Looking For Black Programming? Skip Tube And Head For The Web!

So, with a dearth of programming on our TV and movie screens featuring people of African descent, what are content creators and audiences of African descent to do?

Hit the web! The entire world awaits, so why not? According to World Internet Usage Statistics, there are currently around 1.6 Billion people in the world with Internet access. So, if you can create content, and find a way to reach even one-quarter of one percent of that number, there’d be as many as 4 million pairs of eyeballs watching your material; and imagine if you can somehow get even 1% of those 4 million people to pay to see your content – that’s 40,000 paying customers.

Of course, that’s all hypothetical, and reaching even 1000 people can be a challenge that consumes a lot of tangible and otherwise resources. But, knowing that the potential to attract a fairly significant number of people exists, I think every content creator of any color or religion should take to the web!

And a small but growing number of filmmakers, producers, writers and such, are doing just that – looking to the Web to make “black-themed” programming on their own terms, with varying degrees of success. Regardless of how successful they are, it’s encouraging to see that there is an awareness followed up by meaningful attempts. They may not all succeed, but, as if often the case, one or two will shine!

Thanks to The Root, here’s a sampling of some original Web programming created by, and featuring talent of African descent:

• The New 20s is the brainchild of filmmaker Tracy Taylor, and premiered recently at the New York Television Festival. The series explores the lives of a number of black professionals transitioning from the 20s to their 30s. The show tells its story in a semi-realistic way, forgoing one-liners and slapstick bits and focusing on intimate conversations.
• Johnny B Homeless explores the comic adventures of a young man who migrates from couch to couch in New York City. It took the People’s Choice award at the New York TV festival, and Kenan Thompson, of Saturday Night Live, has joined the cast. Al Thompson, the series creator and star, also has another series, Lenox Avenue, currently screening at festivals.
• Drama Queenz, which is about three gay men trying to make it as actors and singers, is just one of several shows aimed at the under-served black gay and lesbian markets online. After the cancellation of television’s marquee gay and lesbian shows over the years - Queer As Folk, The L Word and Noah’s Arc, the only all-black show – Web producers have moved in to fill the gap.
• Christopher Street, created by Dwight Allen O’Neal, similarly explores black gay men as urban performers.
• The Lovers and Friends Show, which has a substantial following on YouTube, focuses on a large ensemble of lesbian and bisexual women of color, most of them black. The series tries to be more than a show, aiming “to build an online community in which people can feel free to express themselves and their sexuality,” according to its Web site.
• Originally pitched to HBO and Showtime, Kindred (a show I’ve written about previously on this site) garnered some corporate interest, but its trio of producers and actresses decided to take it online after confronting the lack of demand for black shows on television. The show follows three black women – an artist, public servant and executive – as they deal with family, particularly their mothers, relationship problems, body issues, racial identity problems and career obstacles. Kindred, created by SistaPAC productions, premieres next month.
• Finally, Chick debuts this week on Rowdy Orbit, a site dedicated to distributing shows by and about people of color. The show depicts a world where everyday people become superheroes, with a focus on female empowerment. It’s just one of numerous Web shows targeting diverse segments within black and Latino communities that the new site Rowdy Orbit plans to showcase.

I’m sure there are others already online, or in production, or soon to be. I previously toyed with creating an online series, but never acted on any of the ideas I’ve had. Something else always seems to get in the way! But it’s not something that I’ve ruled out. I still plan on creating an online screening room on this site, amongst other related ideas, which I’ve been diligently working on. 2010 will be an interesting year for us!

In the meantime, check out some of the web-based programming above, and let me know what you think afterward. I’ll do the same. I think it’ll be worthwhile to actually dedicate time to reviewing online shows, just as we do theatrical and DVD movies, giving them the same kind of legitimacy.

via THE ROOT