Interview with Ryan Gordon by Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler

As many of our readers know, I’m a big fan of personalized content delivered on-demand: the right content, to the right people, at the right time, in the right format and language, and on the device of their choosing. Although my interests have been focused on instructional, text-based content augmented with graphics, and increasingly, multimedia, today I find myself more-and-more interested in social networking, rich media, and interactive content. What’s piquing my interest? Several things, actually. The NoSQL movement, the huge growth of social networks like Facebook, the advent of interactivity-enabling mobile touch-screen devices (think: iPad), the move to digital-first content strategies by publishing companies, the tremendous amount of user-generated content finding its way into technical documentation and other customer-facing content, and the popularity of video a la YouTube.

As content technologies converge and consumers begin expecting rich, mobile, interactive experiences on whatever device they happen to be using at the time, big changes will occur in our choices as content consumers. Today, this convergence is making possible new opportunities in the entertainment industry, where the most popular television shows are reality-based (although, l use that term loosely) and interactive (think: American Idol). When you add a social networking component (think: Facebook for cable tv), things start to get really interesting. This is why I thought my interview with Ryan Gordon, Founder of BLU, an interactive, internet-based television show would be of interest to many of our readers. Gordon understands precision entertainment targeting, interaction design, human psychology, global audience development, and reality television. And, he knows what’s sexy and how to sell it. Read the interview below and leave a comment below to share your feedback with The Content Wrangler readers.


TCW: Ryan, thanks for speaking with me today. For my readers who don’t know who you are or what you do, tell us a little about yourself.


RG: Hello Scott!! We are embarking on a revolutionary journey and I am excited and honored to be able to give your readers a first look at what we are doing before we begin an aggressive media campaign.


About me: Prior to designing BLU, I worked as a fashion photographer for many of the largest modeling agencies in the world. My work has been used by Ford Modeling Agency, Wilhelmina, LA Models, Elite & IMG. My work has been published in quite a few different magazines and publications including work I’m very proud of that was included by Bruno Gmuender in the publication “Visions: Contemporary Male Photography“, which highlighted some of the most talented photographers in the world. Photography was a great introduction to the entertainment world for me, and along that route, I met many veterans in the industry.

In the first quarter of 2009, I wanted to take my life on a different path. I was looking for a big change. I have always had a very entrepreneurial mind and found myself looking for new ways to impact the world. At a very young age, I had completed what many took decades to accomplish (my photographic accomplishments) and I felt very fortunate to be at the place I was in, at a mere 31-years-old. I decided that I wanted to branch out into video and film, and using the resources and contacts I made along the way, create BLU.


On a more personal level, I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and lived there for the majority of my life. I was brought up in a Mormon family with a younger brother and sister. Being raised Mormon and also discovering I was gay took a huge impact on my life, as well as my family. The trials I faced during that time definitely shaped who I am today – someone who has been through quite a bit and has come out on top. I want that message to be a part of BLU – that even though you may face obstacles (or in some cases 100 foot brick walls) — that anything you can imagine is achievable, even when it seems like you are living in the clouds.


TCW: You’ve described BLU, but only touched on it in this interview. What is BLU, exactly?


RG: BLU is the world’s first subscription-based gay and lesbian reality series. Our show is based entirely online, catering to an international audience. BLU launches with an amazing staff of Emmy and Academy award winners, and with film crews that have worked in network reality TV for many years.

At launch, our show will have already signed on 14 different high-end and very recognizable celebrities to interact with our cast and subscribers at our Miami Beach studio house. Every week, one celebrity will issue a dare / challenge to our cast. This is going to be really exciting to see what they come up with and how their ideas will play into the series. Our subscribers will have the opportunity to vote one cast member off per week, to eventually have a grand prize winner taking home $150,000.00 cash.


TCW: What drove you to create BLU?

