kweliTV

Moments before 40-year-old Terence Crutcher was gunned down with his hands up in the air by a white police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, another officer looking below from a helicopter on a walkie-talkie said that Crutcher — a father of four who was in route home after taking a class at a community college — “looked like a bad dude.” 

What exactly does a “bad dude” look like? By all accounts, Crutcher was far from being “bad.” He was a family man, a father who loved singing in his church choir, so much so that he had enrolled into Tulsa Community College in hopes of earning an associate degree in music appreciation.

On the day Crutcher was murdered, he was not committing a crime. He was not armed. He was not breaking any traffic violations. His car had just stalled. He had his hands up in the air when approached by the police. What could make the officer believe that Crutcher was a “bad dude” —bad enough to kill him? The answer is simple — implicit bias.

These incidents have become shockingly prevalent in the last few years, but not surprising given the lack of representation in all facets of the media. Ninety percent of newsroom supervisors are white. Ninety-three percent of content creators who receive director roles or distribution deals are white men. 92% of film executives and 87% of TV execs are white and mostly male. Only 7% of all films and only 2% of all streaming content have casts that reflect the country's race and ethnic diversity.

The Sentencing Project revealed that implicit bias from producers and journalists shapes how blacks are portrayed in the media. According to Project Implicit, 80% of whites harbor implicit bias against black people; but shockingly 48% of blacks also have some form of implicit racial bias against black people because of media images. These false perceptions affect the criminal justice system, hiring practices, housing, pay equality, academic expectations and more.

These findings mirror what The Media Representations & Impact on the Lives of Black Men and Boys report, conducted by The Opportunity Agenda revealed — that negative mass media portrayals shaped how the public viewed black men and how young black men viewed themselves. According to the report, the portrayals “not only help create barriers to advancement within our society, but also ‘make these positions seem natural and inevitable’.”

The war on Black history and misinformation exacerbates this issue. In the past few years, 39 states have introduced over 160 bills limiting what schools can teach about race, American history, sexual orientation, etc. And about 70 percent of false news stories are more likely to be retweeted than true ones.

kweliTV is a digital platform that celebrates global black stories and amplifies black creatives through nearly 700 critically acclaimed indie films, documentaries, animation, web series, children’s shows and audio stories as well as immersive and live experiences. These are Black-focused content from North America, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Australia. 98% of our films have been official selections at film festivals; 65% are award-winning. Our business model is built around shifting the Black narrative, helping to dismantle implicit bias and increasing the visibility and economic inclusion among Black creatives. Our mission is to curate and produce content that’s a true reflection of the global black experience, through:

SVOD & LIVE CHANNELS – Content focusing on racial equality, the environment, Black history, food justice, women’s empowerment, political activism, wellness, economics, Black immigration, etc., with the rest featuring global Black cultural stories that’s oftentimes missing in traditional media.

LIVE EXPERIENCES – Film screenings, inclusive awards, fireside chats, retreats, summits, immersive pop-ups & other community activities (virtual and in-person).

EDU Portal – Campus wide access of our content to provide cultural learning, classroom instruction & inclusion training from kindergarten to college.

CREATOR PIPELINE – Working with 450+ filmmakers globally—60% of our subscription revenue is allocated to them. 91% of our creators are of African descent and 50% are women.

This year, we’re launching a new product to address misinformation and the dismantling of Black history and culture in the educational system. IIMAGN will be immersive spaces showcasing the work of diverse “artivists” in film, audio, gaming, XR, etc. These pop-up, interactive exhibitions will amplify historical people, facts and events, feature relevant racial and social movements, and tackle what a safe, equitable Black future could look like. We also expanding kweliTV's kweli.EDU is a digital portal that delivers culturally rich global Black indie films, documentaries and shows to schools, libraries and other institutions in order to shift the black narrative, dismantle implicit bias and tackle the erasure of Black History education.

