Black couple, Jermaine and Whaketa Hargrove made Animation TV, the first streaming animation network that is owned by Black people. A statement on PR Newswire said that the animation network will be the first and only platform to stream all kinds of animation culture.
The platform will work with Small Town Animation Studios to bring original, exclusive animation like the highly anticipated superhero movie Gumshe: The Type 1 Protector, the faith-based series The Sunday Schoolers, and other originals like Animate My Life, Welcome to Gamerville, Princess Tatenda, and the award-winning series Shelly: The Dancing Spider.
“We are bringing attention to the lack of diversity and inclusion in the animation industry through Animation TV and exclusive content. By giving animation makers around the world access to distribution, we will give a voice to those who don’t always get heard, Jermaine said in a statement. “Another goal of Animation TV is to set up a theater partnership with a major film studio for some of our better animation IPs.”
Also, the couple has made giving back an important part of how they run their business. For example, they give animation scholarships to students from under-served communities using some of the money they make. In line with this plan, the streaming animation network has teamed up with big names like Kit Bash 3D and The Animation School in South Africa.
“Partnerships like Animation TV continue to help the Animation School promote diversity. “These partnerships show how important it is to build a diverse community in the international animation industry,” said Nuno Martins, the Director, and Co-Founder of The Animation School.
Animation TV is also trying to turn animation culture into something useful in the real world by using the Metaverse and NFTs as parts of the platform. “Animation TV will also be available worldwide for all operating system interfaces, including iOS, tvOS, Android, Android TV, and the web,” a statement from Animation TV said.
People of color have not been shown in animation in the past. With Animation TV, which will start in the summer of 2022 and be run by Jermaine and Whaketa Hargrove, they hope to change that.
