Tello Films Turns 19: How the Lesbian Netflix Still Shapes Queer Storytelling
At a time when LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream film has reportedly fallen to a three-year low, Tello Films is marking a major milestone: 19 years of telling lesbian and sapphic stories.
Founded in 2007 by filmmaker Christin Baker, the Nashville-based streaming platform has long been dubbed the “Lesbian Netflix” - and nearly two decades later, its mission remains unchanged.
“When I started it 19 years ago, I thought at some point maybe we wouldn’t be necessary,” Baker says. “I really do feel like representation saves lives… it’s still important for us to be around.”
Ahead of Its Time
When Tello launched on February 6, 2007, streaming itself was still in its infancy.
That same year, Apple debuted the first iPhone and Barack Obama announced his presidential run. Marriage equality was not yet federal law, and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” remained in effect in the United States.
“There were still so many rights we didn’t have in 2007 when we started it,” Baker recalls. “And we are still fighting.”
Launching a niche streaming service at that moment - one devoted entirely to lesbian and sapphic stories - was a radical act. While larger platforms were slow to invest in queer women’s narratives, Tello built its catalogue from the ground up.
“I want to make lesbian stories. I want to see things that represent me,” Baker says.
Building a Legacy
Over the years, Tello has grown from scrappy web-series beginnings to award recognition.
Baker cites working with the late Nancylee Myatt, showrunner of South of Nowhere, as a pivotal career moment. Their collaboration on the short-form series Cowgirl Up gave Baker the confidence to scale up her ambitions.
Tello later earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Mindy Sterling, alongside Daytime Emmy nominations for Liz Vassey and Carolyn Radere.
In 2018, the company released its first lesbian Christmas film, Season of Love, launching what would become one of its most recognisable niches: sapphic holiday rom-coms.
“We still don’t have enough LGBTQ holiday Christmas movies each year,” Baker says. “Some people wouldn’t look at a Hallmark movie as substantive, but I really do feel like representation saves lives.”
The Power of Queer Storytelling
The appetite for queer storytelling has only grown. From breakout musicians to viral queer novels like Heated Rivalry, audiences across demographics are embracing LGBTQ+ narratives.
Baker points to the universal themes that make these stories resonate beyond identity politics: longing, missed connections, unspoken crushes, and emotional risk.
“There’s a ton of longing, and missing, and having a crush and not knowing if it’s reciprocated,” she says. “That taps into something human.”
For many viewers, especially during difficult personal periods, light-hearted queer stories offer rare comfort - particularly as some mainstream platforms quietly reduce or reorganise LGBTQ+ content categories.
“It’s such comfort,” Baker says. “If your daily life is stressful, you need an escape that’s not going to cause more anxiety.”
Independent and Unstoppable
As Hollywood faces contraction and uncertainty, Baker sees opportunity rather than retreat.
“We will get even more creative and tell even more stories, because we can’t be stopped,” she says.
Encouraged by her fiancée, Stacey Lee Powell, Baker emphasises that Tello is not a faceless corporation but a personal extension of her mission.
“I see Tello as an extension of me,” she says. “Every day I wake up trying to figure out how to tell our stories and how to serve our community.”
Nineteen years after its launch, Tello Films remains what it set out to be: an independent home for lesbian and sapphic storytelling - and proof that dedicated queer platforms are still not only relevant, but essential.
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