By Evan DeSimone
Logo is turning the spotlight on transgender youth with a new digital series “Beautiful As I Want To Be,” hosted by trans model and activist Geena Rocero.
The four-part series will debut Oct. 28 on both Logo.com and the Logo YouTube channel. Each episode will spotlight a trans youth and their journey to find their identity. All four subjects will be paired with a successful transleader who will offer advice while readying them for a professional photoshoot.
The series was produced for Logo by GenderProud, an organization that seeks to elevate the conversation surrounding issues of transgender justice through through a combination of advocacy and conversation-defining media production. The organization was founded by Rocero and entrepreneur Allie Hoffman in 2014. “Beautiful As I Want To Be” is their first pick-up by a major media outlet.
Founder Allie Hoffman spoke to VideoInk about the series and what the pick-up means to the trans community and to GenderProud as an advocacy organization.
What was it like developing a series for a major media brand like Logo?
The best kind of adventure! Jonathan Mallow at Logo right away saw the vision, and has been the most ardent supporter of the project.
How are you feeling about being plugged in to Logo’s audience?
From the start, we have felt like Logo is the perfect platform for “Beautiful.” They share our values and our vision to create media that elevates and empowers the transgender community. It’s this community to whom we owe everything.
What kind of distribution support are you getting from other Viacom channels and platforms?
The great part about working with Viacom is that they are creating cutting edge media that pushes cultural boundaries — not just at Logo but in other parts of the building — and we’re excited to access those. [It’s] to be determined to what extent we’ll be partnering with their other channels, but we’re excited about the possibilities.
