Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational

digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, an ...

and

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

website focused on young women. It is owned by Sundial Media Group.

History

Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Refinery29 in 2005 as a city guide, emphasizing fashion local to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The name of the website alludes to the website distilling information into its essence. The company headquarters is located in the

Financial District, Manhattan The Financial District of Lower Manhattan, also known as FiDi, is a neighborhood located on the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by the West Side Highway on the west, Chambers Street and City Hall Park on the north, ...

neighborhood of New York City. Refinery29 has over 450 employees globally with offices in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. In 2015, the company launched a UK edition at www.refinery29.uk and the following year in 2016, a German edition at www.refinery29.de. In 2016, Refinery29 announced it had raised $45 million in funding led by

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters * Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for tur ...

. As of 2017, Refinery29 reaches an audience of over 500 million globally. On October 2, 2019,

Vice Media Vice Media Group LLC is a Canadian-American digital media and broadcasting company. Vice Media encompasses four main business areas: Vice Studios Group (film and TV production); Vice TV (a joint venture with A&E Networks, also known as Vicelan ...

announced that it would acquire Refinery29. The deal, worth a reported $400 million, valued the combined company at $4 billion. In March 2021, Pedestrian Group announced a multi-year deal with Vice Media and Refinery29 to become the Australian digital publishing home of both brands. A new team was announced for Refinery29 later that year. On May 15, 2023, Vice Media formally filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

, as part of a possible sale to a consortium of lenders including Fortress Investment Group, which will, alongside Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital, invest $225 million as a credit bid for nearly all of its assets. In April 2024, Sundial Media Group purchased the company. Refinery29 at the time of the sale had around 100 employees and roughly $100 million in annual revenue. In July 2024, it was reported that Refinery29 Australia would shut down amid a restructuring at Pedestrian.

Content

Refinery29 produces editorial and video programming, live events, and social, shareable content delivered across major social media platforms, and covers a variety of categories. Refinery29 was listed three consecutive years on '' Crain's'' "Fast 50", has won seven Clio Awards, and seven

Webby Award The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...

s. The company produces an annual pop-up exhibition, 29Rooms, where visitors can take self-portraits for sharing on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

. 29Rooms was launched in 2015 on Refinery29's tenth anniversary. It has been credited as the first " selfie museum". Notable writers for ''Refinery29'' include Kathleen Newman-Bremang.

Workplace culture and pay disparity

In early June 2020, women of color and black employees and freelancers took to social media to tell stories of discrimination while working for Refinery29. A writer for the company wrote on Twitter of "a toxic company culture" and pay disparity etween people of color and white employees On June 10, 2020, co-founders and CEOs Justin Stefano and Philippe von Borries released a letter addressing the controversy, which read, in part: "After having read these accounts, we recognize how our privilege as two white male CEOs created blinders that kept us from seeing the struggles, exclusion, and aggressions that you felt at R29. This is an earthquake of a wake-up call." Co-founder Christene Barberich stepped aside as Global Editor-in-Chief, but remained an employee of Refinery29 until November 2020. In Barberich's

announcement post she wrote, "I’ve read and taken in the raw and personal accounts of Black women and women of color regarding their experiences inside our company at Refinery29 and what’s clear from these experiences, is that R29 has to change. We have to do better, and that starts with making room. And, so I will be stepping aside in my role at R29 to help diversify our leadership in editorial and ensure this brand and the people it touches can spark a new defining chapter." On June 11, 2020, author and former Refinery29 employee Sesali Bowen called Barberich a "sacrificial lamb" on Twitter. Barberich also faced criticism after a former employee recalled in 2020 that Barberich once cried in a team meeting after being told she seemed "squeamish" when discussing race. It was stated Barberich had decided to go home earlier that day due to the confrontation.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Fashion websites American entertainment websites American women's websites Internet properties established in 2005 Lifestyle websites 2005 establishments in New York City 2019 mergers and acquisitions 2024 mergers and acquisitions Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 Vice Media