OutWebFest

By starrymag | May 26, 2018

By: Taylor Gates

 

 

The third annual OutWebFest—a festival dedicated to celebrating independent digital content about and by the LGBTQ+ community—was held at the lavish London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills hotel. I was lucky enough to attend the final day of activities!

 

The day began with “Pitchfest,” which is set up sort of like speed dating. Industry professionals sit on one side of the table and aspiring creatives sit on the other. The pitchers have only a few minutes to tell the experts about their ideas and receive feedback. The prize for the winning “Pitchfest” was to go spend a day on a studio lot, meet with even more professionals and shoot a trailer for their series idea. So, the stakes were high! It was incredible to see the room so packed with intelligent, passionate writers and generous, talented industry experts working together to create beautiful and important content.

 

After “Pitchfest,” it was time for the “How to Create a Successful Podcast” panel. The panel was diverse not only in makeup, but also in terms of podcast themes and topics. Having so many different backgrounds and ideas represented sparked insightful and helpful conversation.

 

Bootstraps VC, a Backstage Capital podcast, is hosted by Arlan Hamilton who has an incredibly inspiring story. Once homeless, she is now the head of a venture capital fund that invests in exceptional women, people of color and LGBTQ+ tech founders. Right now, they are investing a million dollars at a time to black women entrepreneurs. She is also the subject of StartUp on Gimlet and believes that everyone has a unique point of view. Her advice for people thinking about starting a podcast? “Share your voice and keep going no matter how much feedback you feel like you’re getting. You never know who may be listening!”

 

Kiss & Tell is a podcast that shines a spotlight on LGBTQ+ opinions from movers and shakers in entertainment. Hosted by Shar Jossell and Jayce Baron, one of the highlights of the panel was Shar’s advice on how to be a good ally and bring attention to causes you care about but may not be directly affected by. “Don’t take up space in conversations you could have a more qualified guest lead,” she says. “It’s nice to shed light on issues, but don’t talk out of school.”

 

On the Rocks radio is hosted by Alexander Rodriguez and covers current events and pop culture. The main takeaway from Rodriguez was to make your podcast fun, intimate and enjoyable to listen to. I suggested to invite your listeners into your home and life and infuse your podcast with humor. Dead for Filth, hosted by Michael Varrati, examines horror movies and media from a queer perspective. Varrati’s sage advice is to find your niche and make entertainment you would have wanted when you were younger. Ashlee Marie Preston, who you can find on Shook every week, shared a fascinating story about getting Rose McGowan on her show after her Barnes & Noble scandal hit. Preston’s tip is to truly listen to your guest and focus on what they’re saying. By not trying to twist the narrative, your guests will trust you and want to give you honest answers. Finally, Jade Hilliard from the Do Not Disturb podcast stressed the important of authenticity and being open to critiques and lessons from your listeners. Jade owns up to her past mistakes and values the education she receives from her fans. “We’re all still learning,” she says.

 

After the podcast panel, it was time to talk music. The “Music Meets Content” panel had artists from the indie scene as well as representatives from rock, rap and more. Though there were so many different genres included, when asked about their social media preferences the most popular platform across the board was YouTube. Swedish singer INA also noted she enjoyed Instagram as hashtagging key words could help an audience find her music. She shared that a former record label tried to change her sound and personality, so she likes that Instagram offers her a chance to succeed while still being authentic.

 

Bebe Zahara Benet (who won Season One of the ultra-popular “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) and Emirati music video director Assaad Yacoub director talked about overcoming adversity and inspiring others to do the same. “It’s illegal to be gay were I’m from,” said Yacoub. “My goal is for kids back home to be able to watch a project I directed and know that another Middle Eastern did this and it’s okay.” When asked about their inspirations artists Adam Lambert, Troye Sivan, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Madonna were all mentioned. One of the most touching moments occurred when singer Jesse Montana got emotional about his journey and fellow panelist INA reached over to comfort him.

 

After the music panel, I was treated to an array of music videos. Music panel moderator Chris JacobX’s “Abbott Kinney” offered a sleek, hilarious and eye-catching look at hookup culture, parodying apps like Tinder and Grindr. With the bright aesthetic of The Happy Place museum, JacobX’s video was visually stunning and fun while offering an interesting societal message. Cazwell’s “Harlem Cleopatra” was accompanied by a black-and-white video featuring “RuPaul’s Drag Race” favorite Peppermint. The gritty and glamorous streets and convenience store images mixed with the catchy beat was both empowering and sexy. Big Dipper’s video “Lookin,’” which celebrated guys with unconventionally attractive bodies confidently strutting their stuff at a car wash, was hilarious and fits in perfectly with anthems like “I’m Too Sexy” and “Baby Got Back.” Both INA’s “Overthinking” and Matt Palmer’s “Comfortable” showed that there is beauty in simplicity. INA’s vulnerable song mixed with the fact she shot some of it in her own bathroom gave it a personal feel. Palmer’s video consisted mainly of him baring his soul while singing shirtless onstage. Megan Vice’s somewhat witchy and glamorous video to “Nobody Freakin’” was one of my personal favorites. Vice is clearly influenced by artists from the 80s and 90s, but still brings a unique style and sound to the game. Her artsy, erotic and sometimes gothic visuals made for a fun and intriguing video. The music portion’s grand finale was none other than the world premiere of “Jungle Kitty” starring Bebe Zahara Benet and directed by Assaad Yacoub. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fans will not be disappointed by the over-the-top, electric and wild video.

 

The music screening got us dancing and the comedy screening got us laughing. On the short film front, some of the standouts included Happy Playland—a sweet, relatable and slightly experimental piece about a young lesbian couple working at an indoor children’s playground—and a John Loos skit about gay Republicans that felt like it could have been ripped from a great “Saturday Night Live” episode.

 

As far as television shows went “Sexy Herpes,” a show about dysfunctional people working at a sexual health clinic, had loads of pitch-perfect, dry British humor and wasn’t afraid to push boundaries. “Little Sista” was a touching fun, and hysterical Australian series about an irresponsible young woman who is taught to grow up by her court-ordered “little sister.” The show “Inconceivable,” a loosely autobiographical series about a lesbian who experiments with a guy and ends up pregnant against all odds, could easily fit in with the likes of “Broad City” or “The Bold Type.” “Potluck,” a series about a group of lesbian friends with complicated lives and relationships, made for messy and captivating drama.

 

Finally, the OutWebFest closing party had everyone mingling and celebrating a successful event. With a photo booth, wine and beer and even a live performance by Bebe it was the perfect way to end an incredible festival!

 

You can find most of the podcasts and videos from OutWebFest on Revry’s website! A subscription is $4.99/month and if you buy annually, half of the proceeds will be donated to TrevorSpace, the global safe space for at risk LGBTQ+ youth.