Today, GT Group announced that Solomon Thomson has been appointed Managing Director of Gay Times, following his work leading the Partnerships division of the business. The move comes as the company continues to expand its cultural impact within the media and entertainment landscape, underscoring extended investment into the flagship brand and the community it serves. Thomson brings an ingrained understanding of the business to the role, with a proven track record of unifying its commercial output with its editorial voice, contributing to some of Gay Times’ most impactful commercial collaborations in recent years.
Before joining the world’s most-followed LGBTQ+ media brand (1) in 2023, Thomson held a multifaceted commercial role at ITV, the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster and streamer. His global-media experience and nuanced grasp of the brand landscape paired with his unique understanding of Gay Times succinctly positions him to lead this next exciting era.
At Gay Times, Thomson has already helped shape the brand’s next-generation strategy: working closely alongside CEO, Tag Warner, to guide the organisation through significant changes in 2024, sharpening its proposition, and driving significant growth across content and social metrics. He has broadened the commercial offering with a fresh take on partnership content, strengthening existing advertiser relationships and bringing a new cohort of brands into the GT Partnerships ecosystem. Through this approach, Gay Times has evidenced the strength of its audience, the quality of its journalism and its cultural authority to the brands with whom it collaborates.
Alongside previous Editorial Director, Megan Wallace, Thomson reimagined what Partnerships content looks like for the business. His work in creating opportunities for digital growth has supported the editorial strategy, advancing the shift toward a subscription-focussed editorial model, which informed the evolution of the magazine’s aesthetic six months ago – a creative refresh that honours Gay Times’ heritage while signalling where it is heading.
Like many LGBTQIA+ media brands, the company faced a challenging 2024 as a significant number of advertisers pulled back or paused spending amid wider market volatility and a retreat from diverse audience initiatives that informed marketing strategies. Gay Times acted proactively, setting out major changes in 2024 – shifting its focus to a subscription-first editorial model, and inviting its readership to become stakeholders in the brand’s future. The campaign’s success brought over 300 individuals into the fold as co-owners – a milestone that underlines the depth of audience commitment. Alongside this, Thomson spearheaded the inception of GT Alliance, a new production model for brand campaigns that sees Gay Times partnering with LGBTQIA+ and diverse-owned production and creative agencies to create more opportunities for the brand’s wider community and collaborators.
Elsewhere within GT Group, Wax Talent has delivered significant, double-digit percentage month-on-month growth in 2025, validating a multi-brand ecosystem where talent, media and experiences reinforce one another. An editorial collaboration with Uncloseted Media has amplified US-focused investigations to larger audiences. And across a summer of partnerships, a Pride programme drew strong critical notice and community buzz, underscoring the brand’s ability to convene culture in-real-life with care and credibility.
Thomson’s approach through a highly transitional period for the LGBTQIA+ sector has been steady, audience-centred and product-minded. Under his stewardship, Gay Times expects gains in both reach and relevance across social platforms, alongside an editorial cadence that supports deeper reporting and sharper verticals.
Gay Times will continue to widen its partner ecosystem with brands that share its values; scale magazine.gaytimes.com as a modern home for long-form integrity-based journalism; and press forward with ambitious journalism and big cultural ideas in service to a global community.
In his new role, Thomson will continue to lead GT Partnerships whilst overseeing all aspects of the business, from commercial strategy and creative output to brand growth. He will report to CEO, Tag Warner. Wax Talent will continue to report to GT Group CEO, Tag Warner, separately.
Speaking about his appointment, Solomon Thomson said: “I am incredibly proud to take on this new challenge at such a dynamic time for the brand, one that I have followed since a young age. I am especially galvanised to be working so closely with our impressive and agile team. I want to build on the incredible traction we’ve achieved this year to secure tangible results across editorial, social, our subscription platform, and the brand partnerships arm of the business.
“I intend to widen our advertiser ecosystem with values-aligned brands to power the necessary growth and development of our audience offering. Above all, I am committed to ensuring that our leading community platform remains a space for uplifting lesser-heard voices and that the stories most important to the community I am a part of continue to be told with authority, joy, and depth.”
Tag Warner, CEO of GT Group, added: “Solomon has been central to our next-generation strategy since joining the company – he understands how to translate cultural relevance into sustainable growth, and he brings a steady, audience-first leadership style to the table. This appointment to Managing Director, Gay Times is about doubling down on our flagship brand: investing in our journalism, backing our subscription products, and deepening the partnerships that move the culture forward. With Thomson in this new role, he is writing the next chapter of its five-decade history with intent.
(1) Based on publicly available data across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.
