August 16, 2021
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have taken the world by storm with their cameras.
The director and producer duo came into the world of queer independent cinema, making the cult documentaries “Tammy Faye’s Eyes”, “Party Monster” and “Inside Deep Throat”, among others. They got rich (and we mean RICH) by producing a small reality show called “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which drew an international audience and helped the couple launch their own streaming service, World of Wonder Presents Plus.
Now the duo are settling in locally, capturing the craziness of a true independent TV station in “Small Town News”. The series airs on HBO.
‘Small Town News’ follows the team at KVPM, the aforementioned independent station in the city of Pahrump, Nevada. Under the supervision of station owner Vern Van Winkle, a die-hard right-wing enthusiast, presenters and staff at KVPM struggle to cover local news in the greater Las Vegas area, with stories on everything from adoptions to dogs at the openings of brothels. Then Election Night 2020 arrives, plunging the news media into chaos and putting Vern at odds with the rest of the station.
We caught up with Barbato and Bailey to discuss their careers, how the new series fits into their filmography, and how journalism stands at an existential crossroads. The “Small Town News” season finale hits HBO on August 16.
Video editing: David Beerman.
