Damian Pelliccione: How an LGBTQ+ Streaming Network is Changing the World

Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, who are advancing the UN SDGs.

Spiffy here! I’m back with the scoop on the entrepreneurial leaders of Planet Earth. As the only Interplanetary journalist stationed on this blue planet, I’m thrilled to present this galactic exclusive with Damian Pelliccione, co-founder and CEO of Revry. Let’s see how they are tackling UN SDG 5: Gender Equality and making a positive impact in the world. Are you ready to be enlightened?

Spiffy: Welcome, Damian! I am absolutely thrilled to be talking to you today. Let’s jump right in. Can you tell me what challenges you are addressing through Revry?

Damian: It’s an absolute pleasure to be here, Spiffy! At Revry, we believe that representation saves lives. To address this problem, we created the world's largest LGBTQ+ streaming network to showcase the most diverse and culturally rich stories from and about the queer community that has ever existed.

Spiffy: Tell me more! What motivated you to launch Revry and create an LGBTQ+ streaming network?

Damian: Well, Spiffy, I believe in creating content that genuinely speaks to and depicts queer culture as it actually is. Queer culture has been heavily influential in the history of the world—from art to fashion to dance to TV—and it's about time that we started being recognized for this. Every day I get up, I know I'm helping to spread this message of diversity, acceptance, and belonging to a world that needs it.

Spiffy: Cheers to diversity, acceptance, and belonging! Now how would you say that Revry is working to make the world a more equitable place, especially for the LGBTQ+ community?

Damian: We broadcast queer culture to the world and partner with multiple mainstream companies to include this diverse and eclectic offering of content, alongside the more standard entertainment. This increases the visibility of our community, encourages acceptance, and actually introduces this content to new audiences that may not have seen it before!

Spiffy: Besides reaching new audiences, have you reached any significant milestones recently? What kind of impact do you anticipate?

Damian: A huge milestone that Revry recently achieved was closing a huge advertising deal with McDonald's. This was the first time that this massive brand marketed exclusively to the LGBTQ community and we were honored that they selected us as their main partner. We created "House of Pride"—a showcase of wonderful music, dance, and comedy—and it’s being distributed across the world.

Spiffy: I’m curious if you’ve ever experienced failure. What did you learn from it?

Damian: I always say that failure is the best teacher. I'm so thankful for all the times I failed because it taught me to slow down and reflect. Ultimately, it led me to be a better leader, a better business person, and a better person in general.

Spiffy: We often forget that failure can lead to something better. What is something unexpected that you've learned from someone?

Damian: Recently, my five-year-old niece taught me that it's the little things that matter. She wanted me and my partner to come to her grandma's house to swim the other weekend but I was so busy with other work and almost canceled—I'm so glad I didn't! After a wonderful day of swimming, she told me how happy she was that I was there because it meant the whole family made it this time. She said she had never had such a fun pool day!

Spiffy: Kids have a way of reminding us what’s most important. Before we sign off, is there anything else you would love to tell our audience?

Damian: Yes, Spiffy, I have a story I want to share. When I was a keynote speaker at KASHISH, the LGBT film festival in India, I was stopped by a group of women after my address. They were very excited to talk to me and wanted to show me their Tinders. I was surprised, but in the next moment, I realized the incredible impact our company was having. In India, it's still very taboo to be LGBTQ+. The women, who identified as lesbian, showed me that to protect their confidentiality when they look for other women on the app, instead of having a profile pic of themselves, they had images from "The Other Love Story", a Revry Original Series that we had released the year before. This was a defining moment for me as I realized that we actually are changing the world.

Spiffy: You’re not only changing it, Damian, you are rocking it! Thank you for sharing your journey with Revry. It’s been an honor.

Damian Pelliccione is the co-founder and CEO of Revry and leads the finance, business development, and advertising sales/operations departments. Damian was named one of Business Insider’s “Top 16 Power Player Execs in AD Video Streaming Space” and, along with their team, was featured on the cover of the Los Angeles Times Business section. Revry has appeared as an “App of the Day” and Apple recently selected them for the App Stores’ Developer Spotlight. (First published on the Ladderworks website on June 30, 2021.)

© 2021 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by Jill Landis Jha. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. Follow Spiffy’s interviews of founders building a more equitable world here.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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