Beyond the Screen with OTV

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...

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 Chicag...

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 Afri...

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 c...

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, th...

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....

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 Child...

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...

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...

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...

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, archi...