Today, Variety and Rolling Stone announced that the iconic brands will bring together documentary filmmakers, journalists, and other tastemakers for the inaugural Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Showtime Documentary Films. The virtual event will feature key conversations, panel discussions and the first-ever “Truth Seeker Award,” honoring a documentarian or journalist for their essential work in the pursuit of the truth. The inaugural virtual summit will be accompanied by a special joint issue and new website verticals on Variety.com and RollingStone.com.
“For over a century, Variety has been the most trusted source in entertainment, known for reporting that’s rooted in the relentless pursuit of the truth,” said Michelle Sobrino-Stearns, president and group publisher, Variety. “We are excited to join Rolling Stone and Showtime Documentary Films in this partnership that celebrates truth seekers, documentarians, and investigative reporting that keeps us informed and shines light on the most pressing issues of our time.”
“American culture has been shaped in the pages of Rolling Stone for decades,” said Gus Wenner, president and COO, Rolling Stone. “This new partnership with Variety and Showtime Documentary Films will bring together the world’s most preeminent voices in entertainment and culture to showcase people and stories that lead us all closer to the truth.”
Corresponding with the Truth Seekers Summit, Variety and Rolling Stone will partner to create a Special Print Issue that expands on the Truth Seekers theme with stories – both original and archival — that demonstrate the brands’ decades-long dedication to the truth. The special issue will be sent to a select list of Variety and Rolling Stone subscribers on August 25th.
The iconic brands will also create new website verticals devoted to documentary and investigative storytelling. Variety will create a new section accessible from the navigation bar, titled “Documentaries,” featuring documentary reviews, reporting about classic documentaries — culled from the Variety archives — and documentary coverage from the world’s leading film festivals.
Rolling Stone will also create a new section, titled “Rolling Stone Reports.” The section will include new Rolling Stone investigative reporting; original photography; classic Rolling Stone articles from Rolling Stone greats like Hunter S. Thompson, Kurt Loder, Tom Wolfe, Matt Taibbi, and more; and coverage from political and cultural events, as they unfold.
In 2019, Variety and Rolling Stone teamed up to co-host the first-ever Criminal Justice Reform Summit in Los Angeles. The brands also published a special print supplement titled “American (In)Justice,” which took a hard look at the criminal justice system in America.
For more information on Variety’s thought-leadership summits, please visit events.variety.com.