🌈 THE ADVOCATE'S PARENT COMPANY IS NOW UNDER NEW QUEER OWNERSHIP 🏳️‍🌈

Pride Media was acquired by Equal Entertainment, which has become Equal Pride.

Equal Entertainment has acquired Pride Media, the parent company of The Advocate, creating the largest LGBTQ+ owned and operated media company in the country. The new enterprise has been branded Equal Pride.

In an announcement on Tuesday, the company said it will also seek to expand its audience with women and people of color. Included in the acquisition are The Advocate’s sister publications and sites: Out, Out Traveler, Plus, and Pride.com.

“Our combined company will be the premier home for LGBTQ+ people — and increasingly women and people of color creators, storytellers, journalists, and business people who want to have an impact through their work with one of the most diverse groups of media and digital brands in the world,” Equal Pride CEO and partner Mark Berryhill said in a news release.

The company will be run by Mark Berryhill. Berryhill’s business and life partner Michael Kelley will serve as president of global growth and development and partner. Pride Media’s first female CEO, Diane Anderson-Minshall, will stay on as the company’s president and global chief content officer. In the role, she will concentrate on the editorial brands as well as expanding the company’s international audience.

Additionally, Joe Lovejoy has become the company’s chief financial officer and partner. Stuart Brockington has become the EVP of sales and partnerships.

Also falling under the banner of Equal Pride is the LGBTQ&A podcast, branded web series, Celebrity Page, in its ninth season, and its digital counterpart celebritypage.com.

“We could not be more excited about the opportunity to join forces with Equal,” Diane Anderson-Minshall said. “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.”

SOURCE: ADVOCATE