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Nick Hayes and Naomi Burton. (Photo: Nancy Derringer)
The Detroit-based filmmakers behind the viral ad that helped elect Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are launching a new, anti-capitalist video streaming platform they hope will be a Netflix for the left.
Means TV will feature original animated series, sitcoms, documentaries, and other entertainment designed to resonate with working-class viewers. The idea is to fill a void they say has been left by mainstream on-demand video platforms while helping “create the cultural foundation and support needed to build socialism in the U.S.”
“Film is the most powerful tool we have for imagining different worlds, but right now, almost all movies and TV shows are made by a handful of rich guys and corporations who want to maintain a status quo riddled with inequalities,” co-founder Naomi Burton says. “If working people owned the means of film and TV production and distribution instead, entertainment would not only be better, funnier, and more interesting, it would also reflect much more closely the realities of living as a working class person in the United States.”
Over the next 10 weeks, potential subscribers will get a sense of what they can expect when the platform launches, through a series of free shorts being released as part of a fundraiser to help cover a year of production costs. Weekly explainers and entertainment on YouTube, will cover topics including capitalism, eco-socialism, feminism and health justice. The Means TV platform goes live next week and subscriptions will be $10 per month.
Detroit features prominently in Means TV's launch video. Check it out:
