Paula-Abdul.com
About this web site
With Gemma, Paula & Oliver
I created this web site 23 years ago, in the summer of 1997.
I started this Paula Abdul web site for several reasons:
The first reason was because my brother Byron bet me that I would never learn HTML or how to build web sites. #ChallengeAccepted
The second reason, is that I was tired of visiting multiple incomplete fan sites when seeking news on any possible Paula songs or albums that might be released. I wanted to visit a complete “one-stop-shop” that contained everything related to Paula Abdul’s amazing career.
The third reason was, this could be my way of paying tribute to Paula and saying "thank you" for the entertainment and joy I've experienced through her work, as well as giving her a way to remember her many projects from over the years.
Finally, I thought that if I built a web site about Paula, more people would learn how awesome she is, buy more of her music and Virgin Records would be inspired to release more Paula Abdul music. That didn’t quite work out the way I had hoped. While my site did encourage people to buy Paula’s music, Virgin dropped Paula from their roster just as I was starting the web site.
Paula-Abdul.net in the 2004-2013
Determined to prove my brother wrong, I bought a book on web design and taught myself how to code by hand and using an AOL-based WYSIWYG editor.
Keep in mind that while this was happening, the internet was still a baby. AOL dial-up internet was a big deal back then and I still remember the frustration of trying to learn HTML while being kicked-offline because someone picked up the phone to make a call.
I registered Paula-Abdul.com and put the basic site online. Two years later, in 1999 my Paula site was good enough to help me get hired as a Web Designer full time at a small software company.
It was also during this time that I was contacted by Paula’s producer that was helping her develop a web presence online. They wanted to use my domain name Paula-Abdul.com for Paula’s official site; part of that conversation allowed me to hear a brand new Paula Abdul song and provided me with permission to use Paula-Abdul.net as the official fan site.
But that was only the beginning!
With Oliver & Elliot in Beverly Hills
In 2004 I had the opportunity to fly to New York City to meet Paula Abdul in Times Square at an event she was doing at Toys R Us. When I met her and introduced myself she immediately knew who I was... she told me my last name before I could tell her. I was very impressed. Paula allowed me the opportunity to hang out with her for part of the day. I rode with her in a limousine to NBC Studios and went backstage with her when she made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
In 2005 I had the opportunity to spend a weekend in Los Angeles with Paula Abdul’s songwriter and producer Elliot Wolff who wrote “Straight Up” and “Cold Hearted” among others, and songwriter Stacey Piersa. One evening, they called Oliver Leiber, the producer/songwriter behind Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract” and “Forever Your Girl” songs and before you know it, we’re all having dinner together in Beverly Hills. It was a mind-blowing experience being a part of that and I am grateful.
That weekend turned into other opportunities to spend time with Elliot Wolff and Stacey Piersa, who introduced me to background session singer Monalisa Young whose vocals appear on many songs recorded by Paula Abdul including “Bend Time Back Around.” These days Monalisa and I practically family. My family has even celebrated one of our kids' birthday's at her house.
I would eventually build official web sites for Elliot Wolff and Monalisa Young and Stacey and Elliot would be the witnesses at my wedding.
The talented Monalisa Young
In addition to Elliot and Stacey, my Paula Abdul web site caught the attention of major industry names including MTV Networks, Cosmo Girl, Hollywood Squares, and many more whom I have helped with various Paula-related projects. I would even be named a finalist on VH1’s Rock The House episode featuring Paula Abdul. (They opted to film the episode with someone who lived closer to Los Angeles).
At the end of 2005 while Paula Abdul was still on American Idol, I took a hiatus from updating the theme and major content of the site to focus on having a family. In 2013 I had an itch to update my site and began crafting a new look, updating it with all of Paula’s projects that I had missed while I was focused on being a new husband and father. I launched the new look in 2014. That site design is pictured at the top of this page.
Around 2002-ish Paula started using PaulaAbdul.com instead and Paula-Abdul.com was re-registered by a squatter who held the domain name hostage for nearly a decade. I was able to recapture the domain name in 2015 and spent the latter half of 2018 teaching myself responsive web design and moving the site from Paula-Abdul.net to Paula-Abdul.com.
Jon Kallis and Dustin Drorbaugh in 2016
One of the web sites I admired when I started this journey was created by a Paula Abdul fan named Jon Kallis. Jon is an amazing web designer and had created UnderMySpell.com, which was the best Paula Abdul web site on the internet at the time. His excellence always motivated me to try and one-up him. We would meet 19 years later in Las Vegas.
I am always looking for ways to improve the web site by learning more about web design, incorporating new technology with each new build. Above all, I try to do this in a way that showcases Paula Abdul’s talents online for her business partners and fans. This is a web site built for the fans, by the fans as they supply information, photos and updates regularly.
