The next time you’re on Megavideo and come across another “this video is no longer available” message, try instead tuning in to original, Northwestern-made TV shows on NU Channel 1.
Zombies, SafeRide operators, and Northwestern’s own SNL-esque cast are all part of the diverse lineup of shows on nuCH1, a student-run distribution platform that showcases student-created video media.
Current shows include (Un)Dead Seriously, a “zombicomedocumentary” about zombie college students, Science Ride, a quiz show inside the NU shuttle service, and Flipside News Network, a satirical news show in the comedic vein of Saturday Night Live and The Onion.
Described as the “Hulu for Northwestern” by Weinberg senior, founder and general manager of nuCH1 Makoa Kawabata, the organization has new initiatives for the coming years, including new shows and cross-campus collaboration with other schools across the nation. “Our purpose is to serve as a networking hub for the students who want to make things, and for the students who want to get involved with the creation,” says Kawabata.
One big show is NUsical the Musical, which is currently in the pre-production stage. Gregory Chan Killed a Man, another show in the works, is described by Kawabata as “a serial dramedy about a guy who accidentally ends up becoming a hitman.”
Kawabata explains that the channel is currently very comedy-driven, because comedy is a popular genre among students visiting nuCH1. Nevertheless, nuCH1 is open to other genres like dramas and art pieces, such as Sky Pilots, a show that documents nonverbal encounters with strangers in Chicago.
Another large-scale project that nuCH1 is working on is a multi-college network in conjunction with other schools, which currently includes Brown, Dartmouth, Stanford and Chapman University, all of which have relatively new television stations.
The founders of nuCH1 looked to these other networks for inspiration when creating the channel, Kawabata says. “We thought, ‘Wow, I wish that we didn’t have to, by our own initiative, stumble upon these things. I wish there was something that could have connected us.’”
The long-term goal of the collaborative effort is to share ideas and make productions across campuses, while exchanging various talents. Kawabata explains that there are uneven pools of strength in different aspects of production in different schools. Through collaboration between universities, talent can be swapped and maximized.
“For instance, over at Brown, there aren’t nearly as many writers as there are here,” says Kawabata. “We could have people write things here, then send them to producers and directors at Brown, and they would be able to work together.”
The collaborative network is still early in the planning stage, as it is difficult to organize people from different schools with different schedules. The new network would also need wide exposure, so nuCH1 will be reaching out to more schools to gather more participants. “I really would like to have [the network] by the time I graduate,” Kawabata says.
Kawabata believes that this collaboration will increase viewership for the network. Most of the current shows on nuCH1 are about Northwestern-specific topics. Since collaborative productions would feature a broader range of topics, Kawabata says, “we’ll have a viewership that will be as diverse as the ideas for the shows.”
To increase viewership even further, nuCH1 is working with the Norris Center for Student Involvement to bring Campus Movie Fest to campus in early November as a way to increase the channel’s visibility on campus.
As the largest student film festival in the world, CMF will give participants the necessary equipment and with a one-week deadline starting on Nov. 3 to shoot a five-minute short. The best films will be announced during a screening on Nov. 16. Winners will continue on to nationals to compete for cash and prizes, including premieres at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals as well as feature film opportunities.
In the long run, Kawabata hopes that nuCH1 will serve as a contact point with the television industry, with professionals looking to the network for recruitment.
In fact, a writer from a network television series saw the (Un)Dead Seriously pilot last year and had great feedback. “It was good to make that connection because us not being out in L.A. or in New York makes it difficult for us,” explains Kawabata.
In the meantime, nuCH1 is continuing to facilitate the production of serial media at NU. “There’s no where else where you can get the support to make it, you can’t get the equipment, you can’t get the money, and it’s difficult to wrangle the resources,” Kawabata says.
“Any individual with an idea and the drive to do anything creative is welcome,” Kawabata added. “We connect them with the people and the resources that they need to make their idea a reality.”
Editor’s note: nuCH1 is currently working on a collaboration with North by Northwestern to air Gertonberg and The Triple.