I am thrilled to finally launch The Show Starts Now! Dive headfirst into a world of curated experiences designed to shatter your humdrum routine with The Show Starts Now. The unique, Oklahoma-based streaming service is more than just entertainment—it’s a passport to electrifying adventures. We celebrate the extraordinary in the everyday, bringing you closer to inspiring individuals, captivating locales, mesmerizing skills, and unforgettable journeys.
Today’s official launch is a far cry from the beta preview I shared back in October. For the first time, this feels complete, like I’m proud to share what I’ve made. I closed the beta access a few months after being released because the platform wasn’t getting any traction, only having one subscriber. A few months ago, I met with a brand consultant, Jenn Easley-Maynord of Artio Services, who gave me some much-needed insight and direction. One was a slight name, dropping “Studio.” I was advised that the word could be confusing with people thinking I’m a studio facility, like Parire Surf Studios. I went with the .tv domain to help with branding, too. The price was lowered from $7.99 to $5.99, matching other indie OTTs like Dropout.tv and Rooster Teeth.
Another central pivot from the beta version, I kept the location focus broad, and now I’ve leaned into the Oklahoma focus. This includes adding Uncovering Oklahoma, which was not my original plan. I dug through my archives, re-editing all of my old stories back from 2017, improving the image and sound quality, changing some music with better tracks, updating graphics, and other adjustments. Not everything was uploaded to The Show Starts Now, as I didn’t bother with closed businesses, episodes that got shuttered to another series, or places I have on my shortlist to revisit for an updated story. On a related note, the complete Tales Unveiled podcast series was added to the service with audio improvements as my skills have grown.
While older Uncovering Oklahoma episodes were improved, they were not as dramatic as the first season of Yes! Science! Initially released in 2019, Pallas the Librarian interviewed people in various STEM-related careers about their work, performed fun science experiments, and discussed books that have inspired our guests. The enhanced season includes some newly filmed Science Fact segments with Exhale and The Museum of Osteology. Pallas and I plan to work on season two, with our first episode being filmed in partnership with Sooner Con!
Also first released in 2019 was Art & Victory. This was a monthly panel discussion series for creative entrepreneurs. Again, the pandemic stopped me from continuing the series. For The Show Starts Now, I took the brand and spun the concept into three series: Discussions, Lessons, and Sessions. Discussions feature live audience panel chats, while sessions are one-off artistic creation videos, and lessons are multi-part guides. The Arts Council of Oklahoma City and I worked together to create the initial Lessons and Sessions on the service, which in trade, they also get a copy branded for their platform.
Take A Bite with Phi and Visiting Haunts are brand new series I created exclusively for The Show Starts Now. The entire first season of Take A Bite with Phi is available, while Jeff and I plan to film the reason for Visiting Haunts this summer. I’m just hoping to get subscribers so we can afford to travel, as we would love to feature out-of-state places like Eureka Springs. I also want to go to Texas for Creative Burgers.
The entire first season of Archiving Contemporary Art is available, with the first season consisting of stories from Uncovering Oklahoma. The series gets inside the minds of artists and art collectives about their creative works. Episodes from season two will be released soon, which are brand new. I have several episodes worth of content that needs to be edited, but my goal was to get the first season complete for the streaming service.
I have first to thank my wonderful wife, Leslie, who none of this wouldn’t be possible without her support. Seriously, I wouldn’t be able to take on as many creative projects without here because, let’s be honest, none of these shows are paying the bills. I do hope that changes soon with the launch of The Show Starts Now and that I’ll be able to pay other people’s bills. Continuing the special thanks to Jeff Provine, Lessa Keller-Kenton, Pallas, Phi Nguyen, Sherl Martin, Vicki Langford, Christian Pearson, Kristy Boone, Apollo Woods, Justin Coleman, and Undrell Maholmes for working with me to create many of these videos. Thanks to everyone I ever interviewed for all of my shows. Thanks to everyone who supported or still supports me on Patreon. Thanks to everyone who shared one of my works. Honestly, thank you, everyone!
I hope you take a moment to subscribe, watch a few videos, and enjoy The Show Starts Now. I’m open to feedback and suggestions for what you want to see in the future. If you can’t subscribe now, follow The Show Starts Now on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
Happy Adventures!