Today, I made the tough decision to cancel my roku account. I originally bought the channel on February 13th, 2023, while at my man Dave Lester's comedy show in Brooklyn. It was an exciting move! Since a youth I wanted to be in the Film & TV business. Initially, I had only thought of writing, acting, directing, hosting, producing, and things like that. I'd always thought that the only way to "make it" was to be hired by a big company. Obviously, my thoughts on that have changed drastically. Over the years I've learned that I don't have to wait for a big company, let alone any company for that matter, to hire me for me to feel as though I "made it." No. That thinking and way of doing things no longer existed. I mean, you could still be hired by a big company, and it may still be an incredible opportunity, but my point is that one doesn't necessarily have to go that route anymore.
Somewhere in recent years I learned about roku. I think it was a film I was in by my brother Jermaine Smith that landed on a friend of his roku channel. At the time, I was filled with excitement. By no means am I a tech junky, but I am aware enough to have recognized what has happening with TV, and particular, roku. Independent creators were were able to build their own roku channels to not only broadcast their work, but to broadcast the work of others. This sparked my interest. As mentioned, I've always wanted to create content and have it seen on TV, but this new realization gave me the idea that not only could I be the content creator, but I could also be the distributor, the executive so to speak. Man. I was hyped. So when the opportunity rolled around for me to purchase my very own roku channel, I jumped on it. I did some research, and I took a leap. I knew initially that it would be at least 6-12 months before I did anything with it. I didn't mind. I understand investments, holding, and things like that. I play the long game. However, as my life continued to go forward, I was never quite able to focus the attention needed to grow my roku channel.
One of the reasons I created my show, "Vegan Adventures With Suga Ray" was to stream it on my roku channel. And I did. I released the pilot episode, which featured Urban Vegan Roots, directly to my roku channel. That felt good. Some friends were excited about it. They were telling their friends. It was moving. But then I realized once again that I lackedthe resources needed to adequately grow the channel. And so it was time to make a decision. Do I continue to pay for the channel knowing I'm not doing much with it, essentially spending money I don't have on something I'm not currently building? Or do I cancel my account and take the loss? I mean, at this point I was paying for the channel just to say I have it. In my opinion, that's not a smart business move. Especially when I have other, more pressing matters that need my financial attention.
So, today I officially canceled my account. Part of me feels like I failed, which I did, and the other part of me is grateful that I took that risk. I've learned a lot from this experience, and I'm excited to move forward in my career as a content creator and Film & TV executive. I did let the folks at roku know that I have every intention to come back when things are better situated for me.
Until then....
Peace and love ❤️
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