This month, Tubi, the online television and film streaming service, will launch a new channel featuring films created by students and alumni of historically Black colleges and universities.
Developed by Howard University alumna Shelia Eldridge, the “HBCU First Look” channel will feature one hundred films from HBCU-affiliated creators, including films submitted to the 2025 HBCU First Look Film Festival hosted by Howard University during the fall 2025 semester. Eldrige, CEO of Miles Ahead Entertainment, has led the festival since its inception in 2023.
“It took about a year to get this deal done,” Eldridge told Howard University. “I’m glad that Tubi was open to it when we went to them. Student filmmakers will be able to learn the full process of being able to put a film onto one of these FAST (free ad-supported streaming) channel programs. With this deal, everyone will win. We were able to create a revenue model so that students can also partake in some of the revenue. That was important to me because we want to see the next Spike Lee, the next Ryan Coogler, or Ava Duvernay.”
