Cablefax The Magazine - October 2021 - 23

LGBTQ EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Joseph Schramm
Founder, Managing Partner
Schramm Marketing
When Schramm was inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers in
2015 in recognition of his decades of service to the industry,
he thanked his life partner Steve for his support.
" At the dessert reception following the ceremony, a few
people approached me to say that after all these years of
knowing me, they had not realized I was gay. I laugh about it,
but I am also happy to realize that they saw me for my contributions
to business, or perhaps my collaboration with coworkers,
but did not judge me for who I chose to love, " says
Schramm, whose cable career started in 1980 at Cablevision.
" I admire them, and it makes me smile to tell this story. "
For more than 20 years, he's run Schramm Marketing, a
marketing, events and consulting firm with a roster of clients
ranging from ESPN to the Girl Scouts. His success is making
everything about his clients-not himself. But he has used
his passion, expertise and personal identity as a member of
the LBGTQ+ community to bring new perspectives to sports,
diversity marketing and special events.
Recently, he took his years of experience producing conferences
for the television industry to a new level with the Pride
TV Summit. His firm has a track record of producing programs
focused on ethnic markets using a formula that focuses on a
demographically specific audience segment and/or features
storylines and roles that challenge stereotypical images.
" However, this is the first time we sought to reach out to such
a diverse group as the LGBTQIA community of persons who
identify by either their sexual orientation, their gender or both
(or in some cases, neither), " explains Schramm.
The Pride TV Summit was an idea he had been discussing
with TV industry brands for five years, and in June, the
free, virtual conference finally came to fruition. Produced for
industry publications Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel
News, the event focused on the business of TV programming
featuring LGBTQ+ topics, storylines, characters or performers
and included the Pride TV Awards for Leadership and Courage.
His hope is that attendees walked away with greater respect
for individuals who identify by one or more communities
within the LGBTQ+ description, while also understanding
that serving these audience segments can be profitable for
business. " LGBTQIA storylines and characters speak to all
audience segments, and advertisers can enjoy little if any
pushback from most consumers when sponsoring programs
with LGBTQ+ roles or storylines, " he says, adding that one
of the conference takeaways is that a gay character doesn't
have to be disenfranchised or only be the sidekick.
At the same time, Schramm knows there is still work to do.
" Despite all the 'progress,' there is still discrimination, " he
says. " The industry's own writers, showrunners and content
execs are to be recognized for their own individual courage
and leadership whenever they introduce the public at large
to series with LGBT+ storylines, and/or LGBT+ characters. "
Speaking of progress, Schramm lauds Comcast, AT&T and
many others for hosting LGBTQ+ forums and employee organizations.
" This would have been unheard of in the 1980s.
When I first came out, I worked at a division of Cablevision
called Rainbow Programming (now AMC Networks).
I felt
comfortable and accepted there although it was still a very
closeted time in the cable industry, " he recalls. " Curiously, it
was the outbreak of HIV infections and the scourge of AIDS
that placed a spotlight on the LGBT community within the
cable TV business. At that time, cable demonstrated its leadership
among all other business segments in this country, by
its quick response to the AIDS crisis [through] the formation
of Cable Positive. "
Founded in 1992, Cable Positive organized cable resources
in the fight against AIDS until it ceased operations in 2009.
" In my opinion, television-and cable in particular-has
done more to demonstrate leadership and courage in shifting
the conversation about acceptance of LGBT+ individuals
than any other business segment or organization, " Schramm
says. " The cable TV industry has a lot to be proud of. "
Cablefax: The Magazine
October 2021
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Cablefax The Magazine - October 2021

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