours do not have.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

1. NV's Lieutenant Governor oversees entertainment tourism, which is the dominant industry of the state. A Lt. Governor with a background in entertainment can easily solve the entertainment employment crisis & reform tourism by addressing the issues from within & protecting workers. They should have deep insights & be a consumer of nightlife, entertainment, restaurants, local things to do, understand costs of tourism, nature & hiking attractions, shows, gaming, & affordable bars.

2. They should be solution driven to work with the Governor and state legislature on solutions for significantly cheaper housing and rent, affordability to live, healthcare subsidies for the ACA, & local discounts to make surviving in a tourism state achievable.

3. Bring new abundant and high paying jobs into the state to replace all of the lost jobs within casinos, entertainment, & other sectors affected by the unstable economy & dead tourism. We don't just need jobs, but we need full time high paying jobs that are sustainable and are a realistic replacement for the types of jobs currently being cut or decreased.

4. Improve labor standards and practices statewide for workers.

5. Be able to fill the shoes of the Governor when the Governor is out of town and be well-versed in all policies being made in the event of a legislative tie breaker vote.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Making the world a better place. As cliche as it sounds.. it is what it is. I got to a point where I was like ... I can't keep complaining about the state of the economy, dwindling civil rights, environmental & humane destruction, war, & limited opportunity without doing something. It's very easy to complain without offering solutions or volunteering your free time to take action. I realized recently the only way to better the world is to take action. I would love to leave the world better than I came into it. I would love to ensure that we don't destroy this beautiful world. I would also love to ensure my nieces and future generations of girls have as many rights & even more than I did when I came into the world. And most importantly, I want to ensure that everyone experiences peace globally, peace daily, is free from hate, is free from violence, & is no longer struggling to survive... That the version of the American dream we were promised when we were kids, becomes abundantly available to us again.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the George W. Bush V. Al Gore Election. I was in 5th grade in Texas. We had mock elections to explain the democratic process. A year later at the start of 6th grade in Junior High, 9/11/2011 happened. That one stuck out to me more than most historical events in the ways of catastrophe.

Though I grew up pretty engaged & curious about the democratic process, when 9/11 happened, it prompted me from a young age to start to understand foreign affairs, global history, & the nuances of religious wars early on.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was an assistant to ballet, jazz, and contemporary classes in one of the dance studios I attended while in highschool. This was 3 years before I worked a summer job teaching drill team camps, & then moved to Pittsburgh for undergrad.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. - This book changed my life and is something I revisit often when I've hit a wall socially, career wise, inspirationally, or artistically. This book helps to decrease mental clutter, overthinking, uncover creative blocks, & can be a creative mental health tool.

- Don't be fooled by the title of the book though. This book isn't just for artists, but confirms what I have always believed to be true... Every human is an artist. It doesn't matter if you pursued a career in nursing or finance, at the end of the day, every single person has an artistic need. People far removed from the arts have read this book & equally experienced life changing results. I frequently gift this book to people if they have hit a block of sorts in any area of this life.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Rumi from K pop demon hunters - I would love to use art, music, and dance to heal the world & bridge entities of different heritages together. No, I'm not just saying this so I will become my nieces favorite aunt, but truthfully, the metaphoric power & underlying message of Kpop demon hunters is something everyone needs to pay attention to. It's not just a kids cartoon that we had to buy kids too much swag for.

If I could add some characters, would also say Buttercup from power puff girls & Noodle from Gorillaz. IYKYK.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

As a Millennial growing up in the worst of times economically & as a performing dance artist, navigating the pandemic of mental health has been a challenge & is something that America is handling poorly. I lost a close family member to suicide. I joined a suicide support group shortly after that, & learned that the struggles of losing someone after suicide is incredibly common. As a part of the performing arts & as a Millennial, I know many others who have unalived themselves or made suicide attempts. It's getting to the point that there are less people who don't struggle with mental health, than there are who do. Though my experience is specific to my industry & age demographic, this is a pressing matter that affects every single generation and a wide array of industries alike, as the stress & weight of the world has grown.