In 2019, I re-themed the site again, and have finally made it responsive (mobile-friendly.) It has been designed to simultaneously scale to three difference screen sizes, so whether you access the web site on a mobile device or PC desktop, you should have a great experience. In fact, the desktop experience will provide you with video headers not accessible on mobile. You'll also notice the site has remained advertisement and pop-up free as it has since its inception.
With Paula Fans at the Mixtape Festival
As a result of this web site, I have been so incredibly blessed to have had opportunities to rub shoulders with many people involved with Paula's career including Gemma Corfield who worked at Virgin Records and was Executive Producer on all of Paula’s albums with them.
I’ve also met Tony Maiden who toured with Paula Abdul, Paula’s former manager Larry Frazin, as well as the talented Dave Koz, Jeffrey Osbourne, Praful, Charity White, Billy Blanks Jr., A’me Lorain, and Tommy Page. I’ve also had numerous opportunities to visit with the one and only, Paula Abdul whom I am honored to call a friend.
In addition to Jon Kallis, I’ve met so many wonderful fans online who also enjoy Paula’s work. I stay in touch with many of them regularly. In 2016 when Paula performed at the Mixtape Festival, a group of us got together for a photo which was a fun opportunity to connect in-person. At the event I was able to meet Leon who manages the PaulaFan community on Facebook.
When I started this project 23 years ago, I simply used my admiration for Paula Abdul as a way to further my interest in learning web design. I never could have imagined all of the people I would impact around the world with this project. The response to my work has exceeded my wildest expectations.
Today, this is the largest Paula Abdul web site on the internet. I take pride in cataloging Paula's illustrious career.
I've never gotten carried away with my admiration. Photos of Paula don't grace the walls of my home - except for the ones of me with Paula. It's not an obsession - I haven't seen every episode of everything she's done... I have a healthy admiration and respect for the fun, the dance, and the music that Paula Abdul has brought into my life.
I've simply used my appreciation for Paula's work to learn web design to share my knowledge of Paula's career with other fans worldwide through this web site. For that, I am grateful.
This web site is my gift to Paula Abdul for all of the joy her music has given to me over the years.
In addition to Paula Abdul, I am also a fan of Kylie Minogue, British rapper Mark Morrison, new-age group Enigma, the Ghostbusters franchise and Jim Henson's Muppets characters.
I live in the Portland, Oregon area with my wife Kayla, our three daughters, Serenity, Destiny, Olivia and son Oliver. We are also legal guardians of my wife's brother and sister. The entire family is pictured above.
In my free time, I am a freelance web designer. I enjoy listening to music and collecting rare demos of my favorite Artists, reading "behind the scenes" info about the music and film industries, watching movies and visiting the Oregon Coast with my family.
I also enjoy collecting one-of-a-kind production animation cels - the artwork used in cartoons. My favorites include over a dozen production cels from Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract” music video, cels from The Real Ghostbusters and Muppet Babies among others.
Twenty two years of maintaining a fan site is dedication. If you’re wondering why I’ve been a loyal fan of Paula Abdul’s for over thirty years, and how I was first introduced to Paula Abdul’s music at ten years old, click here and I’ll tell you more.
First time meeting Paula / Times Square 5/07/04
At NBC / 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 5/07/04
Dinner at The Grill on the Alley in Beverly Hills with Oliver Leiber and Elliot Wolff 2/26/05
Dinner at The Four Seasons Scottsdale with Elliot Wolff and Stacey Piersa 6/17/05
The Four Seasons Scottsdale with Stacey & Elliot
Dave Koz Aftershow Party w Tony Maiden 6/18/05
"Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" 1/27/08
Backstage at the Mixtape Festival 8/06/16
Backstage at the Mixtape Festival 8/06/16
Backstage at the Mixtape Festival 8/06/16
Gemma Corfield, Paula Abdul, Dustin and Oliver Leiber at Elliot Wolff's Celebration of Life event on 8/19/16
Paula Abdul, Monalisa Young and myself at Elliot Wolff's Celebration of Life event on 8/19/16 in Hollywood, CA
With Paula Abdul at Chinook Winds for the Straight Up Paula! Concert 11/03/18
Backstage with Paula Abdul at the Straight Up Paula! Concert 11/03/18
After the show with Paula Abdul at her Flamingo Residency Concert in Vegas 11/29/19
After the show photo with Paula Abdul and my daughter at Paula's Residency Concert in Las Vegas 11/30/19
I enjoy connecting with Paula's fans! If you have suggestions on how to make this web site even better or just want to talk about music, or other common interests, feel free to drop me a line.