CBPTV creators dwell on what could have been
When Anderson Hill and Patrick Harley, seniors, didn’t get their desired position as PTV sports anchors, they decided to spin their rejection into their own unique Youtube channel, CBPTV, or “Could Have Been Panther TV.”
Hill and Harley began filming CBPTV in October 2016. Both are interested in pursuing careers in the film and media industry, and felt that showing off their talents using an outlet like CBPTV was in their best interest, in addition to being a great way to have fun.
CBPTV centers around their focus of sports. Their videos address NPHS sports teams’ successes and failures with their trademark sense of humor. Hill and Harley do not shy away from self deprecation, even starting their videos with a disclaimer that pokes fun at their lack of a social life.
Both Harley and Hill agree that CBPTV is centered around having a good time. Harley stated that they “liked the idea of not being attached to the school and being able to take some of the jokes a bit further than PTV would like.” He stressed that they appeal to a “PG-13 audience” specifically.
Matt Grabow, senior, was included in the project by Harley and Hill. He described CBPTV as “a way for my friends and I to be ourselves and show everybody what we’re like as people.”
All three of them seem to agree that CBPTV is a representation of how much fun it is to film with friends. Hill said, “Our best work comes from spontaneity.”
The majority of their videos are filmed either at Hill’s house or at NPHS with help from a camera crew, which includes Ryan Hampton, senior, and Spencer Hill III, Hill’s younger brother.
The crew captures the footage on 50 millimeter film and physically edit it by cutting and taping the film. They use a projector and film the footage from the projector using a digital camera. The videos are then uploaded to Youtube.
When asked about the reactions they have received from CBPTV, Harley says that they have garnered a mix of positive and negative reactions. And while the positive responses are welcome, he does not pay much attention to the negative ones. “We place the importance on having fun, not making everyone happy. If people enjoy what we enjoy making, that is just a plus,” he said, echoing the common element of fun so evident in CBPTV.
As can be predicted from their enthusiasm, the friends do not plan on stopping CBPTV any time soon. “There’s a new episode coming out very soon!” Grabow proclaims excitedly. Their latest video, Episode 6, was posted on Jan. 17 and can be found on their Twitter, @CouldBePTV.
