- published: 03 Dec 2012
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Paul Colichman is a media entrepreneur who began the gay cable channel Here! and the Internet portal GayWired.com. John Waters nicknamed Colichman "the gay Citizen Hearst."
He attended the University of California, Los Angeles and received an M.B.A. After graduating from UCLA, Colichman worked briefly at Fox before partnering with Miles Copeland III in the film company I.R.S. Media.
In 1995, Peter Dekom introduced Colichman to Stephen P. Jarchow, a tax and real estate lawyer. While the two men are opposites in demeanor and lifestyle, they share a business vision that led them to form Regent Entertainment.
The critical and commercial success of Regent's Gods and Monsters inspired Colichman and Jarchow to launch Here! As of 2008, the two men report investing about $40 million of their own money and Regent profits in the cable channel.
In 2008, Colichman and Jarchow announced a $6.5 million deal to buy the gay newsmagazine The Advocate, the gay monthly magazine Out and related publications. The deal includes acquisition of three adult magazines — Freshmen, Unzipped, and Men — and the buygay.com domain name. Colichman announced that the buygay.com site would end sales of adult films and sex toys and be reoriented toward promoting Out and The Advocate.