Revolt CEO Detavio Samuels
Paras Griffin/Getty Photographs
Only one month after Revolt celebrated its 10-year anniversary, the corporate launched into a rocky path and nonetheless faces questions on its future after founder Sean “Diddy” Combs stepped down as its chairman amid allegations of sexual assault in November.
Combs eliminated himself from the corporate after he was beset with a number of lawsuits, the primary from ex-girlfriend Cassie, who accused him of sexual assault and different types of abuse in an explosive lawsuit Combs rapidly settled whereas denying the claims. Extra lawsuits have been filed by others; the case towards Combs grew much more critical March 25, when his homes have been raided by federal brokers as a part of what was described as an ongoing investigation.
Combs launched Revolt with former studio govt Andy Schuon in October 2013 as an city music-focused digital cable tv community geared towards African American audiences, and remained a visual a part of the model till his departure. But regardless of the drama surrounding Combs that has now additionally enveloped rapper Yung Miami — the host of the Revolt discuss present Caresha Please who was named in a current lawsuit — the media and TV firm has stood robust as its personal entity, insists CEO Detavio Samuels.
“We misplaced no purchasers, we misplaced no staff, we didn’t lose a greenback,” Samuels informed The Hollywood Reporter in an interview days earlier than the current raid. “This fall was the biggest quarter within the historical past of Revolt, and 2023 was the very best promoting yr we’ve had within the historical past of Revolt. In all methods it was record-breaking, even in the midst of a disaster.”
In its historical past, Revolt has produced content material in numerous varieties, from the coming-of-age characteristic movie Dope and the award-winning particular, REVOLT x Michelle Obama: The Cross-Generational Dialog, to the creation of the annual Revolt Summit and, most lately, a string of profitable video podcasts that features Caresha Please, the N.O.R.E and DJ EFN-hosted Drink Champs, and the Gen Z-centered Black Woman Stuff. The programming speaks to Revolt’s core viewers, which is cut up evenly between women and men within the 18- to 34-year-old age bracket.
Samuels sees Revolt as greater than only a Black content material platform. “Black tradition is international tradition,” says the CEO. “We imagine that we’re the way forward for digital media, that we’re at present, and we’ll proceed to be.”
The obstacles, nonetheless, are a lot. Along with the controversy surrounding Combs and Yung Miami (about whom Samuels declined to reply questions), Revolt is up towards a media panorama grappling with mass layoffs, divestment from Black content material amongst some advertisers, a decline in linear cable customers as streaming and social media platforms compete for audiences’ already restricted consideration, and the rise of synthetic intelligence. Samuels additionally didn’t reply to an e mail query about experiences of a brand new proprietor amid Combs’ departure.
Samuels spoke with THR about the way forward for Revolt with out Diddy, betting on content material creators and demanding advertisers double down on their funding in Black tradition.
How has Diddy stepping down impacted your online business internally and externally? Does he nonetheless have any degree of involvement with the corporate, and what’s the plan for shifting ahead?
Since [his departure], there’s been no interplay or something by way of main or driving the model. And in that sense, once more, I’m tremendous pleased with the crew and the model that we constructed. We misplaced no purchasers, we misplaced no staff, we didn’t lose a greenback. This fall was the biggest quarter within the historical past of Revolt, and 2023 was the very best promoting yr we’ve had within the historical past of Revolt. In all methods it was record-breaking, even in the midst of a disaster, which is wonderful. I’m grateful for this crew that stood within the midst of the fireplace and didn’t crumble, and I’m grateful for these advertisers and types who stood by us. I feel they acknowledge that if Revolt leaves the Black-owned media ecosystem, that’s fairly a loss. So whether or not they spoke to us or they didn’t, behind the scenes, they stored us protected and stored investing in Revolt. The aim of the corporate isn’t shifting, no matter who owns it or who doesn’t personal it.
With linear TV having been on the decline for a while now, what’s your technique for that operation of the enterprise?
You possibly can’t cease what’s occurring on the linear facet, and our viewers is youthful, it’s millennials and Gen Z, so that they’re going to be on the heavy finish of that cord-cutting facet. What we’re attempting to do is shield the income and the viewers that’s on that facet of the enterprise. It’s actually a differentiator for us as a result of whenever you take a look at the remainder of the Black-owned media panorama, there’s no one in TV [in this demographic]. There’s Alfred Liggins [at UrbanOne], in order that’s going to be people who find themselves 55 years and older. … We’re the one people who find themselves prepared to place creators from the tradition on TV in the way in which that we are able to.
Final yr, Revolt Summit turned Revolt World. Speak about that growth, and are you discovering occasions to be a worthwhile income stream?
Have we discovered occasions to be worthwhile? Completely. Primarily, they’re worthwhile as a result of our high buyer is advertisers. Now we have one of many hardest to achieve audiences that you’ll find. Younger Black and brown individuals, 28 years outdated, you possibly can’t discover them. So to supply [advertisers] with a possibility to attach with that kind of an viewers in a method that’s culturally related and useful to their journey, that’s Revolt World. Sure, we entertain, however a lot of it’s about data and schooling to assist individuals get a quantum leap of their lives. So for advertisers to have the ability to be part of that kind of a platform has turned out to be very beneficial for them and really beneficial for us, which is why you’ll proceed to see us double down. I solely need Revolt World to be two occasions what it was final yr, and final yr it grew 3 times from the yr earlier than. We actually see it as being the SXSW for Atlanta, or the Essence Pageant for Atlanta.
A yr in the past, you spoke about advertisers backing out of the elevated commitments to range initiatives that we noticed in 2020. Have issues gotten higher or worse prior to now yr? How are you withstanding that actuality?
When this all occurred, the homicide of George Floyd, advertisers began betting on Black-owned media and even then, these commitments have been so small. I used to be complaining about the truth that Black-owned media was 1 % of the market and other people have been enthusiastic about getting us to 2 % of the market, so from one penny to 2 pennies. So whereas there was a ton of power and momentum that I’m grateful for and that we completely received to benefit from and leverage, you’re speaking about two pennies for people who find themselves 14, 15 % of the market and drive 80 % of world tradition. So we have been already beginning off in a not-so-great place. My hope was we might get to the top of 2023 and be capable of construct, however that clearly didn’t occur.
As quickly as you begin to see affirmative motion get taken down, and that was simply within the faculty system, it scared all people in company America. So you can really feel that power and that ache instantly. After which as that occurred, you began in a short time seeing the DEI tailwinds changing into headwinds. From a historic standpoint, we’ve seen these patterns earlier than. Black individuals expertise large success, you then expertise white rage or the backlash. In order that’s the season that we’re in.
And truthfully, it’s a scary season. It’s scary as a result of so lots of our individuals really feel like the sport is being performed at a degree the place we don’t have a ton of energy. We don’t have financial, monetary or political energy. In order they’re unraveling issues via insurance policies, these issues are modified for many years. So that is completely a second the place I’m asking manufacturers to double and triple down on the place they have been. If you’re actually about that life, when you love Black tradition, then love Black individuals and put money into Black individuals and put money into Black media.