While there are 1.4 billion people worldwide who are of African descent. Our initial target market consists of the 85 million people globally who are Black, at least working class and have internet access. kweliTV has more than 50K registered users (live channel streamers, subscribers and renters). About 81% of our customers are in North America; 9% are in Europe; 5% are in Latin America & Caribbean; and 5% in Africa. In addition, this year we have expanded our revenue model to include an EDU component that allows us to offer campus wide subscriptions. In 2023, our goal is to onboard 2 institutions per quarter. We initially plan to target the 1,892 public institutions, 1,754 private nonprofit institutions in the U.S. over the next 10 years. So far this year, we have secured contracts with two institutions, DePaul University and Packer Institute. We see our consumer model as a $12B global opportunity. We see are our EDU model as a $54M opportunity.

About 83% of Blacks say they don’t see their stories properly represented on-screen. 80% of Black women are concerned how they’re portrayed in mainstream media. 75% of Black people want more history, documentaries and news targeting them. Despite being the largest consumers of media, only 6% of the writers, directors & producers of US-produced films are Black.

As a global platform, kweliTV is accessible from anywhere in the world and distributed to several mobile and TV apps, platforms and educational institutions.  Our current distribution:

SVOD Distribution: Comcast X-1 and Flex, Roku, Samsung, Google TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire, iOS, GooglePlay for Android, and Cox. We are currently onboarding on Amazon Prime Channels.

FAST Distribution (live, free, ad-supported TV): Comcast Xfinity X-1 and Flex, Xumo, DistroTV and Kapang. We are currently onboarding on Free Moves + and KICK.com.

EDU Distribution: DePaul University and Packer Institute. We two universities committed for Fall 2023: Columbia University & the University of Colorado. We have three schools in our pipeline: the University of California Irvine, Tulane University and UPenn. In 2023, we anticipate onboarding 3 universities every quarter. In 2024, we will increase that number to 5 per quarter.

Few would deny the power storytelling has in motivating action, changing attitudes and influencing thought leaders, decision makers and the general public. Studies show that emotional simulation in stories is the foundation for empathy in humans prompting us to engage socially and form relationships.

Ultimately, impact means: 1) changing the way little black girls and boys see themselves; 2) fostering a national dialogue on economic and social inequality that results in policy and legislation action; 3) creating content that encourages the community to save more, eat healthier and live their best lives; and 4) energizing citizens to organize and build movements through art and storytelling.

The inspiration for kweliTV was born out of desperation. I didn't see myself represented on screen. I wanted to see Black history beyond February. I had no way to view indie Black films or watch content about Black lives outside of the US unless I traveled to a film festival.  I was angered about the tragedies like George Floyd, Terence Crutcher, Breonna Taylor, and many others; and I wanted to create a platform that married entertainment with activism.

I've always understood how powerful media is — even as a child. My discovery of Emmett's Till's death on my way to church as a 10-year-old was my first lesson. An avid reader as a child, on most Sundays I would take a book or magazine with me to occupy my time while sitting in the back seat of my parent's car headed to church. On one particular Sunday, I chose the latest issue of Jet magazine, a black-owned publication. I remember seeing the infamous photograph of 14-year-old Emmett Till's disfigured body lying in an open casket for the first time. The image startled me — so much so that I closed the magazine and sat in silence for the remainder of the ride. When we arrived at church, I couldn't stop thinking about Emmett Till.

As we've seen far too many times in the last decade, the story of Emmett Till is still not a unique one. Thanks to technology courageous citizens are recording, live streaming, and uploading incidents of innocent Black men and women dying unjustly for the world to witness — similar Mamie Till's bravery. My mission is to continue the work of Jet and use kweliTV's platform to amplify the stories of resistance in towns and cities across the globe while also creating a safe space for our customers to decompress from the constant images of Black death with films and documentaries of Black excellence, hope and resilience.

I'm multimedia journalist & AmeriCorps VISTA alum who has spent over 15 years launching and managing media brands and content. Before my startup, I oversaw all online, social media & video content, ad & budget as Dir. of Communications for a DC org.