Mental health struggles such as depression, disorders, anxiety, PTSD, sexual trauma, etc. is growing. The good news is that it is becoming less stigmatized for our generations than it was for our parents and previous generations. This has resulted in more transparent and open discussions leading many to obtain the help they need. The bad news is that there is not enough affordable help, education, funding, awareness, resources, or support in Nevada (and America) to fix a lot of problems that so many other countries are able to offer.

I am excited to improve this for Nevadans.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Boosting entertainment tourism & expanding new industries for employment are vital. When I say expanding new industries, I don't mean just bringing in jobs, but truly building brand new infrastructures & ensuring they have a permanent home here so that we don't have to rely so heavily on casinos in the future for surviving. The result of dominantly relying on casinos, in a time when tourism has been so down, is that Nevada, with emphasis on Reno and Las Vegas, have been catastrophically destroyed economically and in employment. Many executives may try to water down how bad the times in NV actually are right now, but when you're one of thousands getting your wages slashed, shifts cut, & positions eliminated in real time on the casino floors, you know exactly how bad it is. Nevadans can't pay their bills, are drowning in debt, & there are not enough full time livable occupations for those who have had shifts cut/ hours or wages reduced or are fully unemployed.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The Lieutenant Governor oversees state Senate proceedings & would be a tie breaker vote. - Many people may think this isn't a big deal, but who we elect to have that power is extremely powerful.

Electing someone who has been a part of the working class, has had to rely on a government funded program, has lost employment due to dead tourism, & is heavily involved in the industries of Nevada ensures that all tie breaker votes and decisions will always come from a place of community awareness. Many times the legislative decisions come as a result of powerful business endorsements and corporate backings. We must start electing people who have not been bought out and will make final decisions for the people.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. Working in government doesn't just automatically make you a good leader or solution driven. - It's more important to have leadership experience and roles within organizations that similarly operate to this role, but it doesn't have to be government specifically. Having experience as a manager, fundraiser, organization captain, non profits, community advocacy, & leadership positions in any industry makes a strong leader that can better advocate and take action on behalf of their voters.

Many politicians these days are ex cops, lawyers, teachers, and judges. There is a time and place for those roles as well, but right now Nevada desperately needs people from other industries to create better policies for the lives working Nevadans actually live. Ex cops, lawyers, & judges do not have the specialized or unique industry experience to understand how to make NEvada an attractive tourist state again. They do not have the experience entertaining people 24/7 to understand what consumers at a business conference versus what gen Z coming in town for a DJ want to experience.

To truly be a public servant you must have some ground level understanding of the public you serve. I'd love to see more performers, artists, musicians, wellness instructors, doctors, nurses, & other vital industries to Nevada's economy in government so we can truly have a representative entity of the body of citizens our government is supposed to represent.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

They must have a heavy background in entertainment, the arts, & hospitality. They must also be heavily involved in nature & night life both as a consumer and as a worker. They need to be a millennial or gen z to best understand the fast changing technology & trends that younger generations are attracted to. Because we haven't had this, Nevada has become less appealing to the very generations it needs to remain a tourist hot spot.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I am not taking any corporate, big business, or PAC buyouts. I want to show Nevada that anyone can run for office and you don't have to be rich, corrupt, nepotized, or heavily backed by a PAC in order to run for office. I am currently running a grass roots campaign and relying on small donations over large corporate donations. As I continue to meet with more unions & businesses I believe to have positive community support, I will be posting their endorsements to my social media & website. I am also sharing community testimonies (anyone can provide a testimony via the form on my website).

I view corporate endorsements as less valuable than the support of my community.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I love that citizens can propose amendments or statutes, but overall there's a lot of room for improvement. The way some laws are set up make it still pretty limiting on people actually having an equitable democratic voice. We should focus on making the process less complicated.

Improvements I would make:

1.) Eliminate geographic distribution requirements. It's not realistic to have a citizen from Reno required to collect signatures from residents in Las Vegas.

