Deb Reichman: Creative Fuelled by a Passion for Queer Representation
From her early days as a member of an idealistic team of dreamers, to her current role as executive creative director at award-winning creative studio, STUCK IN MOTION – Deb Reichman has always prioritised authenticity above all else.
LBB's April Summers sat down with her to reminisce about her early days at Logo TV and her colourful career in entertainment production.
LBB> Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
Deborah> I live in Maplewood, New Jersey (and I was also raised in NJ), but spent most of my adult life in San Francisco and Brooklyn before coming back to the burbs.
LBB> How did you get started in creative marketing?
Deborah> It actually sort of happened on my wedding day. I had just gotten my Masters in media criticism where I’d focused on representation on TV. One of our guests (and my downstairs neighbour at the time) pulled my wife and I aside and apologised that he had to leave early for a secret work project, but to please call him as soon as I recovered from the wedding. The secret project was launching a “gay channel” and despite my having no production experience (I wrote about TV, but I'd never made it) he wanted to know if I could come in and help him make a sizzle tape. A year later we launched LogoTV! I stayed on for eight years, working my way up to director of on-air creative.
LBB> Eight years is a long time! Can you tell me a bit about the community Logo TV fostered during that time and your role therein?
Deborah> Launching Logo was a crash course in marketing creative as we figured out how to sell this new channel to brands and affiliates, while also trying to do right by the queer community. It was a labour of love for many TV folks who left more established networks to build this new one. We were small, scrappy and idealistic, and wore all of the hats. To this day, my colleagues from those days are all still my dearest friends, and the creatives I trust the most.
Since we were so small, I got to do everything from show-positioning to promos to branded content. I got to direct the then-unknown Kate McKinnon for 'Big Gay Sketch Show' promos, interview legendary LGBT pioneers, pen an award-winning but now maybe cringe-y tagline “Housewives with Balls”, and work with RuPaul and so so many 'Drag Race' queens – most memorably while they were personifying Absolut cocktails.
LBB> Having occupied several in-house roles at Viacom and Paramount, you now work with them as a vendor. Is it safe to say you still like wearing all the hats?
Deborah> Working in promos, and later in branded content on the client side, taught me about everything that factors into a project before it comes to us - and after it wraps. I am able to bring that institutional knowledge to every piece I work on. But I also love how being on the vendor side allows me to immerse myself in the creative and production, rather than just meetings!
My dream project actually came in just after I joined STUCK IN MOTION - my former Logo colleagues commissioned us to write, direct and produce a documentary about 'RuPaul’s Drag Race'. They needed it within eight weeks to screen it at Sundance in honour of the series’ 10th anniversary. Diving deep and fast into that research, and running around the country to conduct interviews was not something I could have done at a moment’s notice as an in-house executive.
LBB> What would you say are your main strengths when it comes to balancing creative and marketing responsibilities?
Deborah> The term 'creative' suggests that the sky’s the limit. But 'marketing creative' gives you parameters, and having some limitations actually gives me inspiration. If you can boil a brand story down into two minutes, or a series into 30 seconds, you can get to the essence of anything. I might not have a novel or a film in me, but if someone wants me to tell their story or distil their message, I will crush it.
LBB> I'd love to know which has been your favourite project of all time? And why was it so fun to work on?
Deborah> Since I already told you about the RuPaul documentary, here's a silly one that is very close to my heart. When I was EP at Viacom’s in-house agency, Velocity (now Paramount Brand Studio), we held this internal awards show, complete with nominations, trophies and a real talent host. As a firm believer that every award show needs an In Memoriam, I pitched one on the down-low—but with a twist. Instead of a tribute to people we had lost, this would honour the projects that had been killed.
With my boss’s blessing, I put out a cryptic call to all of our teams, asking them to submit any creative they loved that had never seen the light of day; whether as a deck, storyboards, or a fully mixed and colour-corrected live action spot that a client ultimately declined to air for whatever reason. Midway through the awards ceremony, host Chris Distefano gave a sombre lead-in to the segment. The lights dimmed and, one by one, the projects we had all poured our hearts and souls into faded up to Sarah McLachlan. It brought the house down – and it was also a Promax finalist that year!
LBB> Can you tell us about someone else's work, in creative marketing, that you have admired lately?
Deborah> The wonderful animation studio Bien did a tribute to Michael K. Williams and his legendary 'The Wire' character, Omar Little. It was clearly a passion project of theirs and I deeply appreciated it— especially the BTS elements they shared on their site. For anyone who loves Omar - or even just the passion, research and process that goes into a truly great piece of creative - it's worth a look.
LBB> OK, quick fire round! What are three movies or TV shows you couldn't do without, and why?
Deborah> 'The Wire' for its heartbreaking honesty about the system. 'Transparent' for the queer and secular Jewish characters I found so recognisable. And 'The Bear' because it's just a perfect morsel of a show.
LBB> Who is your favourite fictional character and why?
Deborah> Well, I already mentioned Omar, so here’s my second favourite: Kim Wexler from 'Better Call Saul'. I dig her moral compass, her aversion to bullshit, and her ponytail.
LBB> Is there a book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring?
Deborah> Taffy Brodersohn-Akner’s NYTMag piece 'My Delirious Trip to the Heart of Swiftiedom'. I laughed, I cried and I now finally feel like I have some understanding of the phenomenon that has held my tween captive. I also love how Taffy puts herself in everything she writes because really, don’t we all?
LBB> What do you think is your biggest weakness?
Deborah> Self doubt…
LBB> What is something people might find surprising about you?
Deborah> I was a museum curator. It was my first career before I went back to grad school.
LBB> What is one thing that always makes you happy?
Deborah> Being on a ski slope.
LBB> What is one thing that always makes you sad?
Deborah> The good guy doesn’t always win.
LBB> And finally, what would you be doing if you weren't in entertainment?
Deborah> A professional meddler.
