Leap in 2 the Terrell Show

Have you ever found yourself clicking from channel to channel looking for something to watch? I have. After months of frustration, I finally canceled my cable. I decided to rely solely on Neflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc. It never occurred to me that YouTube would be a consistent source of entertainment. I always viewed YouTube as a place for information and tutorials. All of that changed the first time I watched the Terrell Show. Let me introduce you. The Terrell Show is a YouTube show that showcases little known talent in the music industry, while interviewing them, and playing a popular game called Song Association. Song Association is a game where guests are given a word and they have eleven seconds to sing a song with the word in the title or lyrics.

I’ve often watched this show when the mundane images presented on the popular streaming services didn’t quite serve me or my interests. As a doctoral student pursuing a digital literacy certification, I’ve begun to view and take in media differently. The Terell Show really came to life for me as it displays parasocial relationships very well. The viewer gets the sense/feeling that they are talking to old friends. Terrell and Kelontae speak with such ease and familiarity that one may find it difficult to not see themselves as part of the conversation. An active participant if you will. For example, I often find myself trying to think of a song to go with the word that Terrell has presented. Also, present in the video is direct address. Terrell often speaks into the camera as if the audience watching is right there with him.

Following this further, I’ve come to the realization that there are aspects of citizen journalism in the videos. For example, Kelontae and Terrell share what typically happens in the “Black Church” community from not only their point of view, but their experience as well.

I’ve seen this particular episode before, but watching it again with new knowledge has provided a new lens to which I absorbed the content. As a result, I was able to make some connections to what I’ve learned in class.

This isn’t the only technique he uses to attract and hold the viewer’s attention. He utilizes bright and gorgeous colors. It’s not hard for one to take note of the wall behind him. It is a rich blue that contrasts nicely with the clothes he chooses to wear. Additionally, The Terrell Show uses loud, animated, enunciated words and gestures. This showed up in his and Kelontae’s use of AAVE. It was clear that the intended audience is primarily people of color, Black people to be more specific.

As the only Black person in my class, I was delighted when Karen wanted me to take the lead on this project and introduce her to a digital creator of my choice. I knew right away who I would choose and why. I enjoyed introducing her to aspects of my culture. However, I did not particularly enjoy the distance between my partner and I. The location provided a few challenges. The first was the location. Turkey’s proximity to Ukraine and Russia caused emotional stress for my partner Karen. The unrest in Ukraine impacted me as well. However, I feel somewhat removed from it. As a result, we were not able to work on our project in a timely manner and would need an extension. The second challenge was the time difference. With Karen being in Turkey, it was difficult to find meeting times. It wasn’t until I voiced this concern during another meeting that a classmate suggested working asynchronously. From there, we were finally able to see some progression.

We had our first meeting and from there we were able to discuss Terrell Grice.

We learned the following about him:

• Born in South Carolina
• Lived in North Carolina until he was 14
• Raised a devout Christian
• Sang in the choir at church
• He worked as a casting assistant in LA after college
• Released an album “An Invitation to the Cookout” in 2019

Our meeting time also allowed me to learn a few things about my partner. I learned that my partner was not that familiar with Black culture. Rightfully so, as she is not a Black woman. I’m curious to know how many Black people she may encounter in Turkey. I would guess, maybe not that many.

Overall Karen enjoyed her experience with the Terrell Show and his guest Kelontae. I do hope that she will continue to watch the show occasionally. She expressed several times how it was a joy for her. I was happy that I could share some of that joy with her. I’m a fan and will continue to watch.

Works Cited

Hobbs, R. (2017). Create to learn : introduction to digital literacy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Hobbs, R. (2017), Create to Learn. Chapter 11 (pp. 169–185). Malden: Wiley Blackwell.

(n.d.). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU6UJmLfJOI