World of Wonder’s Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato Set for 2023 Banff Conversation – The Hollywood Reporter
Buoyed by the global success of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato are headed to the Banff World Media Festival for an “In Conversation With…” appearance.
Banff will also host Jennifer Mullin, CEO of Fremantle, as a keynote speaker as part of the Summit Series lineup, and another “In Conversation With…” session is set with Canadian entertainer, actress, producer, writer and creator Lilly Singh.
Nekesa Mumbi Moody, editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter, will lead the keynote conversation with Bailey and Barbato, whose reality TV and other content credits over three decades include Party Monster, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Pam: Girl on the Loose, Being Chaz, Tori & Dean: Inn Love, #CandidlyNicole, I Am Britney Jean and Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes.
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Their appearance in Banff, certain to touch on their long collaboration with RuPaul, the face of the Drag Race franchise, comes amid a rise in anti-drag show performance and anti-trans legislation pushed by conservative lawmakers in the United States.
“It’s just impossible to quantify the good that Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have put into the world via the legendary global juggernaut that is Drag Race and many other productions. They have changed minds and opened hearts, and continue to demonstrate that beauty is about authenticity and joy, that love conquers hate and that, despite horrific efforts to the contrary in many places around the globe, the civil rights and human rights of the LGBTQ+ community must be protected,” Banff fest executive director Jenn Kuzmyk said in a statement on Thursday.
A TV industry veteran, Mullin worked as executive producer at Paramount, Telepictures and Universal before taking the top job at Fremantle, the global giant behind reality TV hits like American Idol and America’s Got Talent, and whose vast portfolio of scripted production companies includes Italy’s Wildside (My Brilliant Friend, Eight Mountains), Lux Vide (Medici, Devils), and The Apartment (Bones and All, The Hand of God), Denmark’s Miso Films (Face to Face, The Investigation), and Ireland’s Element Pictures (The Favourite, Normal People).
Singh has turned her attention to TV comedies like The Muppets Mayhem and The Bad Guys after her NBC late night show wrapped, and she is also at work developing a comedy series with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris.
“Jennifer Mullin no doubt will have us rapt with her vision of what it takes to helm one of the world’s global content powerhouses. Lilly Singh is a Canadian-born superstar, and we’re thrilled to be able to celebrate and explore what drives her talents in front of and behind the screen,” Kuzmyk added as Banff announced its latest keynote talent lineup.
The 44th edition of the Banff World Media Festival will run June 11-14 in Banff, Alberta.