Since the start of my career, I have been in charge of curating and creating content for a number of organizations. Being the 8th hire at his last company, our community engagement and membership manager is a master generalist who has been instrumental in streamlining our customer service procedures and sales strategy. A natural leader, our global content coordinator is a recent grad who is multi-talented in writing, video editing, audio, producing and voiceover.  We're a small team, but our collective passion and strategic vision for kweliTV's current and future impact will ultimately contribute to our success.

I’m applying to SOLVE because I believe the opportunity can help kweliTV map out our expansion in the B2B academia market. Given the type of content that we curate, kweliTV has a unique opportunity to expand our revenue model into corporate and institution subscriptions that can make a significant social impact while also being financially sustainable. This program will be a great space to strategize this potential business opportunity. If accepted into the program, in addition to expanding to B2B, our other priorities are hiring a full-time marketing director and expanding our distribution channels. Our long-term goals are to continue to curate and ultimately produce mission-driven content with global Black creatives focusing on XR storytelling, gaming, augmented reality documentaries, animation, episodic audio stories, interactive pop-ups, immersive art and hardware development. This content would be housed on our platform and apps as well as on a new educational portal showcasing global Black history and culture that can be used for school instruction. We also aim to build a social impact push notification function on our platform and apps. We would leverage the tech resources to build out the new feature on our platform.

In addition, I look forward to connecting with entrepreneurship advisors and mentors to workshop some of our product roadmap, branding, and revenue strategy ideas to ensure we are making the most effective impact. I also see this as an opportunity to scale kweliTV's 3-year business & marketing strategy to reach an international audience. Finally, I am excited about meeting other participants who are building unique brands to share, collaborate and be authentic accountability partners. Running and scaling a business can be a lonely road. I hope to be a part of a safe space that allows entrepreneurs to share as well as encourage each other on our journey.

kweliTV is the only mission-driven mass media company solely dedicated to using storytelling to change the Black narrative and dismantle systemic racism through film, augmented reality, audio and live experiences produced by creators of African descent. 

Through our content partners, we are able fulfill our mission of changing the Black narrative while also hosting virtual and in-person screenings, watch parties and film discussions in collaboration with civil rights groups, nonprofits and corporations. Before the pandemic, we hosted social justice screenings in six cities that allowed our customers and fans to connect with the award-winning kweliCREATORS in their area. This tour, which included a Q&A with a featured kweliTV filmmaker, in collaboration with AARP to amplify the work they were doing around racial and LGBTQ inequality. Last February, we collaborated with Merck’s global black employees’ network, LEAD (League of Employees of African Descent), to host a screening of Wilmington On Fire, the unknown story about the heavily armed mob that launched a violent attack against a black community in 1898, in Wilmington, NC. We also worked with GCI Health’s DEI team to curate a list of 10 impactful films on kweliTV for their entire staff to watch and discuss during Black History Month. We hosted a virtual screening & post discussion of Following the Drinking Gourd, a black food justice documentary, in collaboration with the Maine Farmland Trust. We have had early discussions with groups such as Color of Change and BLD PWR to host film screenings and Q&As that connects the films on kweliTV to their community and political work. In 2022, we launched our partnership with Represent Justice, a non-profit that harnesses the power of media to engage audiences in reimagining the justice system, to distribute their original film Little April, a short film co-produced by the organization and April Grayson, a formerly incarcerated woman who uses fantasy and sci-fi to tell her story. For 2023, we aim to expand our relationship with Represent Justice by being a pipeline for their social impact stories.

This year, we’re launching a new product to address misinformation and the dismantling of Black history and culture in the educational system. IIMAGN will be immersive spaces showcasing the work of diverse “artivists” in film, audio, gaming, XR, etc. These pop-up, interactive exhibitions will amplify historical people, facts and events, feature relevant racial and social movements, and tackle what a safe, equitable Black future could look like. We also expanding kweliTV's kweli.EDU is a digital portal that delivers culturally rich global Black indie films, documentaries and shows to schools, libraries and other institutions in order to shift the black narrative, dismantle implicit bias and tackle the erasure of Black History education. 