RG: Coming “out” for me and many of my friends was a very difficult time in life. Speaking for myself, I was always in search of something to cling on to, someone to talk to about my feelings and offer me some sort of support. I searched all over the Internet for support and had a hard time finding anything beneficial. One of the many goals of BLU is to be a source of security for the crowd that is in the space I was in many years ago. By the same token, I feel that our community is viewed in a light that is extremely untrue for the majority. BLU will showcase the more typical side of the average gay person: their lives, their fears and hopes and dreams. We are no different from anyone else, and its time for the world at large to understand that.


Watching the speech by Dustin Lance Black at the Academy Awards is what really did it for me. He and I were raised in a very similar family and shared many of the same fears about our sexuality. He showed so much love, confidence and compassion for our community that I felt I wanted to take part in that same movement. It was the very next day that I sat down at the computer and started to write ideas about my next step in life.





TCW: How do you think will BLU change the way others look at the gay and lesbian community?


RG: “Show not tell” is the motto that has been used quite frequently between the staff and myself. As part of our casting process we have uniformly agreed the best way to convey that message is to use very strong cast and have significant celebrity involvement though guest appearances.


TCW: What type of cast will you have to make that change?

RG: BLU is very fortunate to have staff that comes from years of working in entertainment. I am very pleased to have contracts with Emmy- and Academy Award-winning staff as part of our crew. Our casting director has worked in network TV prior to the launch of the Internet, and has earned multiple awards for assembling casts for other shows that maintained a very large audience. Our cast will come from different facets of life and will have the looks and wit to be able to strike attention on an international level. Our cast will range from ages 22-35 and will be the type of people that you would love to hang out with. I am keeping this one more secretive, but I can assure you that you will not be let down!

TCW: How will you avoid the show becoming just another reality show about dramatic queens? After all, programs without drama and excitement are boring. How will you use the everyday aspects of regular gay men and women to create an interesting story line?


RG: Drama is unavoidable in most life situations, especially when you incorporate contestants competing against each other for prize money. However, one of the ideals for BLU is that it will appeal not only to the gay and lesbian audience, but we hope to develop a strong straight audience following as well.


The cast you will see on BLU will have the same look-and-feel of those that just walked off the pages of a magazine. Not only will these people have the looks, they will also have the brains. The casting director and I have an extremely detailed list of the type of cast we will be going after, to ensure a variety of lifestyles are represented. An example of this would be a very wholesome, down-home country cowboy, a surfer from Hawaii, a club kid from NYC, and an Ivy League medical student. They will all have very different backgrounds, but will share their sexuality in common.


Through a mix of sex appeal, drama, emotion, envy, lust, beneficial content and showing the true normalcy of the gay and lesbian community – our writers and directors will keep our viewers wishing that our show had an episode every night.


TCW: You mentioned that you have quite a bit of celebrity involvement. What will the celebrities be doing, exactly?


RG: BLU will have one high-end celebrity fly to our Miami Beach studio house once a week and will be a major part of our production. Each celebrity will issue a dare / challenge to our cast members that each of them has chosen on their own. This will definitely be a lot of fun!! Their role is crucial to the success of the show. Leveraging celebrities will not only bring a much larger audience, but their support for the show also demonstrates their support for the gay and lesbian community.

TCW: So BLU is a contest like American Idol and other prize-based shows?


TCW: Absolutely!! We know our viewers will love following their favorite cast members compete in the celebrity dares / challenges. Not only will our viewers be able to watch all of the drama unfold, but also they will have the ability to vote one person off the show each week. The grand prize for our winning cast member is $150,000 cash. The winner is determined by our viewers.


TCW: How were you able to get Emmy- and Academy Award-winning staff to be a part of your production?


RG: Working in entertainment, fashion and modeling prior to designing BLU opened a lot of doors for me. I attended many different “Red Carpet” events where I was fortunate to meet with and befriend people who had been working in entertainment for years. When I started putting BLU together, I consulted with my friends and associates and told them what I had thought up. Every one of them not only contributed to the show, but also asked to be a part of it.


