Degen Pener’s Writings On Lifestyle, Design and Cultural Issues

Degen Pener

In this profile series, Revry is highlighting authentic contributors to the LGBTQ media and entertainment community. We ask questions to find out who they are and where they are going in the future. The questions remain the same but the answers tell their unique story. It’s time to explore and celebrate true representation beyond the limits of Hollywood. 

Degen Pener is Deputy Editor at The Hollywood Reporter and has previously worked at Angeleno, Santa Barbara Magazine, Elle, Details, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times and New York Magazine. 

What are you best known for?

I write about and edit and assign stories about style, lifestyle, design and cultural issues. At The Hollywood Reporter, where I am deputy editor, I edit our annual Pride issue, where we recently wrote about OG ballroom emcee Junior LaBeija, ran an essay by younger actress Molly Bernard about being pansexual, published a guest column by non-binary writer Hilton Dresden calling for awards shows to do away with gendered acting categories and interviewed BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA co-creator Gina Yashere, author of the new memoir CACK-HANDED, about the intersectionality of being lesbian and Black. We also ran a story about the trans actress Josie Totah (SAVED BY THE BELL) in which we interviewed both her and the show's costume designer about dressing her for the show in ultra-feminine, over-the-top outfits; their only rule is that they never put her in pants. Other stories I've either written or edited in the last year have been about everything from Peloton and how it's become a global content company to the challenges that Black actresses face in Hollywood attempting to get hair stylists who know how to work with Black hair.  

What is the first thing you wrote? 

The first story I ever wrote was a short profile of the actor/director Keith Gordon, who directed a film adaptation of the young adult novel The Chocolate War. I actually had met the author of the novel when I was in junior high and still had a copy of the book which he had signed. This piece was my first story when I was working as a fact-checker at New York Magazine, my first job out of college. 

What are you working on that no one knows about yet?

Right now, I'm working on pulling together a package about cannabis for an upcoming issue. I can't say much more about the individual elements, but this is a new spotlight for us that we plan to do yearly at The Hollywood Reporter. I also love writing about timepieces and am working on getting access to a major recording artist to talk about his amazing watch collection.