Jane Velez-Mitchell

Interview by Stacey Blanchet for FIDO Friendly Magazine

Jane Velez-Mitchell: I started UnchainedTV to reach the many millions of people out there who desperately need this life-saving information and are not getting it. Heart disease is a leading killer, and it generally comes from plaque which comes from cholesterol in animal products. Do doctors warn you about that? Do they tell you that processed meat - hot dogs, deli slices, bacon, etc. - is officially cancer-causing, according to the World Health Organization? No.

So, UnchainedTV is giving people a portal into a new way of living that will improve their health, while simultaneously combating climate change, habitat destruction, wildlife extinction, human world hunger, drought, water pollution and animal suffering.

JVM: FREE is the #1 search term of streaming device users. As we’ve seen, people do not want to pay or must sign up for a subscription to watch something. We all have too many monthly bills already. UnchainedTV, our global streaming APP, is 100% FREE to download from the APP store on your iPhone, Android phone, Apple TV device, Roku device or Amazon Fire Stick! You can also put it into the search bar on LG and Samsung SmartTVs and get it.

At UnchainedTV, we make it as easy as possible. No email, no subscription, no fee. We are offering free content to entice people to watch.

As a 501c3 non-profit, our mission is not to make money. UnchainedTV’s only goal is to educate people about this crucial subject so they can make informed decisions. How much will money mean if the planet is uninhabitable? There is something that each of us has the power to do 3 times a day to tackle climate change: eat a sustainable, plant-based meal. UnchainedTV shows you how to make delicious, nutritious meals, with hundreds of cooking shows, including New Day New Chef, our award-winning, in-studio, vegan cooking show!

JVM: As an activist, I know we must use all the technology available to be effective. With 8 billion people on the planet, we can’t talk to them all one on one. Social media is changing rapidly with platforms going in and out of favor. This APP has the potential to reach tens of millions of people or more. We were in beta testing until the start of 2022. We’ve already surpassed one million views and are growing fast. Emmy-winning producer Eamonn McCrystal suggested the APP in the fall of 2021, and we jumped on it! It’s still in its infancy but growing exponentially. I was in the TV news business for decades, where I often had just a couple of hours to whip together a story. So, we work fast at UnchainedTV. Also, we run a non-profit news organization through our network hub: UnchainedTV.com.

JVM: Many streaming networks are spending billions of dollars and hiring hundreds of people. We, at UnchainedTV, are using ingenu-

ity and creativity in place of big budgets. We produced our first Original Series, Pig Little Lies, on a tiny budget but with experienced cinematographers. Eamonn McCrystal is a brilliant director/producer who brought it all together. We also rely on the passion and talent of hundreds of vegan content creators around the world who donate their time, expertise, and videos. So, we offer award-winning documentaries and cooking shows, along with news reports, travel shows, talk shows and even music videos that have been given to us to stream by people who share our mission of a kinder, more sustainable world.

JVM: Pig Little Lies follows the saga of two pigs, a mother, and a dad, who escape from a kill shelter and go on an extraordinary adventure. And it all really happened. Dante and Beatrice are what they call a bonded pair, meaning they love each other. This series is really a love story about a family that just happens to be a pig family. We are already planning another mini-series about a chicken named Hope who lives with a family in Southern California and who rules the house!

JVM: The network is made up of a slew of channels and it’s easy to navigate. At the top is New and Noteworthy... containing the latest trending videos. Other categories include documentaries, mini-docs, cooking shows, news, etc. When a vegan content creator provides us with six or more videos, we can create a whole channel around them.

Many major vegan organizations/chefs/companies have given us videos to stream including PETA, In Defense of Animals, Animal Outlook, Animal Save Movement, Plant Based Treaty, Switch4Good, NutritionFacts.org, Their Turn, Wicked Kitchen, The Vegan Roadie, Chef AJ and more.

JVM: Much of our content, including Pig Little Lies and our cooking shows, have ZERO graphic footage. We do show some graphic footage. Often, we will have a warning. Other times, the images are up just briefly. Let›s face it. It›s the truth. What›s happening to factory farmed animals is cruelty beyond comprehension. If you did to a dog what the industry routinely does to cows, pigs, and chickens, you›d be thrown in jail. People need to see the truth. The challenge is: many people would prefer to avoid seeing the reality, so they don›t have to think about changing their lifestyle. But, what UnchainedTV also

JVM: We are not seeking to compete with anyone. That’s the joy of a non-profit model. I think the fact that our content is completely FREE, and the APP is so easy to download has been a real benefit to consumers. Just putting in an email can be a roadblock to viewers. When people say, “I’ll do it later,” they often never do it. So, we just urge everyone to download UnchainedTV right now! No fee or email required.

JVM: I am both scared and hopeful. I’m scared because we are destroying the planet and the other beings on it at such an alarming rate, we are in danger of crossing the point of no return. Yet, I’m also hopeful because people are waking up in huge numbers. The younger demographic is going vegan in droves. Others are turning vegan-ish, consciously reducing their meat and dairy intake and seeking out other options. As Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” We are on track to hit the tipping point and I believe it’s coming sooner than anyone imagines.