REVRY: OUR OBSESSION

BY: Georgia Davis

Goodbye, searching for LGBTQ content on streaming and hello, Revry. This revolutionary platform offers a mix of old and new with five live TV stations and a library of series, films, podcasts and so much more.

At the center of it all are queer content creators and four diverse LGBTQ co-founders: Damian Pelliccione, Alia J. Daniels, Christopher J. Rodriguez and LaShawn McGhee. Do you want to know the best part? Revry is free. Yes, no gimmicks come with it. It’s free-flowing queer content — just the way we like it. 

 

Revry is also pushing the needle further by getting rid of the tired tropes with original content like Addicted to Fresno (starring Judy Greer, Natasha Lyonne and Aubrey Plaza) while highlighting the intersectionality of the LGBTQ and social justice causes like in the documentary We Can’t Breathe.

PROVOKR was able to catch up with co-founder and Chief Business Officer Christopher J. Rodriguez to talk about Revry and LGBTQ media. Take a look below.

Tell me about Revry. How did it get started and why? 

Revry (pronounced rev•ree) was born from a radical idea: an unapologetically queer and truly independent TV network. Like most ambitious ideas, however, the devil was in the details. Timing in particular was an important factor but, luckily, we had that on our side. When we founded the company in 2015, the growth of mobile-based TV viewing and the expansion of what would become the “cable killer” (i.e. OTT devices and Connected TV) was just beginning. This opening in the market allowed us to directly reach audiences without the permission of the old school media gatekeepers. Coming from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, the four Revry co-founders–Alia J. Daniels, Damian Pelliccione, LaShawn McGhee, and myself–immediately started working on the idea that quickly became our life passion. From the beginning it was clear that no one wanted to create another sex-driven, gay-focused TV station. We are queer–and know the tremendous value that this community has to offer the world–and the network reflects that. As I like to say “LGBTQ is a demographic, but queer is a culture” and Revry’s raison d’etre has always been celebrating the culture of queer.  

In the era of streaming, it seems you’ve really set yourself apart in terms of what you provide (the different mediums, what you show, etc.). What’s the benefit of turning to Revry vs. different platforms? 

Apart from streaming boundary-pushing and unique content from the queer perspective, Revry is an innovation in how we reach our audiences. First off, we’re truly free. No subscription or cable package required to view. Secondly, you have many options for how to view. You can watch On Demand for free with ads (or you do have the option to subscribe for ad-free viewing). VOD, however, is pretty standard nowadays so what really makes us stand out is our live TV. You can watch our professional curated live TV channels anytime. And not just one channel. We currently have five live TV channels (including the first and only queer news channel and queer womxn-focused channel). Before the end of the year we’ll offer 10! We’re not just an app…we’re free queer cable TV.

Each year, more and more LGBTQ+ films and series are released, as reported by GLAAD. What excites you about this? 

We’re elated that mainstream networks and streaming services are (finally) giving more attention to LGBTQ+ characters–and not just as comedic foils or doomed lesbian lovers. The more our life experiences are realistically (and positively) depicted in mainstream entertainment, the more we are accepted and understood. Increased understanding also garners more interest in queer culture. But there’s another effect of increased visibility and understanding of our community–it allows a network like Revry to explore deeper and more nuanced stories from the queer perspective. While many LGBTQ+ shows and movies on mainstreams tend to revisit the same tried and true subjects–coming out, familial acceptance, drag–Revry has the opportunity to push these subjects farther and really be the destination for the queer counter culture.

How have you seen LGBTQ+ media change over the years? Where do you want to see it go and how is Revry helping to do that?

Happily, we’ve seen a move away from the presumption that our community is made up entirely of hot, gay, white guys and drag queens. This welcome shift has been a long time coming and–for many years following the emergence of an LGBTQ media option–was a point of contention for those of us within the community who felt that their life experiences were not being represented. Platforms like Conde Naste’s Them, for example, really pushed and validated the perspectives of QPOC people and helped to drive attention towards the real issues issues affecting the transgender and gender non-conforming communities. We would love to see this go even farther! As the largest LGBTQ+ video-based platform in the world, Revry is excited to push both our narrative content as well as our news programming to move these stories off the page (so to speak) and bring them to audiences in living color via video. In particular, we are really excited about the growth of our Revry News channel in 2021 and all the new topical queer content that we’ll be rolling out this year. Stay tuned!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I love pointing out that Revry is not just run by but also equally owned by POC and queer co-founders. Unfortunately, this is a rarity in the media space for now but–as our CEO, Damian likes to say–this is going to be the “new C-suite.” Diversity truly starts at the top with leadership and we hope the industry at large takes notice.

Lastly, don’t forget to check out our amazing free content including: The GLAAD Award-winning Spanish-language docu-series, The Category Is: Mexico City; the winner of Best Digital Series by the Queerties, Putting On;To Be Me; and, our annual streaming special, QueerX Live! featuring appearances by Jennifer Lopez and President Joe Biden. And stay tuned for what’s coming in 2021 and beyond!

 

Revry is available in all major app stores and online at revry.tv. You can also watch our free live TV channels on mainstream streaming platforms including Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, XUMO,  Plex, Cox, AT&T, Comcast’s Xfinity X1, and Amazon Channels.