Paul Colichman is a media entrepreneur who began the gay cable channel Here! and the Internet portal GayWired.com. John Waters

John Waters (filmmaker)

John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...

 nicknamed Colichman "the gay Citizen Hearst

William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...

."

He attended the University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Los Angeles

The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...

 and received an M.B.A. After graduating from UCLA, Colichman worked briefly at Fox before partnering with Miles Copeland 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

Regent Releasing

Regent Releasing is a U.S. theatrical distribution company based in Los Angeles, California, under the umbrella of Regent Entertainment, which is owned by producers Paul Colichman and Stephen P. Jarchow....

.

The critical and commercial success of Regent's Gods and Monsters

Gods and Monsters

Gods and Monsters is a 1998 drama film that recounts the last days of the life of troubled film director James Whale, whose homosexuality is a central theme. It stars Ian McKellen as Whale, along with Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich, and David Dukes...

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 Advocate

The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...

, the gay monthly magazine Out

Out (magazine)

Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...

and related publications. The deal includes acquisition of three adult magazines — Freshmen

Freshmen (magazine)

Freshmen is an American pornographic magazine published monthly by Specialty Publications, a division of LPI Media, and founded in 1991. The magazine is geared toward gay men, and features nude photos of men, 18–25 years old. Freshmen has featured young college-aged males since its inception in 1992...

, 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.