In addition, there is evidence that Black Americans experience higher rates of PTSD due to racial trauma. In recent years, our customers have expressed how the pandemic, current events, microaggressions and videos of deadly racist encounters have caused PTSD. As a result, we are even more intentional about the content that we curate & create. Our theory of change also includes cultivating safe spaces (online and virtual) that ultimately heals.

Over the next five years, we plan to build out a new product, IIMAGN, an immersive studio that aims to use various mixed reality products to will amplify historical people, facts and events, feature relevant racial and social movements. 1) IIMAGN.space will be immersive playgrounds showcasing the work of diverse “artivists” in film, audio, gaming, XR, etc. These interactive exhibitions will showcase diverse storytelling and tackle what a safe, equitable Black future could look like; 2) IIMAGN BOOKS (black books reimaged) will be an immersive book publishing arm (3D audio books; interactive graphic novels, video books with moving images; physical books with audio effects, ChatGPT, read-a longs, etc.,) that will release interactive books with a social mission;  and 3) IIMAGN CARDS will be tech-first, interactive history & culture cards focused on the African diaspora that will allow participants to learn about important historical facts with a ChatGPT component for people to ask questions or receive further insight about a particular subject and receive a voice answer in real-time from a historical figure from that particular historical event/fact (spoken by a voice actor). It would also include interactive polls and quizzes that can feed back the answers in real time.

Storytelling has the power to motivate action, change attitudes and influence minds. Studies show that emotional simulation in stories is the foundation for empathy in humans prompting us to engage socially and form relationships. kweliTV is shaping a world that:

• Positively alters what it means to be Black through storytelling;
• Allows little Black kids to see themselves through positive affirmations;
• Inspires our community and our allies to organize and build movements;
• Forges dialogue and call-to-action on racial & social inequalities that result in policy action;
• Creates stories that heals mentally & economically and fosters self-love; and
• Gives diverse creatives full autonomy & resources to develop impactful art.

Impact means having a profitable, global media brand that correctly tells the stories of the black community worldwide, gives people of African descent a voice and provides a steady income to diverse creators. To measure impact, we aim to build a social impact push notification. After viewing content, with the click a button, consumers can receive worksheets and resources, information on how to volunteer, donate, sign a petition, join a cause, or even receive assistance, etc., based on the social impact documentaries they’ve watched. We will track how customers use our call-to-action notification; and how they share it and interact with it.

We will also conduct bi-annual studies (every two years) on implicit bias in the media and diverse representation. In addition, we will be creating online action plans that will be living documents that our customers can use to continue the conversation and eventually take action based on the films that they watched on kweliTV or from conversations that took place during live in-person and virtual events.

We will be building a dedicated library of videos, audio and written posts of activists who have built something impactful around racial and social justice; lessons and best practices from each fireside chat to inspire participants to launch projects of their own; resources such as access to funding, mentorship, movements, and other guidance for success; a dedicated live chat space to build community and a push notification that will allow people to take action on cause featured chats. We will be sending participants weekly email updates when new content is added to the online portal as well as with progress entries from attendees who are working on new initiatives. Those who start new projects and collaborations will be invited as special guests to future kweliTV sponsored events to share their developments during future in-person convenings or on one of the online mediums. The collective change conversations will be archived and accessible online. The online portal content library will be regularly refreshed with conversations on various mediums (video, audio, XR and written); and there will be a safe, chat space for participants to share ideas in real-time.

The stories we tell literally make the world. If you want to change the world, you need to change your story.” — Michael Margolis

I launched kweliTV because I wanted to change the way people of African descent are portrayed in mainstream media because perception is everything. Kweli means “truth” in Swahili so since day one, I’ve been on a mission to curate and eventually create content that is a true reflection of the black experience.

When you have people who don’t look like me overwhelmingly occupy newsrooms, writing rooms & film studios, you end up with:

A former detective continuously booked on a major cable news network justifies the murders of unarmed black men in every situation, even when video proves him wrong.

Ryan Lochte being able to fool journalists into believing that he was robbed by Black locals in Brazil during the Olympics.

