Spencer Hoddeson

Spencer Hoddeson, editor of The Watering Hole

Spencer Hoddeson is the editor and publisher of The Watering Hole, and the founder of Gay Water. He writes and approves every story on this site.

He has built an audience of more than 360,000 followers across platforms making queer culture content, which is the same instinct that runs this publication: the story the group chat is already arguing about, told properly and sourced.

What he runs

  • Gay Water - founder. A queer-owned canned vodka soda launched in 2023 under Gay Things, Inc., built to put a product that says "gay" on shelves in the other eleven months of the year.
  • The Watering Hole - founder and editor. A queer culture publication: newsletter twice a week, stories in between.
  • High Tea - co-founder.
  • Barkley & Co - co-founder. A full-funnel marketing agency working with skincare, healthcare and wellness brands.

Before this

  • Yahoo - Head of Global Brand.
  • NBCUniversal - the NBCU Page Program.

How he works

Every Watering Hole story is sourced to the filing, the ruling, the transcript or the original reporting, and links out to it. Where AI helps with research and drafting, that is disclosed on our editorial standards page, and nothing publishes without him reading it. Corrections are dated and visible, never quietly deleted.

Reach him

Tips, corrections and pitches go through the contact form; write "editorial" in the message. He is on Instagram at @hoddsuspenders, and The Watering Hole is at @thegaywateringhole and TikTok.

Read his stories · Masthead · About The Watering Hole