TVFORMATS Drag Race Goes Global World of Wonder founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato talk to TV Formats about the global language of drag culture, their fiercely independent approach to making content that speaks to and celebrates LGBTQ audiences and their plans for expanding their SVOD service WOW Presents Plus. In the 12 years since RuPaul’s Drag Race premiered in the U.S. (first on Logo, before moving to VH1), the World of Wonder-produced series has become a pop-culture phenomenon and, more recently, a global format hit. The journey to globalize the beloved show began in 2015 when The Switch Drag Race premiered in Chile. But it was the arrival of the Thai version in 2018 that marked a turning point, says World of Wonder co-founder Randy Barbato. “That is when it became so clear how strong the format is, and how in many ways you didn’t even need to understand the language to watch it and enjoy it. That’s also when World of Wonder understood how we could work with various production entities and broadcast partners to translate the format and share enough of the key beats but also respect the local flavor and flair of the queens.”