Non-profit Streaming Platform Open Television (OTV) Prepares for 10th Anniversary by Expanding Board and tapping former Film/TV Executives from the Sundance Institute, Amazon, Macro and More to Help Stabilize the Future of Intersectional Storytelling

CHICAGO, IL (MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2024) – On April 29, Open Television (OTV), the Emmy-nominated non-profit streaming platform and media incubator announced the expansion of their governing body and tentative plans for their 10th anniversary in 2025. The new board officers who join the current three-member board, are TV exec and producer Christine Dávila, film/tv exec Dayo Lamolo, producer and director Fernando Garcia, educator and non-profit consultant Hilesh Patel, author and professor Jess King, cultural and narrative strategist Kat Evasco, writer and cultural strategist Karim Ahmad and film/tv exec and producer Makiah Green.

Launched in 2015 at Northwestern University as a research project of Dr. Aymar Jean Christian and the subject of his first book, Open TV: Innovation beyond Hollywood and the Rise of Web Television, the platform set out to champion intersectional storytelling from filmmakers who were often marginalized by market and society because of their race, gender, sexuality, nationality or disability. Through intentional artist development and dynamic community engagement the non-profit platform garnered major success and attention from its shows Brown Girls created by Sam Bailey and Fatimah Ashgar, Code-Switched created by Karan Sunil and Starving Artists created by Dewayne Perkins and Asia Lashay Bullock.

After many years of incubation, research and development OTV launched as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization in 2019 after securing several multi-year general operating grants from MacArthur Foundation, Surdna Foundation and Pop Culture Collaborative. Armed with the mission to transform the way the film and television industry supports independent artists and communities the organization has soared under the leadership of Co-founder and Executive Director, Elijah McKinnon alongside core support from Ford Foundation, Elevate Prize Foundation and NBCUniversal.

“It has been a dream to witness the role OTV has played in helping build a thriving independent film/tv ecosystem outside of the Hollywood canon that is truly dedicated to artistic vitality. As we approach our 10th Anniversary in 2025 the expansion of our board will play a critical role in shaping the future of OTV which includes scaling our distribution model, piloting a development/production fund and launching a several-day long festival-styled convening,” says McKinnon.

As OTV looks to the next 10 years of independent filmmaking and intersectional storytelling the award-winning organization has taken a liberatory approach toward governance. The role of their Evolutionary Governing Body (FKA Board of Directors) is to support the sustainability, growth and commitment of the mission, vision and ecosystem. Members work directly with the leadership team and other key stakeholders to reimagine governance of a non-profit organization as the current design does not serve intersectional communities and minority-led institutions. “OTV is a radically forward thinking enterprise that has immense potential to redefine and proliferate all aspects of the film and TV industry from development through distribution via the model of care and intersectionality that it has prototyped and evolved over nearly 10 years. It is an honor to help steward this organization into its next era” says Karim Ahamad, Founder of Utopia Studio and Restoring the Future.

OTV is slowly developing a world where media is a tool for building empathy over division. They are committed to supporting the next generation of storytellers through intentional artist development and dynamic community engagement. “I have always been passionate about building a safe and sustainable infrastructure for us to be able to craft, own, and share our stories with the world in the way that only we know how. Since its inception, OTV has been ahead of the curve and I am excited to formally join forces and continue to help build the equitable, inclusive, and incredibly entertaining community-centered platform of our wildest dreams” says Emmy Award-Winning Producer and Founder of Get Free Media, Makiah Green

Brick-by-brick, OTV is laying the necessary foundation to identify, activate and mobilize the next generation of storytellers who are unafraid to embrace cultural difference and empowered to navigate complex systems to ensure their stories are told authentically. Their unique pipeline is designed to resource a diverse range of early career filmmakers, storytellers and creatives that are interested in leveraging their artistic prowess to cultivate sustainable careers within the broader film, tv and media landscapes.