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Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

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Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#781

Post by stankyleg »

illuminati1911 wrote: post #169

Maybe(?) the intension is good behind this kind of services, but honestly this is #1 reason why we will never get rid of racism. It just gets rebranded and will stay with as long as there are humans.

Thank you for your honesty. Not just admitting how hard it is for you to spell basic words, but also admitting you're gullible enough to believe this is the #1 reason we'll never get rid of racism: a streaming platform for black creators.

Few people could actually believe that, even fewer have the courage to say it.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#782

Post by jxramos »

neartheplain wrote: post #454
sokoloff wrote: post #11

Best of luck in your endeavor. I don’t personally have the guts to take on a space where it seems to me like Netflix could decide to squash you at any moment by outbidding for the catalog of work by other creators. I wonder to what extent that was also true with BET, which is an obviously extremely successful outcome. (Maybe I’m just chicken.) Again, best of luck; this seems like a really smart idea and has a team th…

BET was a financial success for investors, but was it a success for the black community? Depends who you ask. I lean towards The Boondocks' take: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZchP89w2pJo

I never contemplated that before, just watched the clip, and saw this comment. I haven't watched BET in a few decades, I'm curious now what the recent material is like. You know any representative shows on that network that would correspond to folks dissatisfaction with the goods?

> Deshawn Brown 1 year ago If you think about.. Huey is actually right. Im black. And i think bet only breeds arrogance and ignorance.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#783

Post by pl0x »

The question must be asked if YC is funding companies based on race then if I created the Netflix for Nigerians where I am from, will they fund me? How do they decide which ethnic group to fund at YC? As a Nigerian this screams of racial profiling, we see our selves as Nigerian first and not black.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#784

Post by jxramos »

blackgirldev wrote: post #625
Uzo0312 wrote: post #590

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for your thoughts here! I'm definitely on the same page with you! Don't love labeling ourselves this way, but by having the "gatekeepers" of what goes on BlackOakTV look like the viewers we're targeting, it opens the door for a very differentiated content and platform experience.

I am wishing you all the best and just bought a subscription. If you need software developers I can help. I am telling everyone I know about it as well. Getting the word out and early support is key!

yah I second that sentiment, that range of beauty palette on the launch page really struck me with its "novelty" if you will. A smorgasbord of eye candy with great variance we never get served with. I love it.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#785

Post by klyrs »

yellowbanana wrote: post #162

There is a default opposition on anything that twitter activists have been protesting for in the past few years Netflix for Africans Netflix for Asians Netflix for Indians ... sounds normal. But Netflix for Black People Netflix for Women Netflix for LGBT Will definitely cause an outrage An other example on how we are tribal, even if the tribes are just activists vs non-activists.

The existence of LGBT people has been an outrage for literally millennia. The portrayal of LGBT romance on screen is still an outrage to many, a threshold that Hallmark crossed for the first time just last year. So, don't worry about us. We're used to the outrage.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#786

Post by kbelder »

calvinmorrison wrote: post #553
k12sosse wrote: post #528

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So; Gilligan's Island for black people

I can't find the quote from Tyler Perry, but Madea is definitely not just for Black people. All of his stories are like this: they trick you into watching because it's funny, and easy to watch - but at the same time every story also had hard to talk about problems related to things like family life, drugs, intramarital issues, and prostitution. I listened to an interview with Tyler and he called it a bait-and-switch.…

I have never watched a Medea flick in my life, but now I want to, you made such a strong case. The thought of a lighthearted movie with unexpected soul and a strong, positive message is so appealing.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#787

Post by dang »

gamblor956 wrote: post #772
rasen58 wrote: post #763

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious, but how do you have so many friends in Hollywood? (Feel free to email me directly if wanted)

I live in LA and met them through work and friends. I posted your link in one of our group chats. If any of them reach out to you it means they're interested. However, I wouldn't get my hopes up, critiques from the chat thread so far: -"so it's quibi for black people" -trying to be BET "for indies" but without backing it up with the funding, marketing, audience, mentorship opportunities, or industry connections -base…

Just for clarity, I don't think the commenter you were replying to there is affiliated with this startup. I was confused at first by what you meant by "your link".

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#788

Post by filoeleven »

dcow wrote: post #712
tptacek wrote: post #705

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It "helps" by satisfying a market need for a space for Black creators to tell Black stories without shouldering a burden to translate, soften, or attenuate that culture for other audiences, as would be the expectation on a mass media cable channel. It's not complicated; venues like this serve all sorts of ethnicities.

I think like many have pointed out, there's a messaging issue. I want to feel like I'm welcome, even though I'm not culturally black, to consume content created by black creators on a platform that helps promote that content. I like k-pop, I like Bollywood, I like Sister Deborah, I generally enjoy experiencing other culture. I don't need attenuation. One of the strengths of America is the capacity for cultural exchan…

> Edit: Want to also point out that in practice we don't seem to attenuate messaging in black pop culture. It's some of the most explicit sexual and sometimes violent content in existence and it appears all over radio, TV, and the internet. I'm not saying it's exclusively that, but it doesn't seem to suffer from expectation that it be attenuated "for white people".

Why do you think that this messaging is what you associate most with black pop culture? Attenuated messaging does not have to be universal. Imagine if white pop culture was almost exclusively promoted as Britney Spears et al., Dumb and Dumber, and slasher flicks. Is that an accurate portrayal, or a curated subset that projects a certain image?

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#789

Post by ggggtez »

imbnwa wrote: post #543
Uzo0312 wrote: post #494

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are we selling and marketing ourselves as something we're not? No, we're not Netflix today--I think that's somewhat inherent in the fact that we're a startup here on HN. But we say that we're working with indie filmmakers and content, not high-budget Hollywood productions, so I think we admit where we're at.

Hi, Black SWE here. Grandparent isn't making a sensible argument by any means and is largely grasping for straws to code their outrage ("fine wine... but grape juice box" is particularly telling). Wish you all the best.

That's great and all but are you telling me you consider the programming on this website to be on par with the best sitcoms of the 80s and 90s?

If you read the OP, it's a blatant bait and switch.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#790

Post by tptacek »

gamblor956 wrote: post #772
rasen58 wrote: post #763

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious, but how do you have so many friends in Hollywood? (Feel free to email me directly if wanted)

I live in LA and met them through work and friends. I posted your link in one of our group chats. If any of them reach out to you it means they're interested. However, I wouldn't get my hopes up, critiques from the chat thread so far: -"so it's quibi for black people" -trying to be BET "for indies" but without backing it up with the funding, marketing, audience, mentorship opportunities, or industry connections -base…

Just for whatever this is worth to you, and I know you probably already know this, but networks rejected Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, South Park, Mad Men, and, I think most infamously, Stranger Things.

There's nothing wrong with that --- perhaps the networks involved should have rejected those shows! You pick one, you gotta turn down another one. But having more venues specialized in a specific type of show means that, for instance, when BET passes on your thing, it can still find a home somewhere else.

I don't know anything about these particular shows. But look at the first couple episodes of Broad City --- not the extremely successful TV show, but the low budget web series that started it all. I'm inclined not to dismiss things based solely on production quality relative to what's on FX.

The rest of these points are probably well taken!

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