Move reflects commitment and recognition for content focused on celebrity news for change, advancement of women, multicultural and LGBTQ
September 6, 2018....New York, NY Unconventional Studios, known widely as the producer of 6thseason of Celebrity Page TV, a daily entertainment news show in 180 syndicated TV markets and Reelz Channel and newly launched 24/7 OTT Network of the same name, has announced a brand name change for the Studios to Equal Entertainment.
The move to Equal Entertainment reflects the company’s recognition for producing TV content featuring gender equality and empowerment with celebrities, delivering an audience for its TV properties that’s strongly Multicultural and being created by a studio that is LGBTQ majority owned. Of particular note supporting the reimagination of the studio brand is the fact that Equal Entertainment and its daily production have been recognized in the market for gender equality on TV.
“Equal Entertainment is such a natural name and focus that defines our heart, soul and commitment to TV, documentary, film and other projects that reflect our values, said Mark Berryhill, LGBT Co-owner of Equal Entertainment, President of Celebrity Page TV Network and Executive Producer overseeing all content, we have redefined celebrity and entertainment news with a focus on showing a diversity of celebrities and diversity of content about them. We are also LGBTQ-majority owned and already deliver a large multicultural audience every day. Our content and network platforms will use our diverse voice to both entertain and advance humankind.”
Equal Entertainment’s first and largest TV show entering its 6thseason, Celebrity Page TV, has defied the odds as an LGBTQ-majority owned, independent, production that presents a diversity of celebrity news and is very brand safe for advertisers. The show airs daily and has steadily grown with audiences where it airs in 180 TV station markets and Reelz Channel on cable. Earlier this year, Equal Entertainment launched Celebrity Page TV Network that is available on Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast and Amazon Fire. Celebrity Page TV is unique in is foothold of traditional media in syndicated TV and cable, but with a strategic foothold in the surging OTT, post-cable market.
Jennifer Rehmert, who is a former Executive with Kohl’s Department Stores and partner in Equal Entertainment overseeing the consumer facing business and Women Advancement initiatives said, “The delivery of such a diverse multicultural audience combined with a commitment to women and LGBTQ ownership gives us a sensitivity to advancing equality for all and how to weave that into powerful story telling.”
Celebrity Page TV has carved a unique path among entertainment news outlets by showing the many dimensions of celebrities, especially women, in a friendly, empowered format. Tom Molen, a 25-year TV and film industry veteran and partner in Equal Entertainment, who also oversees its digital and OTT operations, as well as business development opportunities, has been instrumental in partnering with the #SeeHer movement which is spearheaded by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the largest marketing and advertising association in the United States. The ANA makes a difference for individuals, brands, and the industry by advancing the interests of marketers and promoting and protecting the well-being of the marketing community. ANA membership includes nearly 1,000 companies with 15,000 brands that collectively spend or support more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually.
Celebrity Page and its SeeHer Spotlight have won praise in the entertainment industry and recently were recognized by the ANA’s #SeeHer movement as a Gender Equality Measure (GEM™) certified program. Since its launch in 2016, GEM™ has become the industry-standard metric quantifying consumer reaction to the portrayal of women in advertising and programming. GEM™ measures four essential traits of women in an ad/program: the overall opinion how female characters are portrayed; if they are portrayed respectfully; depicted appropriately; perceived as positive role models. Recent studies have proven the positive correlation of high GEM™ scores to increased advertising effectiveness. Numerous SeeHer brands have participated in sponsored content on the show, including Walmart, Unilever and J&J.
“We are delighted about this partnership,” said #SeeHer chair Stephen Quinn. “Our marketers want to support high quality programming that accurately portrays girls and women. Celebrity Page’s SeeHer Spotlight gives consumers weekly, relevant content depicting positive role models and aligns closely with our mission.”
The OTT transformation of media is presenting tremendous, green field opportunities for Equal Entertainment, which looks to expand with Four (4) Networks in the next several years with a significant investment in marketing these channels with an efficiency in production that instants competes with the quickly outmoding cable and satellite network models. The company is going to be developing new networks in the major areas of focus and will be announcing new ones as they come on line.
“On the financial side, Equal Entertainment is completely upending the revenue and financial models of similar shows and entertainment networks, said Joe Lovejoy, co-owner and CFO of Equal Entertainment. Defying the odds, our independent studio has found new ways to monetize our content beyond 30 second spots, produce far more efficiently and is prepared to launch multiple networks in the post-cable, OTT era that are immediately profitable.”
Equal Entertainment is privately held and independent. The company will be seeking a round of investment to accelerate network development in a cord cutting world. The company has 40 employees and full time contractors in three offices including a home base in New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
“The time in the media business has never been more important for a studio like Equal Entertainment,” said Michael Kelley co-owner and President of Development, Brands and Marketing of Equal Entertainment, we will be focused on being both a producer and media outlet for several fundamental pillars of content and Network development including: Celebrity News for Change, Advancement of Women, Multicultural and LGBTQ communities and Social Justice. We look forward to announcing our slate of shows, networks and content properties for each pillar. Equal can be entertaining.”
About Equal Entertainment
Equal Entertainment is committed to producing content for TV, film, documentary and new Networks in the post-cable, OTT world that will deliver the majority of US audiences by serving the underserved audiences of celebrity followers seeking a diversity of news as well as women, LGBTQ and those who identify as multicultural. Equal Entertainment is one of the few LGBTQ-majority owned studios and largely known for the 6thseason Celebrity Page TV Show on 180 TV stations and Reelz Channel across the country and OTT Network launched in 2018, both of which have been recognized for its commitment to gender equality and the advancement of multicultural people that make up a significant portion of their 500,000 daily viewers. Celebrity Page TV has also been recognized as a Gender Equality Measure (GEM™) certified programby the #SeeHer movement which is spearheaded by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the largest marketing and advertising association in the United States. Equal Entertainment has also produced celebrity biographies for TV that have been rating hits on such celebrity subjects as Mary Tyler Moore, Prince, Robin Williams, Joan Rivers and more. In addition to its current productions, Equal Entertainment will be launching a slate of shows and networks centered on celebrity news for change, advancement of women, LGBTQ and Multicultural audiences and social justice.
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