Don't let the zombies fool you. There are definitely signs of life at NECAT, the city's hub for community-access television.
Since July 2013, Trish Crist has been CEO of Nashville Education, Community and Arts Television, broadcast over Davidson County cable on Channels 9, 10 and 19. Crist, known to many Nashvillians as an actress and theatrical producer, is also an experienced arts administrator and fundraiser, most recently with The Nature Conservancy.
Changes in NECAT's financial setup explain her arrival behind the scenes. But developments at the station's production facility — housed on the White Bridge campus at Nashville State — could change local viewers' perception of what PEG (public, educational, government) television has to offer.
"In terms of content and partnerships and relationships in the community, we are not your grandmama's PEG station anymore," Crist says during a sitdown at the NECAT studios.
Cable access in Nashville dates back to the 1970s, when what Crist calls "TV for the people, by the people" became possible through a deal struck by Comcast and the Metro Nashville government. Under its terms, a franchise fee paid by the cable provider to the city funded a cluster of public access channels with distinct purposes, from local government to education.
From that grew the three current NECAT stations: the arts channel, Music City Arts (Ch. 9); education channel iQtv (Ch. 10); and Access Nashville (Ch. 19) — what Crist affectionately dubs "the Wayne's World channel."
"To Metro government's credit, they always wanted us to have these channels," Crist says. "The mission was twofold: to expose viewers to arts and educational programming; and to teach people how to produce TV."
Through the years, NECAT never needed to raise funds. But Crist explains that a recent change in federal law has mandated that the monies paid to Metro be spent only on capital equipment. Day-to-day operation expenses can no longer be paid out of the franchise fee. Nor can salaries.
"With the change in the law," Crist says, "NECAT lost $100,000 in operating costs."
So Crist, who had already had some experience with NECAT via Ch. 9 broadcasts of her theatrical productions, came to the fore as a candidate to head up the 501(c)3 nonprofit — a job that requires securing her own funding. Besides working fiscal magic, Crist handles thorny issues such as tracking viewership numbers and enhancing NECAT's visibility on cable carriers outside Davidson County.
Her most important task, though, is to increase local content, a process that can only happen by growing NECAT's production classes.
"In the first three quarters of my hire we have tripled the number of people taking TV production classes," Crist says. "We now have 227 producers/technicians, which is more than NECAT has ever had."
But the station wants more. Thus NECAT is launching — or is the right word infecting? — its inaugural Zombie TV Camp, a chance for the cable outlet to attract new participants and producers. During Metro schools' fall break, running Oct. 6 -10, 20 teenagers will learn professional TV production skills and create five 10-minute shorts based on various spooky themes.
NECAT's first artist-in-residence, Nashville native Rick Prince, will provide special-effects makeup instruction along with a "real zombie" for the shoots. The results will be broadcast as a one-hour show on Channel 9, rounded out by a 10-minute behind-the-scenes doc.
"This is a way to offer the students an opportunity to work with Hollywood-level special effects," says Prince, himself an alum of Hillwood High. "Zombies are hot right now. We'll keep it on the tame side, with The Walking Dead as our model."
The show will air throughout the Halloween season and beyond. Crist is especially excited about the participation of Prince, a contestant on Season 5 of the Syfy Channel's effects-makeup competition show Face Off who's worked for clients ranging from Disney and the Universal Studios theme park to Dollywood.
"He's amazing, and we are delighted to have him stirring the creative pot at NECAT," Crist says. The five scripts are currently being written by local playwrights, with NECAT producer and horror host Larry Underwood (aka Dr. Gangrene) and local improv talent Barry McAlister (aka Humphry Your Horrible Host) on board to provide commentary.
For those who haven't tuned in to NECAT since the days of The Bat Poet — or even vintage Channel 19 fare such as Will Jones and the Western Fringe or Stubby's Place — the facility has had a major overhaul in recent years. Only the mixing board remains from the bygone era, with high-tech upgrades including HD pedestal cameras, LED lighting and new editing hardware. Topping the list is a green screen of more than sufficient size to create polished special effects, with backgrounds limited only by a producer's imagination.
"We want to be the Turnip Truck of locally grown, locally made, locally appreciated and locally consumed TV," Crist says.
That's one way to get zombies to eat their vegetables. To register for Zombie TV Camp or any of NECAT's regular monthly TV production classes, contact associate director Katie Veglio at 615-354-1273 or katie@necatnetwork.org.
Email arts@nashvillescene.com.
