Bronx residents Marco Shalma and Gillian Todd are attempting to bring new media and some positivity to the south Bronx through an online TV channel called The Blox.
Shalma and Todd, creators of the production company Round Seven, want to showcase some of the culture the Bronx has to offer.
“Being members of the community, we see a lot of positive things about the Bronx and we wanted to highlight that,” said Todd.
The new media content will be available at the thebl
Todd highlighted some of the new shows Bronxites can expect to see in the coming weeks.
One of the first shows on the channel will be Bloxpedia.
It will provide short videos highlighting certain Bronx attractions such as Mott Haven and the Bronx Zoo.
Todd said in the next couple weeks they will slowly roll out new Bloxpedia videos.
Then in late January or early February, the team will officially launch The Blox TV channel.
Todd, who has lived in the Bronx for four years, said she hopes The Blox shines a more positive light on the borough.
“When you google the Bronx the first two suggestions are usually crimes or fires,” she said. “Not really positive stuff.”
She added she hopes the content really highlights the diversity and culture of people in the Bronx.
“It’s really important to us,” she said.
Shalma, a nine year resident of the Bronx, shares his feelings.
“I’d like the Bronx, it’s sense of community, it’s talent and the wonderful people that live here to get proper representation for a change,” he said.
Shalma is also hoping The Blox will encourage young Bronxites to stay and grow in the Bronx.
“I entered this project hoping to help young Bronxites understand that success doesn’t mean they need to leave the borough physically or ideologically,” he said.
Round Seven recently had a casting call on Saturday, January 14, for another new show called Up the Blox.
Up the Blox will serve as a news style show that will feature different hosts over the course of the program.
Todd was excited about the different people that showed up to the three-hour casting call.
“It was so great,” she said. “We had really great people – really different people – which is exactly what we’re looking for. We really want to work with people to develop their voice.”
Todd said the prospective hosts brought with them ideas including fashion, music and exploring the borough.
For those interested in becoming a host on Up The Blox, Todd said Round Seven will be hosting casting calls for the show once a month for the foreseeable future.
When the show airs later this winter, it will air two to three times a week and then eventually become a daily show.
Todd encouraged those looking for more information on The Blox to check them out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @thebloxtv.
In addition, viewers can visit their YouTube page which already has a few videos available.
