While Hollywood Struggles, A New Path Is Emerging

While Hollywood’s old guard crumbles and falters, there is a new path for
independent storytellers emerging – stronger than ever – with Open Television (OTV).

This award-winning streaming platform celebrates their 10th anniversary and memorializes their legacy-in-the-making with a bespoke limited series podcast and book. Beyond the Screen is a limited 10-episode audio series unpacking how OTV built a radically inclusive media platform from the ground up, which includes more than 500 titles that are celebrated globally by more than 10,000 subscribers.

“TV doesn’t have to look like the TV we grew up with. It can reflect us. It can reflect our future,” says Aymar “AJ” Christian, OTV co-founder and board treasurer. “We created a platform that has explored and nurtured the relationship between intersectionality, distribution and artistic development and offers alternative infrastructure that centers humanity.”

OTV is much more than a platform – it’s a movement that centers artists and their communities creating a thriving creative ecosystem. Through artist development programs that include annual fellowships, educational workshop series and an internationally recognized film competition, OTV is paving the way for the next generation of artists.

“We’ve built trust and community. We’ve disrupted systems. We’re rejecting Hollywood’s scarcity mindset and extractive nature and are meeting the moment with abundance, hope, community and care and we’re just getting started,” comments Elijah McKinnon, OTV’s co-founder and executive director. “It takes a lot to arrive in the place that we’re at and we unpack how we built this house, brick by brick, in Beyond the
Screen.”

Beyond the Screen is a 10-episode narrative podcast that explores OTV’s evolution, challenges, and contributions to the media landscape through the lens of intersectional storytelling with special guests including award-winning creatives and change-makers Zackary Drucker, Sonya Childress, Bridget Evans, Ricardo Gamboa, Dante Ureta, Celine Tshika, Kyra Jones and McKenzie Chinn.