Roku today announces that the Roku Brand Studio and Mast-Jägermeister US will create a new limited streaming series, “The Lesbian Bar Project,” directed by Erica Rose and Elina Street, and hosted by Lea DeLaria (“Orange is the New Black“) who also serves as Executive Producer along with The Katz Company. The series will spotlight Lesbian bars and the colorful communities that they serve across the United States. The three-episode docuseries is slated to launch in October 2022 on The Roku Channel, the home of free and premium entertainment on America’s No. 1 TV streaming platform*.
In the 1980s, there were roughly 200 Lesbian Bars in the United States. Today, there are fewer than 25. As these bars disappear, co-directors Erica Rose and Elina Street established “The Lesbian Bar Project” to celebrate, support, and amplify the remaining Lesbian bars. Each episode of “The Lesbian Bar Project” series will tell the lively and powerful stories of different Lesbian bar owners and patrons in Houston, Phoenix, and Chicago.
In the first quarter of 2022, Roku’s streaming hours for docuseries content grew over 14X on The Roku Channel compared to the first quarter of 2020. As a result, the Roku Brand Studio was a natural fit to launch “The Lesbian Bar Project” for Mast-Jägermeister US – a proud supporter of nightlife and the artists, creatives, and bartenders who have worked to support it.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Co-Director Elina Street is a French American director and writer based in New York City. Street’s storytelling focuses on childhood with an emphasis on female and non-binary gender expression. Erica Rose is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker with a focus on queer and female-driven stories. “The Lesbian Bar Project” will be available to stream for free, exclusively on The Roku Channel in October 2022 starting LGBT History Month in many countries around the globe.
*America’s No. 1 TV streaming platform is based on hours streamed according to Hypothesis Group, October 2021
