Today we’d like to introduce you to Swan Simpson.
Swan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 2004, I lived in Los Angeles working in the tv & film industry writing and producing. I came to the quick understanding that there is a gatekeeper system in Hollywood that very rarely granted any substantial access to people of color. I was able to be in certain rooms myself and some would say that’s all that should matter. You have access so why do you care about other people getting access. But Dr.King said an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. My upbringing in a desegregated south would not allow me to act so selfishly. True enough I had tv & film projects in various stages of development involving some major networks like CBS & SiTV. But my family’s political roots in the Civil Rights Movement and all the blood-shed that made a way possible for me, would not let me just sit back and focus on my own bag and do absolutely nothing. That was not me. So, my business partner (at the time) and I created a fund to greenlight our own independent work and be in the position to offer access & a check to more people of color with our independent projects. My business partner had clients in her other line of work that were major sports figures. She was able to raise capital as we needed it. I was excited and started making calls and using my network to reach out to a few well-known celebrities thinking I was this little fish in this big pond that was doing something big and that everyone was going to be on board with it. WRONG! People shot me down. I then realized when it came to being independent, there wasn’t a lot of respect in the Holywood system although films like the Blair Witch Project became inspiration for me to believe there was life outside of Hollywood. I just had to find my people which was my audience. I left Los Angeles in frustration and came back to Atlanta where I started. One of my heroes Steve Jobs kept bringing innovation to independent film and tv making and I knew it was just a matter of time and consistency that things would universally have tochange. I spent years throwing things up against the wall and seeing what would stick. In the traditional business world that made no sense. But the digital world has changed all of that. I started an internet based tv network (iptv) back in 2006 called Fusion Network TV. Trusting the wrong people and didn’t properly protect my intellectual property, had my entire network, programming ideas, and logo stolen by a major media company in the spanish language television world. I got discouraged left the industry and started other businesses including the #1 vegan restaurant in Georgia back in 2018 called Canna Bistro. Covid happened. Life happened. Shit happened. After losing my new born son I had with my partner, I shut the restaurant down at the height of its success in 2021 and found myself in a deep depression. I took some time off to deal with my grief and my mental health. In 2023 leveraging streaming technology, I launched Black On Demand TV to do all of the things that I had envisioned doing almost 20 years prior. This is my legacy. The art of Black Storytelling. Giving access to independent creatives and entrepreneurs and allowing them to maintain control of their intellectual property. I came to the conclusion that everything I’d been through was to prepare me for this moment. Our network streams on all Roku & Amazon FireTV devices and smart tv sets. We touch over 200 million plus households. We are working on deals with other streaming partners and will add more tv sets to our footprint. Digital media has allowed us to democratize audience access give this tremendous opportunity to the many deserving talented creatives of color who work with Black On Demand TV. Las year, I started BOD TV Lab which took 8 unknowns that we found on TikTok and help them produce tv shows using smart phone technology. All 8 are success stories and further proof that the vision works. This year we are launching a TV Accelerator that gives condences tv writing & production training into a formal 8 week program. At the end, each participant will pitch their show to a panel of celebrity judges.
We’ve been impressed with Black On Demand TV, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are an independent streaming television network that can be viewed across all Roku & Amazon FireTV devices and smart tv sets. We stream into over 200 million homes globally. You can watch us by adding us from the streaming store on your device. Or you can now watch what’s playing now on our network directly from our website https://blackondemandtv.com/watch
We serve the community in 3 distinct ways:
Distribution where we take a completed feature film or tv show and give it an audience on our network or on one of the 30 other partners we work with like Tubi
Accelerator which is our learning and education piece
Branded TV which is for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to tell their stories and drive more customers and clients their way
How do you think about happiness?
I love coaching and mentoring other people in business. It gives me the greatest amound of joy. I had a Monk to tell me that you are the hand of the Buddha which represents “teacher”. It’s my gift and contribution to the greater good of humanity.
Pricing:
- Branded TV from Feature Interviews to entire shows $597-$7000
- Accelerator an 8 week $800 educational experience
- Distribution is based on revenue sharing with the creative
Contact Info:
- Website: https://blackondemandtv.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachswansimpson
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bodchannelusa
