Verified by VERB
It’s time for a new Verified by VERB post! On the first Monday of each month, a member of the VERB team shares the content they’ve been into.
Last month, our Senior Paid Strategist Vanessa Jubis shared her love of the Hamilton soundtrack, The Good Fight, and David Lebovitz. This month, I’ll be sharing my top picks across television, literature, and more.
It’s July, which means “Pride Month Content” will probably start to wrap up. We’re going to see a lot less problematic and rainbow-themed social posts, billboards, and videos. Marketing departments are going to see a lot of “goodwill” and “positive brand lift” in campaign wrap reports across the globe.
While you’re skimming your report, and marking your calendar for next year’s Pride month, I want you to think about what it really means to be an ally. Be honest with yourself in recognizing that a social post probably wasn’t enough. I want you to question whether “Pride” is something a brand should profit from in the first place.
To me, “Pride” is year-round. And, because I believe an easy first step in being an ally is listening and understanding, I’ve curated a collection of my queer heroes—the writers and creators who inspire me to make good work—for my Verified by VERB. I hope you’ll give an episode, article, or issue a listen.
This was long. Sorry. GIFs and fun TV is on its way, promise.
TV & Movies
You only need to spend roughly 15 minutes with me before I drop a RuPaul’s Drag Race reference into casual conversation.
In this reality TV competition, drag queens from across the U.S. compete for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” and $100,000 by turning fierce runway looks, acting in spoofs and parodies, recording original music, and more.
Drag Race, like the art form it showcases, is equal parts important and stupid. On the surface, Drag Race looks like a gaggle of men in wigs arguing about whose “Martian Eleganza Extravaganza” (an alien-inspired runway look, for the uninitiated) was more sickening.
Look closer, and you’ll be pressed to find a television show highlighting such a spectrum of queer stories and struggles. In season 10 alone, queens discussed their experiences with conversion therapy, sexual assault, and the spectrum of queer acceptance across different cultures. I think a lot about what having a show like Drag Race would have meant to a kid like me if I had come across it in grade school.
To bring this back to marketing, we could all learn a thing or two from Mother RuPaul on how to market a subversive art form to the masses. Drag Race’s Emmy nomination tally climbs every year.
Pose, Ryan Murphy’s latest FX series, explores New York City’s ball culture in the 1980’s and it is Just Plain Great Television™. The show is only five episodes into their run, and has already made television history with the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles as well as the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ actors ever for a scripted series.
Every scene in Pose—from ball challenges to house hangouts to dance school auditions—is exquisite and well-researched. Murphy collaborated with a long list of trans and queer creators and consultants and it shows. (Read more about it here)
I love watching TV where queer characters are the main event, not a side show, and Pose gives each character their full complexity and humanity in such a powerful way. Bring tissues to your viewing party.
Books, Blogs & Magazines
In my house, we’re big fans of writer Alexander Chee. I discovered Chee through a few podcasts mentioned in a later section of this article. Below, you can see how much my bulldog, Itsy, adored his first novel Edinburgh.
This month, you’ll find Chee’s second novel, Queen of the Night, on my night table. Queen of the Night is the story of Lilliet Berne, a legendary opera singer in Paris in the 1800’s with every accolade except an original role. When Lilliet finally receives an offer, she realizes the story is based on a hidden piece of her past. The novel strings together Lilliet’s past and while she considers the four people who could have betrayed her.
Chee writes so beautifully and thoughtfully. You feel like a better writer when you read his work. Once I’m finished Queen of the Night, I’m moving onto Stray City by Chelsey Johnson.
I read a lot of magazines. Some of my go-to’s (both online and IRL) include Bon Appetit, Condé Nast Traveler, and Anxy. My favorite magazine, however, only comes twice a year.
Hello Mr. was founded by Ryan Fitzgibbon and is edited by Fran Tirado—two of my queer heroes. Each bi-annual issue is a well-curated collection of short stories, interviews, photography, and poetry that reflect the queer experience for queer people, by queer people. Their merch is pretty cute, too. A career goal of mine is to have a story featured in Hello Mr. (Now that I’ve written that down, maybe I’ll get to it!)
them. has been my favorite online publication since their launch last year. Lead by Phillip Picardi, another “queero” of mine—known for his work with Teen Vogue and Allure—them. is a new Condé Nast vertical approved by queen Anna Wintour herself. The publication covers a broad spectrum of queer, trans, and non-binary stories and hires an equally broad group of talent. Their YouTube channel and weekly newsletter are the best.
Music & Podcasts
Working at VERB, travel is a huge part of my life. My next personal trip is going to be New York City to see Queen Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter and… her husband. Everything Is Love by The Carters has been on repeat since it launched. I even signed up for a Tidal free trial to listen!
While in NYC, I’m hoping to catch the new Broadway musical Head Over Heels starring Peppermint, a former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant and Broadway’s first-ever trans woman actress to create a principal role.
Every Thursday, without fail, I am listening to Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris’s award-winning podcast, Still Processing. These talented culture writers for the New York Times—who are also queer people of color—dissect, unpack, and connect moments in culture like no other. Their interviews and discussions are super thoughtful, and I always look forward to their opening dialogue and learning what’s on their mind each week. Strategy, to me, is all about connecting the dots and abstract ideas and this podcast is a masterclass in doing so. “Three Paths to America”, “We’re Queer—And Apparently So Is Everybody Else”, and “We Unpack Black Male Privilege” are examples of the show’s excellence.
LGBTQ&A, hosted by Jeffrey Masters, profiles LGBTQ+ writers, creators, speakers of all races and genders. This podcast is a goldmine for people, books, shows, projects, articles, and more that you should be following.
Food 4 Thot, hosted by previously mentioned Fran Tirado, as well as writers Tommy Pico, Dennis Noris II, Joseph Osmundson is my favorite Sunday show. They’re on a break right now, but I think the way these four break down the queer experience through story and, often, humor, is super real and I can’t wait for them to come back.
That’s A Wrap
If you listen, watch, or read any of the above, and want to support the LGBTQ+ community in a more substantial way, here are some parting ideas that will go a heck of a lot further than a rainbow Instagram story. Promise!
- Identify and reverse any of your business’s policies that discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals.
- Actively recruit and hire LGBTQ+ people on your staff.
- Donate 100% of the profits from your Pride campaign to LGBTQ+ charities and non-profits.
And, if you INSIST on that social post, please follow these guidelines set out by Fran Tirado on Twitter who has been mentioned three times in this article now.
Now…
VERB Interactive is a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
