Seeing is believing: community TV show “BTS with Jess” is set to make the arts more accessible to young people

Published in On The Record, 1 Apr 2024

For 23-year-old UniSA student Jess McCall, arts have played a big part in shaping her identity during her childhood and teenage years.

“Arts has done so much for me … I would definitely not be where I am now if I hadn’t done arts,” she says.

Growing up, McCall tried her hand at almost every kind of art, from sculpture making and painting to creating short films.

“I even did theatre as an extracurricular when I was in high school; it was a really good outlet for me,” she says.

“Arts helps people to gain confidence as they grow up and to figure out who they are.

“Getting out in the community, making friends, and even just enjoying a creative activity is so beneficial … there’s so many good impacts it can have,” she says.

Now a budding television presenter, McCall says the positive impact arts has had on her made her realise how important it is for the community and young people.

“That inspired me to do a show about the topic, covering different types of arts for young people,” she says.

Her upcoming television program, BTS with Jess, showcases the benefits of youth engagement with arts and provides ways for viewers to get involved.

Acting as the show’s producer, director, editor and presenter, McCall has worked on the show for 18 months with her UniSA student-run film crew and her mentor, Andrei Gostin.

Gostin, who is the Production Services Team Leader at UniSA Creative and a Channel 44 Board Member, says BTS with Jess is the first student-produced television show he’s seen in 20 years.

“Jess has an exceptional drive and passion for telling other people’s stories and that is obvious in her work on this TV series,” he says.

“She’s driving it herself and I think she’s done an amazing job.”

The first season of BTS with Jess, which premieres on Adelaide’s Channel 44 and Melbourne’s Channel 31 on April 8, contains four episodes about theatre, dance, murals, and music respectively.

“The main audience is young people in high school who are interested in the arts and want to explore it more, whether it be that they want a career in arts, or just to find out what they like,” McCall says.

“I also want my show to be interesting to younger people, families and communities who want to engage with the arts.”

McCall says a barrier to youth participation in arts is uncertainty around how to get started.

“I’ve interviewed people who say they didn’t have performing arts at [their] school,” she says.

“Then through the groups I’m showcasing on my show, they were able to join an art community.

“I’ve had people tell me: ‘I had terrible stage fright. I didn’t have any friends. I lacked social confidence. But now, a year later, after being part of this group, my confidence has improved; my friendships have improved.’”

By showing young people how others have become involved in local arts and built their confidence, McCall hopes to inspire them to do the same.

“That’s why my show is called Behind The Scenes with Jess,” she says.

“There’s so much documentation on what happens behind the scenes when you’re making art or doing theatre.

“By watching how it’s done, people can go, ‘Oh, that’s really cool. I’ve seen with my own eyes how this art is created. Now I’m inspired to have a go myself.’”

Evidently, when it comes to youth engagement in arts, seeing is believing.

To get McCall’s show “seen” by young people, the support of community television stations Channel 44 and Channel 31 has been vital.

Gostin says: “Community TV has a lot of diversity in it, where commercial TV often doesn’t have that diversity in the same way.

“Community TV is about … giving voices to people in the community and providing the opportunity for young professionals such as Jess McCall to cut their teeth and create a career,” he says.

Channel 44 and Channel 31 are the only community television stations left in Australia.

Until last week, community television licencing was set to expire in June 2024 and Gostin says other states’ channels “moved online or fell apart because it was all going to get shut down”.

On March 25, the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Community Television) Bill 2024 was passed through federal parliament, repealing the expiry date and giving the Australian Communications and Media Authority power to determine when licencing will cease.

Gostin hopes the change, which allows community television to continue broadcasting for the foreseeable future, will see channels resurface in other states.

“In the bigger picture, it’s great to see Jess’s show in light of a resurgence in the importance of locally produced content and local voices,” he says.

“It showcases some of the really important work that artists are doing with disadvantaged youth to help them discover their voice through creativity.”

As for McCall, she still finds it surreal that Channels 44 and 31 will be broadcasting her show in a week’s time.

“The other day, I was looking back at everything I’d made, and I thought, people are actually going to tune in and watch what I’ve made. People that don’t even know me are going to see my face plastered on their TVs,” she says.

“It feels great that people are going to watch something that I’ve made and hopefully get something out of it.

“I love the idea that people can watch my show and go: ‘This person can learn how to join a band, be a musician, paint a mural or be a dancer, so therefore I can as well.’”

You can watch the season premiere of BTS with Jess on April 8, at 7:30pm on Channel 44 Adelaide and at 9pm on Channel 31 Melbourne.

You can also show your support at the BTS with Jess Launch Night and Screening at Gawler Cinema on April 3 at 6:30pm. Entry is free but a gold coin donation is appreciated.