Tech

First-Ever Black-Owned Animation Network

Published

2 years ago

May 10, 2022

avista

Animation TV is the only streaming platform that brings all facets of animation culture together and gives back to its community as well.

Animation has not been traditionally a representation for people of color. Coupled with this is the reality that animation distribution for creators is limited. The time has come for animation enthusiasts to rejoice; it’s time to delve into a world never experienced before. Husband and wife duo Jermaine and Whaketa Hargrove plan to launch the first-ever Black-owned streaming animation network, Animation TV, in Summer 2022. Animation TV is the first and only animation streaming platform that streams all aspects of animation culture.

Animation TV will become the sole medium that can introduce viewers to the versatility of animation and all it has to offer. This platform will allow viewers of all ages and nationalities to experience the beauty of animation culture.

Animation TV will offer its content with a subscription and linear channel model for ease of access to viewers. Animation TV will work in collaboration with Small Town Animation Studios to deliver original, exclusive animation content such as the highly anticipated diabetic superhero movie Gumshe: The Type 1 Protector, or 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.

Animation TV is intentional about giving back and makes it a part of its business model. Animation TV is the only animation streaming platform that creates opportunities for future animation industry professionals by using a portion of its revenue to provide animation scholarships for students from under-served communities.

In line with this initiative, Animation TV has partnered with some of the biggest names in animation, including Kit Bash 3D and The Animation School in South Africa. The Director and Co-founder of The Animation School, Nuno Martins, has this to say about the initiative, “The Animation School continues to drive diversity through partnerships such as Animation TV. These [partnerships] highlight the importance of building a diverse community within the international animation industry.”

CEO and Founder of Animation TV, Jermaine, also commented on his impending launch, stating, “We are using Animation TV and exclusive content to bring awareness to the lack of diversity and inclusion in the animation industry. By offering distribution to global animation creators, we will amplify the voices that sometimes go unheard. Structuring a theatrical partnership with a major film Studio for some of our stronger animation IP’s is also a goal of Animation TV. We are currently looking to finance, develop and distribute all forms of animation content(2D/3D) from creators all over the world.” Please send all submissions here.

Animation TV is poised to be a platform that translates animation culture into real-world value by tapping into the Metaverse and NFTs as features of the platform. Animation TV will also be distributed globally for users of all operating system interfaces, including iOS, tvOS, Android, Android TV, and the worldwide web.

For more information, please visit Animation TV.

Tech

Black Representation in Tech Careers

Published

2 months ago

October 14, 2023

avista

Black Life Texas

Can Spill App Steal Black Twitter Fans?

Published

5 months ago

July 12, 2023

BLT Staff

Watch out, Twitter – here comes Spill – a new social media app created by Black tech entrepreneurs and former Twitter employees giving Elon Musk a run for his money.

Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell and DeVaris Brown created the application or app with culture in mind. According to the firm’s website, it’s a place where users can express their thoughts by easily combining text with images, video, GIFs and more. Using Spill, users can discover the hottest spills or “tea” and the latest trends worldwide and it’s a platform to discover and discuss culture.

And these former Twitter employees come with experience. Terrell is a Cannes Lion, Clio, OneShow and 2x Webby Award-winning creative executive, most recently having led the 27-person Twitter Social & Editorial team which won “Best Overall Social – Brand” at the 2022 Webby Awards. Brown is currently the CEO and co-founder of Meroxa. This venture capital-backed data application platform empowers developers to build data products using their existing infrastructure, tooling and workflows.

Atlanta Daily World says, “The social platform has garnered online buzz in the last week, with Black celebrities, including musician Questlove and actor Keke Palmer counted among its recent members.” Slate magazine also said the app’s “vibe is like a private hangout for Black Twitter transplants.”

Currently the invite-only app is only available to Apple users.

One user left a five-star review and said, “My wife told me about this app, knowing that I love being on social media. I’m on my phone 25/8 scrolling my feeds back and forth between apps. Now that I know about SPILL, I have all that I need in one place. As soon as you open the app, you are already immersed in the SPILL Universe and the features are aesthetically on point. The app features a “trending” section (where I love to be) to catch up on things going on for the culture and stay in the know. My feed is full of memes and gifs that keep my stomach hurting from laughter. It’s like Black Twitter 5.0! Crazy funny! I’m enjoying this app thoroughly!

Community

Families invited to experiment with new technology and STEM activities at Pearsall Park

Published

1 year ago

October 19, 2022

BLT Staff

SmartSA Sandbox offers fun, hands-on opportunities to test smart city technologies in the park

The City of San Antonio’s Office of Innovation is hosting SmartSA Sandbox, a family-friendly pop-up event that provides residents hands-on opportunities to test smart city technologies. SmartSA Sandbox at Pearsall Park is free and open to the public. The event will take place on October 22, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The park is located at 4838 Old Pearsall Rd, San Antonio, TX 78242. A complete schedule of events is available at SAsandbox.eventbrite.com. Interested residents are encouraged to register in advance.

“The SmartSA Sandbox event is a great opportunity for families—especially kids—to experience innovative ideas and technologies firsthand,” said Brian Dillard, City of San Antonio Chief Innovation Officer. “Join us to share in the experience of SmartSA Sandbox and share your thoughts on what you want the future of San Antonio to look like.”

The family-friendly event will take place at Pearsall Park. It provides a child-friendly atmosphere with walking and biking trails, large playground and splashpad and a skate park. The location provides the space for individuals and families to interact with emerging technologies. The SmartSA Sandbox event features demonstrations on how to use 3D printers with Geekdom to robotics and coding from the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology.

The event is family-friendly and will include workshops on developing technology and city-building activities facilitated by the DoSeum, YouthCode Jam, the University of Texas – San Antonio and Able.City, among others. Attendees can also enjoy music by DJ Mayhem and a closing hour with Emo Hero, an alternative cover band.