A former HBCU football player Jonathan Ferrell is shot and killed as he ran toward police for help after getting into a severe car accident.

A segment on a major news network that allows a former cop to say that black people are naturally “prone to criminality” and go on unchecked by the journalist.

A presidential candidate giving a speaking on national television saying that all black people are “living in poverty” and “have no jobs.”

With nearly 80% of newsroom jobs  & 87% of film jobs are occupied by whites, do preconceived biases seep into storytelling? Yes, according to research. The Sentencing Project released a report that revealed that implicit bias from producers and journalist in newsrooms shaped how black people are portrayed in the media. According to the report:

“…Black crime suspects were presented in more threatening contexts than whites: Black suspects were disproportionately shown in mug shots and in cases where the victim was a stranger. Blacks and Hispanics were also more likely to be treated aggressively by police officers on reality-based TV shows. Mass media are therefore a major contributor to Americans’ misconceptions about crime, with journalists and producers apparently acting based on their own or expectations of their audiences’ stereotypes about crime.”

Our theory of change is based on Color of Change's media report that demands that: 

• Media & studios stop propagating negative stereotypes that do not have basis in fact.
• Media & studios revise their standards and protocols for telling stories on families and race-related issues.
• Media & studios educate decision makers about commonly spread misinformation and stereotyping in storytelling.
• Media must include people of color in the editorial & creative process. 

A great example of positive stories that change perceptions is Humans of New York, a photo essay that goes into the lives of people in NYC of all genders, ages, races and religions and humanizes them in a way that breaks down typical stereotypes. 

We use technology (live and on-demand) to stream stories that change the black narrative delivered anywhere in the world. Our soon to be launched wellness portal (video and audio) will incorporate kemetic yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, sound therapy, anxiety/stress mediation, affirmations, inspiration, etc., led by black healers and coaches. Our soon to be launched learning portal (Brilliant Black Minds) of global black leaders with expertise in a variety of subjects and industries will feature video & audio talks, lessons, interviews, and classes. For our creators, we're launching an exclusive crowdfunding platform and adding a tip jar to their bio pages.

Our long-term goals are to continue to curate and ultimately produce mission-driven content with global Black creatives focusing on XR storytelling, gaming, augmented reality documentaries, animation and episodic audio stories, interactive pop-ups, immersive art and hardware development. We also aim to build a social impact push notification. After viewing content, with the click a button, consumers can receive worksheets and resources, information on how to volunteer, donate, sign a petition, join a cause, or even receive assistance, etc., based on the social impact documentaries they’ve watched. We will track how customers use our call-to-action notification; and how they share it and interact with it.

We currently work with more than 460 diverse creators from across the globe. 91% of them are of African descent and half of them are women. The founder & ceo of kweliTV is a Black woman and the current team are all made up of Black women. 

Currently 87% of TV execs and 92% of film execs are white. We hope to increase that number by 20% over the next decade. Our mandate is to have 90% of our global leadership team represent the community in which we serve.

Currently, only 6% of the writers, directors, and producers of US-produced films are Black. Our goal is to have 50% of production teams (once we begin creating original content) people of African descent.

About 83% of Black Americans don’t see their stories represented on-screen; and 67% of Americans across ideologies and ethnicities feel there is a greater need for on-screen representation of: mixed race; Black families; Black queer & transgender; and Blacks with disabilities. By serving as a leader showcasing authentic black stories, we hope other platforms follow our lead in how they greenlight content that minimizes implicit bias. We believe this will ultimately decrease discrimination in housing, employment, education & wealth-building within the Black community.

B2C: Our initial target market consists of the 85 million people globally who are Black, at least working class and have internet access. We see our consumer model as a $12B global opportunity.

B2B: We initially plan to target the 1,892 public & 1,754 private institutions. We see are our EDU model as a $54M opportunity.

