Beyond the Screen with OTV

About Beyond the Screen with OTV

Beyond the Screen: Pushing Media, Imagination, and Legacy Forward is a 10-episode limited audio series celebrating a decade of intersectional media with Open Television (OTV) (https://www.weareo.tv/). Hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery, the series reflects on the creative risks, community lessons, and radical care that shaped OTV’s journey over the past 10 years. Each episode unpacks one of OTV’s “10 Lessons Learned,” weaving together intimate interviews, archival audio, and unscripted commentary from the people who helped build the platform from the ground up. From artists and collaborators to cultural organizers and curators, Beyond the Screen offers a behind-the-scenes look at how OTV redefined indie media—and what’s next for intersectional storytelling. Stream a decade of unfiltered storytelling on the OTV App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Publisher

OTV

Category

business · business · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Sept 2025

Latest episode

2 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Dec 2025

   Lesson 10: Set the Table, Keep the Faith w/ McKenzie Chinn

   The Faith in Community How can we set the table for a community that invites everyone to share in the vision of a brighter future? In this episode of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery sit down with McKenzie Chinn to reflect on faith as a daily practice in community. From ethical, care-centered sets to boundary-setting inside artist support programs, they explore how love, trust, and intention make space for everyone to show up fully. When resources are limited and needs are high, what does it look like to set fewer seats, serve a nourishing meal, and then build another table so more can eat well? Mentioned in this episode: A Real One (https://watch.weareo.tv/videos/a-real-one) by McKenzie Chinn Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley Special Guest: McKenzie Chinn is a writer, director, actor, and educator whose work centers Black women’s interior lives, fierce love, and community care. Her practice advances ethical production and healing-forward storytelling as tools for collective transformation. Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate (https://www.weareo.tv/donate)

2. 

   25 Nov 2025

   Lesson 9: Call In, Keep Going w/ Kyra Jones

   The Recommitment to Community (Returning to Fellowship) In what ways can we recommit to the spaces and relationships that strengthen our community? In this episode of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery sit down with Kyra Jones to talk about recommitting to community through accountability, care, and values-driven storytelling. From calling in Chicago institutions with love and rigor to bringing survivor-centered narratives to network TV, they explore how we return to fellowship when things get messy, and how optimism, humor, and integrity keep the work moving. Mentioned in this episode: Jade (https://watch.weareo.tv/jade) by Kyra Jones Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley Special Guest: Kyra Jones is a screenwriter, actor, and educator currently located in LA. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Theatre and Gender Studies. She is the co-creator and star of the award-winning OTV web series, The Right Swipe. Other writing and acting credits include: Woke (Hulu), Queens (ABC), Empire (Fox), Chicago Justice (NBC), The Chi (Showtime), and Seeds (OTV). Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate (https://www.weareo.tv/donate)

3. 

   18 Nov 2025

   Lesson 8: Give Them the Keys w/ Céline Tshika

   The Mobilization of Community (Moving Into the House) How can we mobilize the collective power of community to build something greater than ourselves? In this episode of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery sit down with Céline Tshika to explore how humor, honesty, and courage can activate real change. From her start in OTV’s Brave Futures: South Africa to her viral musical comedies, Céline reflects on the joy and vulnerability that come with being seen — and how creative communities can become movements when we hand each other the keys. Mentioned in this episode: Cape Town Royalty Programme (https://watch.weareo.tv/videos/cape-town-royalty-programme) by Céline Tshika Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley. Special Guest: Céline Tshika is a DRC-born, South Africa-raised actor, comedian, and filmmaker based in Cape Town. After an Engineering “degree for the parents,” she studied Acting for Film in Los Angeles and created and starred in a web series ‘Jess Goes West’ about being an African in LA. She is known for her satirical sketches, social media content and stand-up comedy. From catchy comedic music, to being staffed in writers rooms and cast in local television, Céline’s creativity [and browser tabs] are limitless. Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate (https://www.weareo.tv/donate)

4. 

   11 Nov 2025

   Lesson 7: Infrastructure Is Intimacy w/ Dante Ureta

   The Resourcing of Community (The House is Built) What resources does your community need to thrive and support its members? In this episode of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery sit down with Dante Ureta to unpack what it really takes to resource a creative community. From funding models to mutual care, they explore how intersectional storytellers can sustain their work (and one another) for the long haul. Mentioned in this episode: De Hombres Hemos De Morir (https://watch.weareo.tv/videos/dehombreshemosdemorir) by Dante Ureta Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley Special Guest: Dante Ureta is a Mexican filmmaker and storyteler whose work blends documentary, fiction, and narrative practices to explore trans identities and social justice. His short films and documentaries center queer and dissident experiences, while his background in psychology informs his colaborative and intimate approach to storyteling. Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate

5. 

