Channel 101: NY, formerly known as Channel 102, is a monthly live screening of five-minute-long "TV shows" in New York City, created by Tony Carnevale, with the blessings of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab. Harmon and Schrab created Channel 101, the Los Angeles-based film festival that inspired Channel 101: NY.
Channel 101: NY launched on February 3, 2005 as Channel 102 at the Variety Underground showcase at the Parkside Lounge. For that debut screening, all pilots that were submitted which met the five-minute maximum length were accepted. Eleven were shown, and the top five became the first "prime time" shows of Channel 102.
The concept is identical to that of Channel 101, and follows its model of operations. Anyone can submit a pilot using a private link or DV tape. The content, genre, and style of the show are entirely open as long as the length of the show is under five minutes. From all the submissions, only a portion is screened for the live audience.
Between three and seven new pilots join the previous months' prime time of five continuing shows. At the end of the screening, all audience members fill out "Executive Decision Ballots," checking off their five top shows. Only the shows with the highest five ratings will return next month with a new episode, all other shows are "cancelled."
The "Prime Time Panel" is made up of representatives from the shows with the highest audience vote totals from the previous month's screening. At the screening (which occurs roughly every month), the audience votes (or "renews") its top five favorite shows. The creators of those shows continue making new episodes each month until they fall from the top five, which means they have been "cancelled."
After leaving the Parkside Louge, Channel 102 held several screenings at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (NYC) from March through September 2005. In November 2005, Channel 102 moved to the 192-seat Courthouse Theater at The Anthology Film Archives. Other past venues included Pianos Bar and Tribeca Cinemas. Channel 101: NY screened at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at the UCBeast location at 153 E 3rd Street from 2012–2018, and most recently has screened regularly at the Spectacle Theatermicrocinema.[1]
In November 2007, Kelly Kubik, Dan Harmon's former personal assistant and creative collaborator on many 101 shows, and Stephen Levinson moved to New York, Levinson replacing Will Hines as the "showrunner" of Channel 102. Levinson commenced several new initiatives including moving the screening from Tribeca Cinemas to Pianos' Bar, making entry free and rebranding Channel 102 as "Channel 101:NY" in order to draw the brands together. Ed Mundy then took control, and helped move the show to UCB East, where screenings are still held monthly.
