NOTES FROM AN EXECUTIVE DIVA: LET’S REJOICE IN LEGACY (JUNE '23)
OTV | Open Television
An award-winning nonprofit platform for intersectional television, with artists & their creative visions at the center.
Hello friends of the future,??
Elijah here; your favorite Executive Diva reporting live from an intergalactic dimension. Each day I am greeted with a pleasant swirl of new obstacles that remind me how challenging, yet important it is for us to build our own ecosystems. Since our inception, many of you have cycled in and out through various touchpoints, always creating opportunities for us to embrace accountability while we learn in real time how our interventions show up in the world. It has been a wild ride and half of the time I’m not really sure if I’m coming or going but one thing that constantly grounds me is the OTV Leadership Team.??
Not only do Chris Walker and Sarah Minnie continue to breathe new life into our mission they work together to cultivate a continuum of care that allows our artists, our communities, and ourselves to be brave. As our organization scales, I am so grateful for their leadership, passion, and wisdom that anchors our vision in a practice centered on artistic vitality. Both of them have taken our impact to unimaginable heights and have taught me so much about myself, the world around me and what is truly needed to transform the Film/TV industry. It’s imperative that you all know that I wouldn’t be the leader that I am today without their patience and grace.?
I shared last month that OTV is at a pivotal point of growth; a juncture that requires me to skill up in order to lead this expanding team and burgeoning organization. This is why I’m so incredibly excited to share that I’ve been selected as an inaugural fellow of the 2023 MacArthur Foundation Art of Leadership for journalism and media leaders — a new partnership between The MacArthur Foundation and Rockwood Leadership Institute created to develop emerging leaders and build capacity through an equity-centered lens. The future of OTV’S legacy requires us to celebrate how far we’ve come and chart out a course for where we plan to go.?
As always, I appreciate this portal where I’m able to share intimate parts of OTV’s growth and will continue to use this digital communique to keep you informed + share lessons in the divine.? Keep scrolling for gratitude, a couple of stunts, and some motivation to help you create more space in all aspects of your life. The time is now…LET’S REJOICE IN LEGACY!?
Now…onto some JOY-FILLED ACCOMPLISHMENTS…
#OTVAPPS TURN THREE
An Invitation to Redeem a Free Annual Membership?
Can you believe that today marks the three-year anniversary of the #OTVAPP? Yes, that’s right, we launched our full suite of TV apps back in 2020 at the height of the pandemic during Pride month because we can’t do anything lowkey. As we rolled out #4theQulture, we had no idea our catalog would grow to become a home of over 250 intersectional series, pilots, short films and video art from around the world. To commemorate this huge accomplishment we’re gifting all new subscribers who sign-up by June 30 with a FREE Annual Membership. To redeem this membership follow this link or input OTVAPP3FREE at checkout. In the meantime, we highly recommend you explore our recently updated staff picks:???
Chris Walker —? A curated selection of OTV favorites from Head of Marketing and Exhibition, Chris Walker.
Sarah Minnie —?A curated selection of OTV favorites from Head of Artist Development and Production, Sarah Minnie.
Elijah McKinnon —?A curated selection of OTV favorites from co-founder and Executive Director, Elijah McKinnon.
#OTVTONIGHT’S FELLOWSHIP NEVER ENDS?
Relive the Magic with Never-Before-Seen Footage Captured at the Museum of Contemporary Art
领英推荐
Last month we celebrated our return to fellowship, public programming and community care. We’re still on a high from all of the love that we experienced during #OTVTonight and we are thrilled to be able to share that we’ll be premiering two episodes from the event that contain never-before-seen footage, pop-up interviews and much more. Relive all the magic and keep your eye on the lookout for some familiar faces streaming exclusively via the #OTVAPP on July 1, 2023. In the meantime, stroll through all of the images captured during #OTVTonight by Jacyln Rivas and M Lamourt.??
THE 2023 #OTVFELLOWS FINALISTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED??
Are You Ready to Welcome Our 2023 Cohort into the Group Chat???
The rumors are indeed true —? after several long months, three rounds of reviews and over 150 scripts and treatments we have narrowed down our top 10 finalists that will move on to the final round. We are so overwhelmed by the amount of passion, talent and commitment to intersectional storytelling that we receive each year. While we enter our final stages of review we’d like to send a warm thank you to our community partners, panel of reviewers and OTV alumni that continue to not only amplify this program but challenge us to think outside of the box.
Without giving too much away (and catching major side-eye from the team), please keep your eyes peeled for the 2023 #OTVFellows Cohort announcement next month — it’s giving stunts and razzmatazz! In the meantime, we invite you to catch-up with our previous cohorts while we put the finishing touches on what is sure to be a global glow-up.
In a world filled with so much pain, it can often feel difficult to celebrate all that you have had to overcome. I invite you to think about the ways you close out a month that centers pride and liberation with grace. Ask yourself and your loved ones: What have we experienced or accomplished that needs to be amplified? Don’t let the ways of the world keep you from accessing your full glory.?
Allow yourself to access uninhibited joy. The time is now; let us rejoice in legacy.??
We have nothing to lose but our chains.?
Until we meet in the future.
never not dreaming,?
Co-founder / Executive Diva