   4 Nov 2025

   Lesson 6: Make the Work, Don’t Wait for Permission w/ Ricardo Gamboa

   The Defining of Community (Cultivating the Architecture) How do we design a community that reflects the values and voices of all its members? In this episode of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery are joined by Ricardo Gamboa (writer, director, and creator of BRUJOS) to talk about the courage it takes to create work that tells the truth. Together, they unpack the politics of permission, community accountability, and what it means to build radical art movements from the ground up. Mentioned in this episode: Brujos (https://watch.weareo.tv/brujos) by Ricardo Gamboa Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley Special Guest: Ricardo Gamboa (they/them), PhD, is an award-winning artist, activist, and scholar based in their native Chicago. For over 20 years, Gamboa has created art, media, and theater that is radically produced, presented, and politicized, and aims to provide radical pedagogical interventions at the grassroots level. Gamboa's focuses their current work on endeavors with Concrete Content, an autonomous theater company they founded that mobilizes theater as a means of placemaking and popular education and entertainment. In 2019, Gamboa began working as a screenwriter in Hollywood and since then has written for Amazon Prime, FX, HBOMax, and Showtime. Ricardo has won several awards including a Joyce Award and an International Connections Award from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Gamboa has a doctorate degree from New York University’s Department of Social and Cultural Analysis and M.A. in Arts Politics from the Tisch School of the Arts. They have worked with hundreds of young people using art as means for political education and self-determination. Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate (https://www.weareo.tv/donate)

6. 

   28 Oct 2025

   Lesson 5: Fund the Future You Want w/ Bridgit Antoinette Evans

   The Expanding of Community (Laying the Foundation) What does it take to lay a strong foundation for a community that lasts beyond the screen? In this episode of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery sit down with Bridgit Antoinette Evans, Executive Director of the Pop Culture Collaborative, to talk about how funding can be a radical act of imagination. Together, they unpack what it means to invest in the storytellers shaping tomorrow’s culture—and how rethinking philanthropy can move us closer to liberation. Mentioned in this episode: SEEDS (https://watch.weareo.tv/seeds) by Deja Harrell Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley Special Guest: Bridgit Antoinette Evans is widely recognized as one of the foremost thought leaders in the culture change strategy field. A professional artist and strategist, she has dedicated her career to the relentless investigation of the potential of artists to drive cultural change in society. Fifteen years of work at the intersection of pop culture storytelling and social change has evolved into a vision for a new, hybrid culture change field in which creative and social justice leaders work together to create and popularize stories that shape the narratives, values, beliefs and behaviors that define American culture. Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate (https://www.weareo.tv/donate)

7. 

   21 Oct 2025

   Lesson 4: Reflect, Don’t Repeat w/ Sonya Childress

   The Holding of Community (Seeds Taking Root) How do we create spaces where seeds of change can take root and flourish? In this episode of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery reflect on the power and pitfalls of representation—who gets to tell stories, who they serve, and how we hold ourselves accountable in the process. With special guest Sonya Childress, they explore how to create work that mirrors community without reproducing the same systems we’re trying to transform. Mentioned in this episode: Everything is Everything (https://watch.weareo.tv/everything-is-everything) by Kin Marie Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley Special Guest: Sonya Childress - a founding Co-Executive Director of Color Congress. A veteran film strategist, she spent over two decades devising impact campaigns and distribution strategies at Active Voice, California Newsreel and Firelight Media, where she piloted a fellowship for impact producers of color. As a Senior Fellow with the Perspective Fund, she examined issues of ethics, equity and accountability in the documentary field. She is a founding member of the Documentary Accountability Working Group, a board member of the Center for Cultural Power, a 2015 Rockwood JustFilms Fellow, a recipient of the 2022 Leading Light Award from Doc NYC, and a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. More importantly, she is a mother, daughter, sister, and aunt. Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate (https://www.weareo.tv/donate)

8. 