We reach our customers a number of ways:

Distribution — SVOD platform is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, iOS, GooglePlay, Android TV, Comcast Xfinity, and Cox. Live TV channel is accessible on the platform (website and apps), Comcast Xfinity, Xumo, Kapang & DistroTV. We are currently developing a Samsung app and are starting the onboarding process for Amazon Channels and two FAST channels.

B2B — Campus-wide & library subscriptions. Special access, events and curriculum for corporations. Discount programs to Black professional and Greek organizations.

Content Pipeline — Partner with black-owned film festivals across the globe allowing creators to have a “home” for their content once they have completed their festival run.

Newsletter — Weekly email campaigns of the newest releases, most watched titles, creator spotlights, member perks, news, events and other company updates.

Outreach — Posts and video on all social media platforms highlighting our content and creators. Sponsor booths/table at Black events and festivals across the globe. Paid advertising with Black centric podcasts & influencers. Build try again, abandoned cart and reduce churn funnels

Community — Brand ambassadors’ program in top markets. Monthly watch parties & post discussions around social impact content.

kweliREWARDS — Loyalty program rewarding customers the more they watch, refer a friend, share us on social or renew their subscription, etc.

Last year, we closed an equity crowdfunding round that allowed our fans, customers and filmmakers to invest. We raised nearly $250K. 69% of the $250K were $150, which means that those who invested in kweliTV were everyday working people -- not institutional investors -- who believe in our vision and want to see us succeed. Here are some quotes from our customers/investors:

If a single person can launch and run a successful streaming service on a shoestring, I'm pretty sure the venture will skyrocket with a staff and cash. - Camille Mosley-Pasley

As an African American I believe in investing into the black community to help uplift & inspire. I see that kweliTV is bringing something different that people of color can relate to positive media that uplifts instead of tearing down. - Camil Blow

I invested because I believe in this platform. I have been a subscriber for the past year and have enjoyed the programming offered. It is a place where my culture is celebrated, and it is an inspiring endeavor. - Ronica Ridley-Martin

This world needs to hear Black voices, see Black love, recognize Black brilliance, appreciate Black beauty, and encourage Black joy. I believe in the vision of Kweli and will support with whatever capital I can. I want to invest in the future because my ancestors invested in me. - Tifanee McCaskill

A successful media brand has to diversify its revenue model:

SVOD (subscription on-demand) is currently $5.99 a month or $49.99 per year without ads, $2.99 with ads and $1.99 with ads for kweliKIDS (our Black children’s programming). RENTAL prices range from .99 cents to $3.99 depending on the length. – 40>#/p###

EDU/LIBRARIES campus-wide prices (kindergarten & higher ed campuses as well as state library systems) ranging from $5K to $35K annually depending on the student body size. – 20>#/p###

ADVERTISING, includes pre-, mid- and post-roll spots, branded content, product placements on select on-demand products and 24/7 free, live channels (pricing and CPM varies). – 20>#/p###

SPONSORED EVENTS through corporate sponsorship and ticket sales for virtual and live experiences. – 10>#/p###

CARRIAGE/ROYALTIES from distribution partners from Comcast Xfinity, Sling TV, etc. – 7>#/p###

RETAIL with branded merch kweliTV’s online store with hoodies, t-shirts, tanks, dresses, mugs, hats, etc. – 3>#/p###

INVESTMENTS

2017: $40K - TEDCO

2018: $50K - Matter.vc Accelerator

2019: $10K - Lightship Capital

2021: $100K – Motley Fool Ventures

2022: $100K – New Media Ventures

2022: $238K – Republic equity crowdfunding

PITCH WINNINGS

2015: $20K - 1st Place Winner - Unity Journalist NewU Competition

2017: $10K - 1st Place Winner, Harvard African Business Club

2018: $5K - 1st Place Winner, MMTC Capital Pitch Competition

GRANTS

2017: $30K - Voqal Fellowship

2017: $10K - Halcyon Incubator

2020: $50K - News Integrity Initiative

2020: $3K - Women Who Tech Social Impact Grant

2021: $50K – Google Tech Grant

2022 - $20K - Fearless Fund Grant

REVENUE

2016-2023 - $1.02M (beta + launch)