Years ago, Andre Holman’s late father asked him what his next move would be since Holman had worked with STL TV for quite some time and produced events for the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.
Holman explained how technology was changing, and reassured his father that he would have his own platform. It would feature content that he felt was desperately needed in the Black community.
His father said, ‘Okay, that’s good. Well, if that’s what you’re gonna do, then do it.’
While he is not here to experience it, Holman’s promise to his dad is coming true.
Holman launches a new television network, the AH! TV Network, on Sunday, August 29, 2021, on the streaming service apps Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. Private ceremonies at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. will be held in correspondence with the network launch and beginning of live streaming.
“It’s so much more than producing content,” Holman said. “I wanna make something that changes somebody’s life.”
Holman said people thought the network name is related to his first and last name, but it is derived from ‘ah’ being the first thing people say when they have clarity or better understanding of something. It’s just a coincidence that the phrase matches his initials.
“One of the things I try to focus on with this network is how I can galvanize people to be a part of something that just started in my mind,” Holman said. “That was really God, because I didn’t want to have a station that was just my name. I wanted to have something people can get a hold of and understand.”
His network brings together St. Louis natives locally and across the country in cities including Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles and New York. There is entertainment, sports, fitness, spirituality, fashion and other genres of programming.
Four months ago, Holman reached out to retired Olympic gold medalist and East St. Louis native Jackie Joyner-Kersee about a show idea. He wanted to examine the pressures and mental health battles she endured as an athlete. Her show will air just as the world saw gymnast Simone Biles and tennis star Naomi Osaka step away from their sports for mental health reasons.
Sylvester Brown Jr., The St. Louis American’s Deaconess Foundation COVID Fellow and former publisher of Take Five Magazine, has transitioned his publication into a live television program, and he is joined by other local personalities in dialogue on different topics.
Tracie Berry-McGhee and Yolanda ‘Lady Yo’ Lankford’s morning inspirational show airs at 8:30 a.m. weekdays CST on Facebook Live and YouTube. It will officially air on the network at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 30.
Pascal Beauboeuf’s late night entertainment show, The Pascal Show, will feature local and national celebrity interviews. Holman’s lineup will also include a late night comedy show with Darius Bradford; Just Cillah, a fashion segment with Cillah Hall, owner and publisher of Gazelle Magazine; Press Play, a sports show with Will Franklin, athletic director and coach at Vashon High High School; a fitness show with Pechaz Clark; a diversity, equity and inclusion segment with Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis representatives; a show with East St. Louis native and comedian Tahir Moore, who now lives in Los Angeles; a show with Carol Daniel of KMOX highlighting women in business; and a spiritual segment with Pastor Aeneas Williams, former St. Louis Rams cornerback where he will discuss helping during difficult times and how to be men of faith.
Local producers and filmmakers will have the opportunity to present short films, documentaries, and feature length films on the network. A short interview accompanies the works so viewers can learn more about their story.
Holman is in talks with iHeart Radio about partnering to create a show for teens and young adults to perform at the Maryland Heights Dave & Busters.
He also has a concept he plans to present to Ranken Technical College. The show would be a competition where young people would go to a junkyard and find what they need to build a car from scratch. The winner would receive free tuition to Ranken.
“It’s so much more than producing content,” Holman said. “I wanna make something that changes somebody’s life.”
Holman has worked with STL TV for 30 years. He got his start as an intern and worked his way up to video production supervisor and now station manager.
Under his leadership, he transformed what was once a local government access channel. He rebranded and reformed the station’s identity, brought numerous well-known local media personalities and hosts on board and helped the station earn five regional Emmy Award nominations (winning three.) More than 700 interns have worked for him, with some landing jobs at ESPN and Kevin Hart’s Hart Beat Studios.
“I owe a lot to this place for my development,” Holman said.
“I’m also proud of the fact I’ve had about 700 interns and volunteers during the time that I’ve been leading this place. Having people call me, send me messages or write me on Facebook and tell me about their new opportunities is the biggest reward. From this place, people were given opportunities that they felt they couldn’t get in other places.”
He believes he’s accomplished all that he possibly could have with STL TV, and now is the time for him to spread his wings and oversee his own platform.
“I hope that the network can make a difference,” Holman said. “I’m putting my heart and soul into making a difference in the lives of young Black males and females.”
For more information about the AH! TV Network, visit https://www.ahtvnet.com/.