Sheri Johnson on the SVTV Network
The SVTV Network is changing the world of online television, digital media, & entertainment within the LGBTQIA community, its allies, and advocates. SVTV Network: Strong Voices Television, the SVOD (subscription video on demand), digital distribution network, created to serve the underrepresented LGBTQIA community, its allies & advocates in film, television, and digital media. More than just a SVOD platform but a purposeful, mission driven community, dedicated to educate, entertain, and inspire!
Digital media is defined by the SVTV Network as videos, movies, film, podcasts, music, and video games, from creatives of the LGBTQIA community, its advocates and allies.
Whether you are gay, straight, or indifferent, the SVTV Network provides a platform for a community of filmmakers, and digital creatives to be seen, and allow their Strong Voices to be heard! A community where fans, followers, and influencers can see the works of their favorites, and find new creators to support who look just like them from around the world!
Eileen Shapiro: Please describe the major, or over-all theme or themes of the content of SVTV Network?
Sheri Johnson: Strong Voices Television (SVTV Network) the SVOD platform, offer a diverse grouping of content geared towards different spectrums of the rainbow, content covers various genres of digital media created for and by creators in the LGBTQ community and its allies. The network’s digital library is rapidly growing with licensing and production of diverse genres including series, movies, documentaries, podcast, music, reality series, short films, news, sports, live streaming events, and soon to include LGBTQ animation. In addition, the network strives to produce its own original series and content, including its recent hit original series “Stud Model Project”. Future projects are slated over the remaining months of 2019.
Eileen Shapiro: What inspired the beginning of SVTV Network? Who created it and how?
Sheri Johnson: The creation of Strong Voices television was inspired by a shift in policies, regulations, and ad revenue from YouTube. These changes affected indie film makers and creators, but hit the LGBTQ community of indie filmmakers even harder. The pool of partnered advertisers were said to be an unsuitable match for LGBTQ content creators.
Having one of the top lesbian web series on Youtube (StudvilleTV), we took a dramatic decline in ad revenue from the YouTube platform. The series had garnered over 100k channel subscribers, and amassed over 5 million views over the course of 4 years on the platform. Sheri Johnson Johnson (that’s me) is the creator, co-writer, and Executive Producer of the StudvilleTV brand realized the effects of the changes immediately. Sheri Johnson felt that if StudvilleTV took such a hit, then of course other LGBTQ content creators/filmmakers on Youtube were also affected. With this observation, a network was born. In 2012, Sheri Johnson had written on her wall size chalkboard, ideas that should be included in the hit series, but within the collage of ideas and show topics was written the word “Gayflix”, an early idea to run an all LGBTQ content and distribution platform like Netflix. Years later, and after the effects of the YouTube changes, and four successful seasons of StudvilleTV, Sheri Johnson felt it was time to move on her vision for an inclusive digital media platform for the LGBTQ community to tell our lives, our, stories, our way. Included in her inspiration to start the media/technology company, Sheri Johnson realized that there was not much LGBTQ representation on traditional television networks; it’s a study that the national organization GLAAD follows as a part of their mission to bring equality to in television and film in mainstream media. Of course we now have the hit TV series Pose, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jamal of Empire, but mainstream media has a long way to go, the formation of Strong Voices Television was created to give a voice and equal opportunity to the LGBTQ community. Sheri Johnson Johnson, CEO of the network started the platform with a build it, they will come, mentality, but quickly had to become more business savvy in taking some hits while learning the business side of the industry, lessons she’s still learning, but expedited with a growing team of advisors and industry, tech, and financial leaders.
Eileen Shapiro: How does someone find SVTV Network if they want to tune in? And are there hours of operation?
Sheri Johnson: Newcomers to the network can access content by subscribing to the platform via the website at www.svtvnetwork.com we offer various subscription plans to our supporters. For the month of Pride we are offering a 3 day free trial to test drive our content. If Strong Voices content is not for you, you can cancel at anytime. Subscribers can watch content on our various apps, some which allow viewers to cast the network to their television screens. Our apps include iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire. Other apps are on slate before the end of 2019.
Eileen Shapiro: How long has SVTV been around?
Sheri Johnson: The network has been in beta for 2 years, and recently re-launched and re-branded with new content and technology. It’s been an upward journey of growth, networking, restructuring, and content curation.
