ELIJAH MCKINNON
OTV | Open Television is a platform for intersectional television, with artists and their creative visions at the center. Since 2015, we have operated as a distribution platform that supports artists and communities marginalized by their race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, disability or nationality began as part of an ongoing research project at Northwestern University. I am the Co Founder, alongside my collaborators and dear friend, Dr. Aymar Jean Christian. In the earlier days of OTV I served as the Head of Marketing and Design. The core foundations of OTV’s branding, community engagement strategy and program design stem from my roots as a creative strategist. You can read more about How I Designed OTV via our blog where you will see inspiration from global communities such as CreativeMornings.
One component that has always inspired me about OTV is the unparalleled perspective of what it means to amplify and sustain intersectional arts and artists in the age of digital media. In addition to providing a network of care to foster the entire trajectory of a creative project from inception to release, OTV also offers connectivity, financing and consultation throughout. This is all to bring the stories of our time that are often underrepresented or missing from TV, to the public.
OTV is cultivating the next generation of storytellers and audiences for their stories. To date, OTV has released over 100 original pilots, shorts, and series. Programs have attracted thousands of Chicagoans locally through public screenings and over 1 million plays on Vimeo. OTV artists have received numerous accolades including, Emmy, Webby, Gotham, Streamy wins and nominations, among other Awards. Creative projects have resulted in development deals with HBO, Lionsgate and Red Arrow Entertainment. This is in addition to a parade of critical praise from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, New York Times, AV Club, Elle, as well as community-focused blogs and publications. In 2020, we launched our suite of OTV apps via Apple, Android, Amazon and Roku platforms with the support of Vimeo OTT.
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Elijah is an award-winning entrepreneur, artist and visionary from the future currently residing on planet earth. They received a Bachelors of Science from the Art Institute of San Francisco in Marketing and Management with a focus in Campaign Development and New Media studies. In addition to serving as the Founder and Director of People Who Care, Inc., . their independent consultancy and studio practice that works exclusively with nonprofits and grassroots initiatives such as AIDS Foundation Chicago, Northwestern University, The Andy Warhol Foundation, Grindr for Equality, Center for Disease Control and many more they are also deeply involved in queer, creative and philanthropic communities around the globe.
They are constantly moving and shaking in an attempt to build meaningful relationships and encourage resource sharing. Elijah co-produced and starred in Chicago's #PrEP4Love campaign; is the Co-Founder and Development Director of Reunion Chicago, a exhibition space and project incubator prioritized for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC in creative roles; is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of OTV - Open Television, a web TV platform for queer, trans and artists of color; and is a curator in residence at Estudio Teorema, a culturally-charged activist gallery and production studio located in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Elijah’s artistic practice and activism sit at the intersections of healing, wellness, race, sexulaity, gender, new media and storytelling. Their work explores themes of space-making, liberation, and resilience as seen in their highly acclaimed web series, Two Queens in a Kitchen (S1-S3), a turn-to-relevance cooking show exploring art, culture and politics; their work-in-progress performance piece, Today I Learned, a durational experiment exploring their personal relationship to abuse, death, depression and identity; their web series developed in partnership with University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and Duke University, Good Enough, a limited digital series exploring coming out, chosen family, depression, HIV-prevention and sexual health; and Catch Desire, a 3 song visual album exploring sexual liberation, intimacy, pleasure and PrEP developed in collaboration with Chicago Department of Public Health, AIDS Foundation of Chicago and PrEP4Love. Most recently, THANDO, Elijah’s first feature- length film exploring black, queer vulnerability was written and produced in Johannesburg, South Africa and is schedule to be released late Summer 2021. They are currently in pre-production for their first feature-length documentary examining substance abuse in the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.
Elijah’s professional, artistic, and advocacy work has been covered by the Chicago Tribune, Out Magazine, CBS, VICE, Pride, PBS and many more publications. They have performed and exhibited work around the globe in spaces such as Museum for Contemporary Art (Chicago), Soho House (Berlin, London, Barcelona), J&B Hive (South Africa) , Raúl Anguiano Art Museum (Mexico) and more.
Over the years, Elijah’s work ethic and commitment to equitable solutions have garnered awards and acknowledgements including but not limited to being named a finalist of the Grinnell College Innovator in Social Justice Prize in 2021; a recipient of the prestigious New Leaders of Chicago award by the Field Foundation of Illinois and MacArthur Foundation in 2020; acknowledged as New City's Film 50 Issue as one of the Top 10 of 50 individuals changing the landscape of film in 2019; and in 2016 Elijah was named “Top 30 Under 30 LGBT People" in Chicago, Illinois by the Windy City Times and was invited to the first annual African-American LGBTQ Education Summit at The White House.