Fenton Bailey read English at Oxford and attended NYU's Graduate film program on a Harkness Fellowship. It was there he met Randy Barbato, and together they would found the independent media powerhouse World of Wonder.

Together, along with RuPaul, they created the global phenomenon Drag Race, a hybrid reality and variety competition show that has catapulted the art of drag into the mainstream. The landmark show - and its multiple spin-off formats - have won a record-breaking 30 Emmys over the course of 15 seasons, and moved from digital (Logo) to cable (MTV) to premium network (BBC) with 24 versions of the show available in 17 countries. 

The franchise is not only on television. A convention (DragCon), a live show (Drag Race Live Las Vegas) a line of cocktails and mocktails (House of Love), and books (Don’t F&%k It Up) are some of the iterations of an idea that has not only launched the careers of hundreds of artists, but also saved countless lives through its live-and-let-live message of joy, creativity, and inclusiveness.

Fenton and Randy have always been screen agnostic, believing what counts are the dimensions of the story, not the size of the screen. The Eyes of Tammy Faye, a 2000 feature documentary directed and produced by Fenton and Randy, was adapted for the screen by Jessica Chastain and won two Oscars. Party Monster and Mapplethorpe documentaries have made similar journeys from the small screen to the big screen. 

They have produced more than 250 projects and claim nearly three dozen credits as directors and producers including award-winning and critically acclaimed films “Monica in Black and White”; “Wishful Drinking”; and “Inside Deep Throat”. Many of their films have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.  Recent work includes “Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes,” based on Ronan Farrow’s explosive Harvey Weinstein investigation, and “Small Town News,” both with HBO

To share more widely the spirit of inclusiveness that all World of Wonder projects have in common, they launched WOW Presents Plus, a global subscription network that, in addition to being home to the Drag Race Universe, presents an array of originals celebrating difference. 

Fenton was inspired to write “ScreenAge” as a counter to the endless books condemning television and 'to set the record straight', revealing that the advent of television has allowed those invisible on the margins of society to be seen. The book argues that the least respected genres in this least respected medium have had a transformational impact on our society; public access to reality television, from home shopping to televangelism. 

Fenton's writing has appeared in Paper (where he had a column, Planet Pop, for many years), GQ, The Modern Review, and the London Sunday Times. He is the host of The Wow Report on Sirius XM, a weekly pop culture countdown. ScreenAge is his second book. Fall From Grace documented the trials of Wall Street titan Michael Milken at the hands of Rudolph Giuliani and was optioned to be made into a feature film by Madonna's Maverick company.

Fenton calls Los Angeles his home where he raises his two adopted children.