BLU is taking on a market that rarely receives attention, and is being launched in a revolutionary way that has never been done. To ensure the easiest delivery, we will use the exact type of staff from a network and segway it into an internet based production. Coming into a new project with the caliber of staff that we have is amazing. “Look out Network TV!!”

TCW: Do I understand correctly that RG Enterprises is not only a production company, but also will be directing and doing everything that a network would do? In effect, you are the network. Right?


RG: That is correct!! Not only will we be writing and directing the show, we will also produce and edit the content in-house. We have taken the crucial parts of a production crew that a network would use and hired them as our staff. The benefit of doing this is we are able to produce the same high quality content a network would be able to, at a fraction of the cost.


TCW: My readers know that I believe the future of communication is online. But, why did you choose to have the show on the Internet as opposed to a traditional cable television network?


RG: There are so many benefits of having our show on the Internet, the most important being able to attract an international audience. Reality TV is very popular in the US, but still fairly new to those who live in other countries. The Internet reaches all corners of the world, so it is definitely the best way to make sure everyone has the ability to watch our show.

The second benefit is that we are able to decide what our content will be without having to have a board of directors involved that doesn’t have the slightest clue about the gay and lesbian community. History shows us that network TV has always made a spectacle of our community, perhaps because they think that is the only thing that will sell. We firmly disagree! We know the world is very ready to see the true normalcy of the gay and lesbian community.


On that same note, we are able to control our content. I still remember when Adam Lambert performed at the American Music Awards and people threw a fit over his “acts on stage”. Personally, I don’t believe that Adam did anything different from many other artists that cater to the straight community. The decision and uproar after that event was very hypocritical and frustrating.


TCW: So your show will be able to be viewed internationally, will you have subtitles for the episodes for non-English speaking subscribers?


RG: The short answer to this question is YES! We will ensure that our content will be able to be viewed by anyone and will not let a language barrier stand in the way.


TCW: What is “live interaction” in your vision for BLU?


RG: Imagine watching your favorite reality show and after that episode was over, being able to voice your thoughts and suggestions to the actual cast member in real time. Maybe you’d like to compliment them on what they did, or let them know that you think they are a complete douche-bag! Currently this breakthrough is not available to any network show on a real time basis, however BLU will be the very first reality series that will give the viewers this opportunity. Our episodes will be “live” Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. Tuesday and Thursday will be our “live interaction” segments where our subscribers will be able to chat, face-to-face (virtually speaking), with our cast. We’re confident our subscribers will enjoy this type of interaction.


TCW: What will your show be most similar to?


RG: Without naming names, our show will be most similar to one of the oldest network reality shows in existence. Our 12 cast will all live together in the same house along with our video crew. The dares / challenges of BLU will be a lot of fun to watch, but maybe not as much as the inner workings of everyone’s lives under the same roof


TCW: How do you think the average person will respond to paying a subscription to watch your show?

RG: Subscription-based services have been around for quite a while and the majority of our subscribers will be accustom to this type of purchase. The price point for our show will start at $12.95 USD per month, which we have set far below any other online-based service. Our subscribers will be given members-only access to a breathtaking group of cast and their favorite celebrities, so we are confident that they will be excited to be a part of BLU and not see a subscription as an obstacle.


Many other companies are also making a transition into a similar business model. Google and Hulu are great examples, as this year they will be offering new services on a subscription base to watch streaming episodes of network programming. We are taking this one step above and offering HD content as well as downloadable episodes secured by digital rights management (DRM) access protection. This gives our subscribers much higher quality and viewing experience than the previously mentioned companies.


TCW: Will BLU be considered obscene or include soft porn?


RG: Absolutely not!! It is this question in particular that is most bothersome when it comes to the LGBT community. Whenever anyone that is not in our community thinks of a gay or lesbian series, they immediately think it will be about sex.


TCW: Will those who wish to view and interact with BLU be able to do so on any other device besides a computer?

