Liquor marketer Mast-Jägermeister is sponsoring a three-part series being created by Roku’s Brand Studio spotlighting the handful of lesbian bars remaining in the U.S.
The Lesbian Bar Project is expected to start streaming in October on The Roku Channel. The series is being hosted and executive produced by Lea DeLaria for The Katz Co., and directed by Erica Rose and Elina Street.
Roku notes that in the 1980s, there were roughly 200 lesbian bars in the country and now there are fewer than 25. Rose and Street established the Lesbian Bar Project to celebrate and support the remaining lesbian bars.
The series will specifically look at bar owners and patrons in Houston, Phoenix and Chicago.
“We are honored to continue highlighting the critical need to support LGBTQIA+ establishments,” said Chris Peddy, chief marketing officer at Mast-Jägermeister US. “Our partnership with Roku Brand Studio provides a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness for the cause by sharing these meaningful stories with a broad and engaged audience.”
The Lesbian Bar Project is a good fit for Roku. Streaming hours in the U.S. on The Roku Channel for LGBTQIA+ content grew 20 times from Q1 2022 to Q1 2021. Also in the first quarter of 2022, streaming hours of docuseries content on Roku grew 14 times.
“Our mission is to create a better TV storytelling experience and help marketers win the entire streaming journey,” said Brian Toombs, director head of content, Roku Brand Studio. “We’re thrilled to bring the data and distribution behind Roku’s platform to help Mast-Jägermeister US bring stories that matter to the largest screen in the home.”
Roku’s Branded Content unit, launched with staffers from Funny Or Die, has integrated advertisers including GEICO and Walmart into its Roku Recommends series. It also created The Show Next Door with Randall Park for Makers Mark.
“Our passion is storytelling, particularly about queer women, so the opportunity to partner with the Roku Brand Studio and Mast-Jägermeister US to expand The Lesbian Bar Project into a streaming series has been an absolute dream,” said Erica Rose and Elina Street, directors of The Lesbian Bar Project. ■
