RuPaul's Drag Race- Fenton Bailey Talk

The multi-award-winning director and executive producer of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Fenton Bailey, will be visiting Portsmouth, via Los Angeles, in a live Zoom event on 28 March.

Hear Fenton’s riotous tale of pop culture and the story of how World of Wonder, co-founded by Fenton and Randy Barbato, pioneered the revolutionary genre of Reality TV, whilst supporting and ushering queer voices into the mainstream, winning 30 Emmys and inspiring two Oscars along the way.

Fenton grew up in Portsmouth in an age with very limited queer visibility in mainstream media. Fenton will talk about his new book, ScreenAge: How TV shaped our reality, from Tammy Faye to RuPaul's Drag Race, which is his love letter to television and about the big impact the small screen can have on all of our lives. From chronicling Britney Spears as she prepared for her first Vegas residency for the documentary I Am Britney Jean, to discovering RuPaul, ScreenAge makes the invisible, visible, especially outsiders and those on the margins.

This is your chance to hear first-hand how Fenton turned his vision into reality by creating a production company that would uplift and promote the voices of marginalised communities. Fenton’s film division, WOW Docs, has produced ground-breaking documentaries including Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, Party Monster and The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Join the university on Tuesday 28 March in Studio 1 in the White Swan building at 6pm for this live Zoom conversation with Fenton. This moderated event will include a Q&A so bring your questions for Fenton too.