RG: We believe that the majority of our subscribers will watch BLU on their computers, however I have taken things even further. Starting with our first episode, we will give viewers the opportunity to watch our content via their iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch via an app in the Apple App Store. This content will come streaming to them over a 3G or Wi-fi connection and as a result they will be able to watch BLU anywhere they’d like. We are also implementing a way for our subscribers to use their mobile devices to vote for and interact with the cast in the show’s online forums. Of course, all of this will be available on their home computer as well, we are just ensuring that BLU will take advantage of cutting-edge technology.


TCW: So, do you believe that the future of entertainment media will be web-enabled? Is this the beginning of the end of television broadcasting as we know it?

RG: Most anyone that works in entertainment feels the crunch being placed upon them by the Internet. People like convenience, being able to watch whatever they’d like when they want to. People have busy lives and want to be able to do things on their time. The networks are slowly catching on and ABC as example has recently released an app to watch their programming on an iPad. Google is doing something similar with their product “Google TV”. So it’s not necessarily and end to the TV set, I’m not sure that would ever happen, its just expanding the viewing capabilities of the public. Also keep in mind that the Internet is international, so programming can be watched by people that have never before had the opportunity, or in some countries, the privilege.


TCW: What type of viewership do you anticipate?


RG: BLU has massive marketing efforts that will stretch all over the globe. We will be advertising in nearly all magazines with a readership of 75,000 and above that would be conducive to our content. We have also contracts with Clear Channel radio, so live endorsements will be played in nearly every metropolitan city across the United States and in Europe. We also have an abundance of Internet based marketing. We are making sure that everyone knows about BLU!!!


TCW: What will keep the audience watching BLU season after season?


RG: Our content of course! People love to see drama, they love to watch emotion and even more so, love to feel like they are part of the production. We are taking those three cues and incorporating them into every episode. BLU is embarking on a new and different path in the sense that we are catering to an gay and lesbian audience. This has never been done before, yet we are ambitiously excited to take on this challenge. Our goal is to entice the gay and lesbian crowd will tell their straight friends about the show, to eventually leave us with a balanced audience.


TCW: How will your show relate to the mainstream viewer, in specific a straight audience?

RG: BLU’s content will be compelling to watch for everyone. Our casting director will be utilizing a very broad angle during our casting process. Its crucial to me that we have cast that anyone will be able to relate to. Once our viewers build a bond with their favorite cast member, they will watch every episode and feel like they are a part of their lives – in a virtual sense. As I mentioned before, BLU will take a “show not tell” approach to our episodes. It is not our intention to throw the gay and lesbian lifestyle in anyone’s face, but instead show them how similar we all really are!


TCW: If you could name one aspect of your show that you are most excited about, what would it be?


RG: Hmm…this is a tough question!! I would have to say watching everything progress. I am really excited to see what the world at large thinks about what we will offer, and to see changes for our community. In my head, I picture big parties with friends to watch the episodes. I remember when Queer as Folk was really popular, and my roommate and I would put on parties for everyone to come to our house and watch the show. I want this same thing for BLU, and with our plans we know this will happen!


TCW: If any of my readers were interested in being a cast member on BLU, how would they go about doing it?


RG: We will definitely keep you and your readers up to date on that. Our casting director has a game plan for this that I think is brilliant. We will be type casting from all around the US and potentially other countries. As soon as we have more solid information on that, I will let you know!


TCW: You mentioned in our earlier call that you are seeking investment funds for BLU? What are you looking for?


RG: Putting the show together has been one of the most amazing experiences in my life, but it has definitely been a roller coaster. Along this journey I have met and worked with many different types of potential investors, some more earnest than others. We are really looking forward to meeting solid investment sources in the very near future. If any of your readers are interested in learning more about BLU from an investment standpoint, they can contact me at ryan@blurealityshow.com. We have extensive amounts of information that I would love to share. The business model, celebrity involvement and high caliber of staff will set this project apart from anything currently available and is sure to get quite a bit of exposure.


TCW:Thanks, Ryan for making time to help our readers understand BLU.


RG: Thanks Scott. Your readers can keep up to date with BLU on Facebook, MySpace, and on Twitter.