   14 Oct 2025

   Lesson 3: Activate or Be Forgotten w/ Zackary Drucker

   The Activation of Community (Sprouting of Seeds) What sparks the growth of your community, turning ideas into tangible action? In this episode of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery reflect on the messy, transformative moment when OTV shifted from an idea to an activated movement. With special guest Zackary Drucker, they unpack how communities ignite collective energy, transform vulnerability into action, and sustain joy even in times of chaos. Mentioned in this episode: Southern for Pussy (https://watch.weareo.tv/southern-for-pussy) by Zackary Drucker Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley Special Guest: Zackary Drucker is an Emmy nominated director for the HBO documentary The Stroll (2023), and an Emmy nominated producer for the docuseries This Is Me (2015). She was a producer on the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning Amazon show Transparent (2014 - 2019) and produced the film Biosphere (Duplass Brothers Productions / IFC, 2022). The Lady and The Dale, her 4-part series and directorial debut for television, premiered on HBO in 2021; it was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2022. The Stroll won a Peabody Award in 2024 and a Special Jury Award: Clarity of Vision at Sundance 2023. Her standalone directorial feature QUEENMAKER: The Making of an It Girl was released on Hulu in May 2023. Her latest documentary feature, Enigma, debuted at Sundance 2025 and premiered on HBO worldwide in June. Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate (https://www.weareo.tv/donate)

9. 

   7 Oct 2025

   Lesson 2: Trust the Rave, Build the Roots w/ Fatimah Asghar

   The Power of Community (Planting the Seeds) How does your community nurture the roots of its power and potential? In this episode of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery are joined by writer and creator Fatimah Asghar to reflect on the power of community as a mirror and as a root system. From a week-long livestream marathon to an unforgettable factory rave, they revisit OTV’s early experiments in trust, vulnerability, and audacity. Together, they explore how communities build strength by showing up for one another, sharing resources, and daring to dream out loud. Mentioned in this episode: Brown Girls (https://watch.weareo.tv/browngirls) a wrap on anatomy of a fuckboy!! (https://fatimahasghar.substack.com/p/a-wrap-on-anatomy-of-a-fuckboy) Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley Special Guest: Fatimah Asghar: poet, fiction writer, filmmaker, and co-creator of Brown Girls. Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate (https://www.weareo.tv/donate)

10. 

    30 Sept 2025

    Lesson 1: Seeds Don’t Sleep

    The Crucible of Community (Gathering Seeds) What seeds are you planting today that will shape the community of tomorrow? In the debut of Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy, hosts Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery return to the earliest sparks of Open Television. From sticky notes on a studio wall to planting the first seeds of a movement, they reflect on the power of trust, the glow-up of community, and how love in practice became the soil that OTV grew from. Mentioned in this episode: #VIEWPOINTS: HOW I DESIGNED OPEN TV by Elijah McKinnon (https://www.weareo.tv/community/viewpoints-by-elijah-mckinnon) Two Queens In A Kitchen (https://watch.weareo.tv/two-queens-in-a-kitchen-1) Open TV: Innovation beyond Hollywood and the Rise of Web Television by Aymar Jean Christian (https://nyupress.org/9781479815975/open-tv/) Reparative Media Cultivating Stories and Platforms to Heal Our Culture by Aymar Jèan Escoffery (https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262553261/reparative-media/) The Cookout: A guide to AI Ancestral Intelligence by Aymar Jèan Escoffery (https://forthebirdstrappedinairports.com/products/the-cookout-a-guide-to-ai-ancestral-intelligence-by-aymar-jean-escoffery) Credits: Beyond the Screen: OTV’s 10-Year Legacy is hosted by Elijah McKinnon and Dr. AJ Escoffery. Executive Produced by OTV. Produced by Tribble at Ask Tribble, Inc. and Respair Media. Associate Producers: Rasheed Peters and Stefanie Wong. Theme music: The Secret Life of Dandelions by Roy Kinsey feat. J.A. Grimms + Edith Yokley Learn more about OTV at https://www.weareo.tv/ Support the Vision: This audio series is powered by our community and generous supporters: the MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Kashif Incubator, Twenty43 Ventures, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and DCASE. Together, we’re shaping the future of unfiltered storytelling. Keep the vision alive and donate today at https://www.weareo.tv/donate

11. 

    22 Sept 2025

    Beyond the Screen Limited Audio Series Trailer

    Beyond the Screen is a 10-episode limited audio series celebrating a decade of intersectional media with Open Television (OTV). Hosted by Elijah McKinnon and AJ Escoffery, the series reflects on the creative risks, community lessons, and radical care that shaped OTV’s journey over the past 10 years. Each episode unpacks one of OTV’s “10 Lessons Learned,” weaving together intimate interviews, archival audio, and unscripted commentary from the people who helped build the platform from the ground up. From artists and collaborators to cultural organizers and curators, Beyond the Screen offers a behind-the-scenes look at how OTV redefined indie media—and what’s next for intersectional storytelling. Stream a decade of unfiltered storytelling on the OTV App or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.