What began as a documentary celebrating the everyday importance and interactions of African-Americans in 2011, eventually transformed into a television network with an audience of over 70,000 subscribers.
Black&Sexy.TV is a YouTube channel created by Dennis Dortch, Numa Perrier, Jeanine Daniels and Brian Harding. The quartet set out to create a brand with independent television that would fill a void felt by black entertainment audiences. The idea for the channel came from the success and demand that stemmed from the release of A Good Day to be Black and Sexy, a fictional narrative written and directed by Dortch in 2008.
“A Good Day to be Black and Sexy came from my imagination,” Dortch says. “We wanted to update ‘black is beautiful’ and provide another way to say it.” This early work, much like the YouTube channel, depicts various black couples in unique situations. Perrier describes their channel as a place for people to find true reflections of African-Americans in ways that make them relatable. She emphasizes that their content is without the sensationalism often found on mainstream television.
The channel has a variety of web series that depict African-Americans in relationships, daily interactions and comedic scenarios. They also offer talk shows and live shows where fans can interact with cast members. Black&Sexy.TV currently has seven shows, half of which are in their second season.
One of the shows, “The Couple,” was recently picked up by HBO. It was a monumental moment for the independent television network, currently housed in a Los Angeles a studio apartment. Many employees double as actors, and their youngest cast member is Dortch’s 9-year-old son, Tangier. Dortch’s partner, Perrier, stars in “The Couple” series while also writing, directing and producing several of the other shows on the network.
With their newly-signed HBO contract, Black & Sexy.TV has made long strides in their two years of operation, in spite of their humble resources (much of which they’ve achieved through crowd sourcing).
Their Methodology
A large part of Black & Sexy.TV’s success comes from their YouTube platform. As an independent channel, they have complete creative control and they deliver their content directly to their fans without going through any gatekeepers.
“There’s no other channel that we have to go through and that’s the most important thing really,” Perrier says. “We’re the channel and it’s great. There’s a real audience for that and it’s growing so rapidly.”
The channel has a very loyal fan base, and they give in-depth feedback on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Whenever an episode is late—even by a minute— fans are quick to impatiently demand the content. There’s a hunger for what Black & Sexy.TV provides.
“It blows my mind how they’re able to have so much substance within their episodes due to the fact that web series are usually a lot shorter than shows on a regular television network,” said longtime fan, Brittany Green. “If they can keep you coming back for ten minute episodes every week then they’re doing something pretty awesome.”
Fans know exactly where and when to go when they’re looking for content as the channel sets designated premiere dates and times for their releases. Most of their content is released on “Black and Sexy Sundays.” Whether or not they realize it, the fans are part of a growing movement in this tech age. As consumers of independent television, they’re feeding into this trend of watching entertainment from online platforms as opposed to television.
The Trend
With video sharing and streaming services like YouTube, Netflix and Hulu, consumers are getting their entertainment on-demand. An internet connection is all you need to stay current on the latest news and entertainment.
Arnelle Etienne is a freshman majoring in electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Neither she nor her roommate brought a television to college “because we’re able to watch television on YouTube.” She says the only time they watch shows on an actual television is when they go home.
It’s not just a trend for college students or young adults either. Older generations have also grown accustom to having their entertainment literally at their fingertips.
“I like to watch television and movies on the big screen because I think that’s how they were meant to be seen,” says Nathanial Kohn, a Telecommunications professor at the University of Georgia. “However, I do like being able to watch things on various devices and being able to skip commercials and things like that.”
For 15 years, Kohn worked as a writer and producer for independent theatrical feature films and television programming for Europe, Africa and Hollywood. He recognizes this movement as a growing trend, but Clate Sanders, a colleague of his, doesn’t.
“I would just say it’s a phenomenon,” says Sanders, who teaches Rich Media for the Web at UGA’s New Media Institute. “YouTube channels are hobbies and cable companies aren’t really hurting.”
It’s hard telling that to these networks and entrepreneurs who have entered the television industry by riding on the coattails of YouTube. It’s more than just a hobby to them. It’s created their career and enhanced their lives.
The Next Phase
Now that Black&Sexy.TV is established and has a devout following, their next move is to expand and reach wider audiences by creating and producing more content. They’ve started doing pay-per-view season finales and movies for their series as a way to generate more revenue and also produce higher level quality projects. While television could obviously be one step in the right direction, it’s not their most desired outcome.
“It may happen that we get on television, but that was never our goal,” said Brian Harding, the cinematography coordinator for Black&Sexy.TV. “Our goal was to create an environment where we could own our content and build an audience. If part of that includes a network, then that’s great because it gives us a broader audience.”
Some fans, such as Melodie Pierre, fear the day that Black&Sexy.TV might transition to television. Pierre has followed the channel since it first launched. She’s worried that those behind the channel would “sell their soul” and lose their authentic edge if controlled by television network executives.
According to Madison Shockley, an actor who starred in the highly popular web series Awkward Black Girl, fans won’t have to worry about that happening anytime soon.
“People hear that they get a deal and they think that means the show is going to be on HBO immediately,” Shockley said. “It’s a huge step in the right direction but they’re not through the door yet.”
Shockley is also disappointed that black media establishments are so difficult to find in these progressive times. He says the people behind Black&Sexy.TV are pioneers in their own right, for building up a successful empire.
“All we really do is take out the fluff that Hollywood likes to add in,” says Tina Cerin, the social media coordinator for Black&Sexy.TV. “I find places like Black&Sexy.TV reflect my reality a lot better than the things on television. The online space makes getting our voices out there more of a reality.”
Melanie Watson is currently a student journalist at the University of Georgia. She is majoring in magazine journalism at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Her emphasis is on sports and entertainment. You can follow her on Twitter.