2.) We should offer an easier / non-partisan review when statues are in the drafting stage. This helps to easier follow legal guidelines w/o overcomplicating it later on and costing unnecessary spending or wasted resources. There needs to be stronger clarity on draft guidelines/

3.) Stop wording ballot measures & their summaries in an intentionally confusing way. This results in people often voting against what they actually believe in. It is by design & embarrassingly outdated.

4.) Eliminate the two election cycle rule & bring it to one. It's pointless. Move on. Nevadans don't have time or the energy to wait two election cycles to get a measure passed. Depending on the urgency of the measure, this could be life or death for some Nevadans.

Candidates hear many personal stories from voters. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching or memorable?

Everything I fight for is because of a lived in experience or witnessing the lived in experience from someone I know or work with.

1. The reason I so heavily fight for Women's reproductive rights is because I have PCOS. Growing up in Texas, I didn't have positive sex education or know much about my body at all. FFWD years later struggling with hormones, hair loss, skipped periods, & some of the worst pain that's every happened, I later received a diagnosis for PCOS. I am still seeking a possible diagnosis with endometriosis (when you're a professional dancer it's difficult to take time off for diagnostic surgeries). I joined a few support groups on Facebook and followed some of the world's leading PCOS specialists. I learned a lot about miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, late term pregnancy complications, etc. These groups changed my whole understanding of abortions and I quickly understood parts of a woman's body I was never educated on in America, that so many other countries educate their societies on. We also underfund and don't have the research resources for Women's diseases, cancers, reproductive healthcare, & pregnancy complications like many other developed countries do. It is because of reproductive services like Planned Parenthood that I stand a chance at every having a child one day. My advocacy started around 2015 and I've been a fierce advocate for pro choice legislation, abortion education, & funding for reproductive research ever since.

2. My mom's suicide had a heavy impact on me. I was the one who found her & had to contact first responders and my family. In a matter of 24 hours I feel like I went from age 24 to age 99. It a horrible tragedy I wouldn't wish upon anyone, but as referenced prior, so many loved ones have to endure. I would do anything to go back in time and save my mom & recognize the signs. I have dedicated my life to educating the public on mental health, raising funds for mental health programs, leading by example by receiving therapy, & always offering my services to my community to help support them. I do feel that my mom would still be alive today if mental health was less stigmatized, & America had a better healthcare system supporting mental health.

3. I have always had a very serious connection to animals and advocating for their rights. I hate that so many animals endure severe abuse, unfair starvation, & needless painful injuries or deaths as a result of human neglect. I have 4 rescued cats of my own & have fostered 12 cats and dogs over the last 2 years. I volunteer with animal rescues and offer transport services in Nevada, & previously Los Angeles. I love educating my communities on chipping, fixing, rescuing, fostering, and adopting. One day Nevada will be a no kill state and I am so excited to ensure that classification comes sooner rather than later.

4. I have worked more jobs in more industries than everyone will ever realize. Seeing what so many hardworking workers have to deal with is why I fight for them like they're my own family members. I have cleaned many toilets, delivered many sandwiches, scrubbed vomit off of movie theatre floors, been harassed by customers, etc. There is no job type that I am above, & I really do know the b.s. that a lot of "entry level jobs" (can we please stop saying that) have to deal with from the customers to the corporate or to abusive bosses. Outside of the entertainment and fitness jobs that you can easily search about me on the internet, I have also worked at a movie theatre, administration, as a delivery driver for a sandwich shop, as a caterer, a tanning salon, a retail store, an alcohol promotional ambassador, for rideshare apps, a teacher, social media creator, wardrobe assistant, a PA (entertainment not medical), & so much more. Most businesses would collapse without their workers and it's time we start paying them as such.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

I was able to get over 200 of my friends in the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, California, & Nevada to register to vote or to change their vote in 2020. That same year I was able to fundraise thousands of dollars through my fitness training services to various humanitarian causes.