Wednesday, June 22, 2022

OUT MAGAZINE, ADVOCATE MAGAZINE, OUT TRAVELER MAGAZINE, PRIDE.COM AND MORE UNDER NEW 'EQUAL PRIDE' LGBTQ+ OWNERSHIP AND LEADERSHIP

New LGBTQ+ ownership and leadership is now underway for Out.com/ Magazine, Advocate.com/ Magazine, Out Traveler Magazine, Plus Magazine and Pride.com, as Equal Entertainment announces the acquisition of the assets of Pride Media, which is now rebranded as Equal Pride. Equal Pride will now become the leading LGBTQ+ owned and certified voice to the LGBTQ+ community with plans to expand the audience with women and people of color.

The acquisition returns the company to LBGTQ+ majority ownership and creates the largest LGBTQ+ - owned media, digital, TV, and entertainment company in the country with the majority of Equal Pride employees also identifying as LGBTQ+, women, and/or people of color. Equal Pride will be run by Mark Berryhill who becomes Chief Executive Officer. Michael Kelley will become Chairman and President of Global Growth and Development reporting to Berryhill. Diane Anderson-Minshall, the first female CEO of Pride Media, will retain C-suite responsibilities as the Chief Global and Development Officer of Equal Pride focused on editorial brands and international audience expansion. Rounding out the leadership, Joe Lovejoy, will become Chief Financial Officer and Stuart Brockington has been upped to EVP of Sales and Partnerships, effective immediately. Equal Pride 2022 clients include: General Motors, Google Pixel, Gilead, Capital One, Disney/Hulu, TikTok, McDonald's, Molson Coors, NBCU, J&J and many others.

This new company's mission includes expansion plans that will serve a broader range of diverse audiences.

"Our combined company will be the premier home for LGBTQ+ people — and increasingly women and people of color creators, storytellers, journalists, and businesspeople who want to have an impact through their work with one of the most diverse group of media and digital brands in the world," CEO Mark Berryhill said.

In addition, Equal Pride will also encompass the LGBTQ&A podcast, various branded web series as well as the equality-focused entertainment brand, Celebrity Page (in the 9th season airing on Reelz and Ovation cable channels as well as syndication) and its digital partner, celebritypage.com.

"We could not be more excited about the opportunity to join forces with Equal," Diane Anderson-Minshall said as she assumes a role in leadership with expanded duties on global content growth. "This combination will not only create an unparalleled scale with the most diverse and engaged audiences for advertisers as well as other strategic revenue opportunities, but it will also bring together some of our community's top talent, the most popular media brands, and the most impactful content in the world. This is the beginning of our most exciting chapter."