At this year’s Society for Cinema and Media Studies conference in Montreal, I presented a paper on “Branding Diversity: Corporate Visions of Queerness in Cable Television” as part of a panel on Incorporating Queerness, which also featured talks by Ron Becker, Julia Himberg, and Taylor Cole Miller.

I also chaired a panel on The Transmedia Webseries (featuring papers by Aaron Hunter, Myles McNutt, and Louisa Stein) and led meetings for the Teaching Committee and the TV Studies SIG. Another highlight was the Participatory Pedagogy event, which I hope will be repeated in coming years.

See a snapshot of my talk via Prezi below.

“Branding Diversity: Corporate Visions of Queerness in Cable Television”

This paper examines the incorporation of queerness in cable television branding strategies. Gay and lesbian storylines have become quotidian features of television; it comes as no surprise that they serve to establish and maintain channel brands as well.

My analysis focuses on two case studies: HBO and ABC Family. Specifically, I examine gay and lesbian visibility in the drama Looking (2014-) and in the primetime soap The Fosters (2013-) to investigate how sexual diversity in these programs contributes to HBO and ABC Family’s brand maintenance.