Burn, Hollywood Burn
aka The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
by CR Capers, Harlem Film House
“Burn Hollywood Burn” was a phrase I heard my entire life. In my household, my mother was the entertainment access point, the ultimate gate keeper. She controlled our access to the media (propaganda as my Dad called it) with an iron fist. She not only controlled it, she distributed it. We had all the cable channels, HBO, SHOWTIME, NICKELODEON, MTV… you name it, it was in that magical box she controlled. She understood that how we learned about the world and ourselves could be manipulated by the images and sounds we would see. She also knew the world would treat us according to the images they were seeing as well.
With that in mind, understand that I grew up only watching movies and shows that had BIPOC people in front of or behind the camera. She even went as far as to make sure those same people were morally astute in their personal lives before they would be let into our homes via the magic box. I’m not talking about the 1960’s, this was the early 2000’s — before the advent of the iPhone, YouTube, NETFLIX and (lord help us) TUBI. Now the distribution landscape has changed and the war for our minds and the minds of our children has intensified. The tactic my mom deployed to keep tropes away from our minds eroded as major film and music corporations got wise to the tactics of the civil rights parents and decided to buy their children to BECOME the content.
The BIPOC faces and producers that once encouraged us to attend college with shows like a DIFFERENT WORLD, now are paid to send us to the strip pole with shows like LOVE & HIP HOP, REAL HOUSEWIVES and equally degrading movies and music that encourage murder and mayhem. Even the cartoons are a landmine with explicit shows occupying prime time TV both on the network and cable side, ( I love it just as much as anyone… but it is not something to watch with a 5 year old after dinner).
As the mother to a beautiful daughter, I had to double down on my mother’s tactics and not only ban the magic box, but I became my own digital security distribution firm… with one objective drilled into my head by her father: “We gotta do everything in our power to keep our daughter off the pole.” It may sound funny, but ask any Black mother and father about the major worry for their daughter and you will hear this phrase 9 times out of 10.
This fight with distribution has been a centerpiece of my life. So it is no wonder that it became my mission to beat it. I created the Harlem Film House to solve this problem of distribution while showing the rest of the world that we have the power to make and, more importantly, distribute the content we want to see and OWN it; that there are still independent narratives that are just as entertaining and educational that can be found and uplifted with support.
Our most powerful offerings are our documentaries. We are now in a time where we understand that documenting our stories is the only way to achieve justice, reparations, clarity; to avoid being erased from our own history; and most importantly not to be cheated out of our equity in our cultural IPs. For me, this is especially important. I grew up in the culture and music of Hip Hop and I refuse to let it go the way of Rock-n-Roll, Jazz and every other medium that comes from BIPOC culture. I’ll be damned if I don’t do my part to ensure that in 100 years, no one can claim Eminem created Hip Hop culture and its music.
In 2015, I stumbled upon footage of a woman named Big Momma Thornton playing an electric guitar in Europe in the train station. She created the style of music folks now call rock-n-roll. Thornton would have been erased completely had it not been for the footage of her playing and singing the songs she wrote (songs taken from her by racist record executives and given to Elvis Presley, crowning him the King and creator of Rock-n-Roll). She has no plaque or place in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame.
Leveraging my social media audience, I took the footage and shared it amongst my network, built from my popular podcast Why You Mad Son Radio. At the time, we had just over a few thousand listeners around the world, but had over 30 thousand fans who engaged with me directly via social daily. I shared the TRUE history and within a short time, it had over 5 million shares! As of today, my content has been shared over 19 MILLION TIMES, spawning all types of articles and think pieces by mainstream. Even more, I have the metadata to prove the origin (shouts out to early blockchain development). This confirmed my belief that I had the power to bring about a revolution of the mind through a community based distribution model anchored by cost effective technology.
Metrics provided by Meta Business Suite for Brands for Harlem Film House 2023 (Credit: Meta)
I was truly inspired and empowered, and so, the very next year I launched the Hip Hop Film Festival.
Fast forward almost 10 years later, the Harlem Film House and our flagship program the Hip Hop Film Festival proved that Stories From the Culture are profitable and deserving of equal opportunity in the space. We amassed over 8 years of content that can be licensed and acquired by the major studios and smaller streamers alike, comprised of over 700 writers and directors of all races and ages under our umbrella with unique and original stories and ideas that are respectful to our stories, culture, and way of life encompassing all genres.
Master Cypher at the 2023 Hip Hop Film Festival (Credit: Harlem Film House)
The Hip Hop Film Festival features the best documentaries that stand as an archive of the true history of the culture. The fest also serves as an upscale exhibition of the films created by the most talented directors, writers, producers and actors raised in the culture. It features narratives across all genres of storytelling from Sci-Fi to Social Horror to Romance. Sorry, we aren’t rappers… Rap is music, Hip Hop is our culture.
So it is time for a revolution. A Distribution Revolution.
I was given the tools to make a table. We all were. In 2023, it is damn near free to create an organic distribution model and network in partnership with other marginalized organizations and disrupt in a real way. We must form a union in body , mission, and purpose.
So it is time for a revolution. A Distribution Revolution.
Harlem Film House’s mission is to create an ecosystem of access and opportunity for everyone, from the makers of content to the watchers. We do this by approaching distribution in unique ways:
Owner Distribution: Our platform myFRESHtv.com , the official network of the Hip Hop Film Festival, is just one of our solutions that adds another brick through the window of old school distribution tactics. It is not another streaming service mimicking the majors; this is a living cooperative for the filmmakers with the filmmakers and film watchers, tied to a global outreach 10 years in the making. We also have the magic ingredient; we are tech savvy with authentic knowledge of our global BIPOC community combined with genuine respect that cannot be bought.
Experience Based Distribution : Our flagship month-to-month in-person event ACT UP! is an out of the box open mic series concept for indie writer/directors and actors to come together to present live theatrical reads. ACT UP! is currently in residence until the end of the year at the world famous Schomburg Center for Black Research and Culture in Harlem with plans to branch out to additional markets in LA, Atlanta, Houston and D.C. ACT UP! has already seen multiple film productions come out of its community, creating a definitive proof of impact that deserves funding and recognition.
ACT UP! in Residence at the Schomburg Center’s American Negro Theater (Credit: Harlem Film House)
Immersive Distribution : Another solution I have deployed is our Meta Film Works project, where we are teaching filmmaking fundamentals applied to a Web3 construct. Creatives are learning to create films with humans and AI to spectacular results (like this project made entirely with AI by a filmmaker who could not afford to make his vision reality).
We also completed the first ever XR Film Fest with the graduates, who then went on to screen at in-person festivals. The best part? Each Meta Film Works participant created economy for themselves and others through the program while distributing their work on a global circuit independently.
2023 XR Film Fest Poster Highlighting the Showrunners For Each Project Under the Program (Credit : Harlem Film House)
In the future, the arts will live at the intersection of culture and technology. TV and cable (and now studio streaming) are dinosaurs. My generation is becoming rich and reaching millions just by going live on creator focused platforms powered by metadata and blockchain tech to ensure ownership and equity.
We are creating Blue Oceans, taking old business constructs and merging it with others to create a new and exciting future where we decide how and where we are seen.
As a collective, I call my Owner, Experience-Based and Immersive methods BLUE OCEAN DISTRIBUTION. It offers:
Creative Control: BLUE OCEAN distribution allows our content creators to retain full creative control over their work.
Ownership and Rights: We retain ownership of our content and its rights.
Profit Margins: Our revenue share with the software companies are minimal…so we earn more from our content.
Flexibility: We have greater flexibility in terms of release schedules, pricing, and marketing strategies. We have the freedom to experiment and adapt to changing market conditions.
Diverse Platforms: With BLUE OCEAN distribution, we can choose where and how to distribute our content. This includes selling directly to consumers through our website, using multiple streaming platforms, or exploring alternative distribution channels through experiences.
Niche Audiences: BLUE OCEAN distribution allows us to target our niche or specialized audiences that are not adequately served by major networks. This is especially valuable for niche content…especially our documentaries.
Long-Term Potential: Building authentic community ensures our long-term success.
I am currently working to partner with the other non-profit organizations to show them a NEW way. I am asking my fellow organizations in this fight to embrace technology, the Metaverse, and AI to become truly independent to better serve our filmmakers and community. To help, I have implemented 100XR, a program to help establish our Color Congress Members (and other established arts organizations) in Web3, where they can expand their reach, while learning how to host immersive experiences, conferences and engage a new base of donors.
So yea… Burn Hollywood, burn… and I’ll put out the fire of striking workers, underpaid creatives, racist distribution executives, and all that you represent with a hi tech, creative-focused, original storytelling Blue Ocean of distribution… all while keeping my daughter (and yours) off the pole.
CR Capers is the Founder and CEO of Harlem Film House, which turns artists into creative entrepreneurs by providing access to industry resources and opportunities for creators in underserved communities.
