From class to co-hosts: Students create queer-oriented show
Noah Rabe watches a segment for “Can’t Think Straight” being filmed Feb. 21, 2022. Rabe is in charge of audio and video control for the show.
April 12, 2022
When two App State students were assigned to be co-hosts for an in-class activity, a spark was lit. Now, the pair work on a TV show together as co-hosts, creating the first queer-oriented show on AppTV.
Senior electronic media and broadcasting majors Harriet Enzor and Nathaniel McDonald knew one another through their similar class schedules and their work with AppTV but didn’t really get close until the creation of their show.
Their professor of the class commented on their obvious chemistry as co-hosts. They both brushed it off, not thinking too much of the comment. But later in a Zoom class, Enzor reached out to McDonald and suggested actually creating a queer-oriented show together, and the AppTV show “Can’t Think Straight” was born.
Enzor and McDonald said they knew if they were to start a show, it was definitely going to be queer-oriented.
“We wanted to rely firstly on how we acted together on camera, and I think that had a lot to do with how we act,” McDonald said.
Their show is centered around queer-oriented and queer-adjacent content that can range from talks between hosts, jokes, guest interviews, skits, squashing stereotypes and more. McDonald said they created the show with the mission to entertain and educate people in Boone on queer and queer-adjacent content, while also giving people a safe space to feel seen and heard.
“It is App State’s first LGBTQ+ show and something like that can help show diversity on campus,” said Elise Taylor, an electronic media and broadcasting major and crew member of the show.
Harriet explained that the queer community in Boone is rather small, so they wanted to create a show giving the community representation on campus and bringing the community together.
“Raise up the queer voices in Boone,” Enzor said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”
While the show provides a space for people to educate themselves, it has also helped the co-hosts grow and learn more about themselves. By working on this show, Enzor said they gained more confidence, and McDonald said they learned they love being an on-camera talent.
Both Enzor and McDonald have known since they were younger that they wanted to be involved in creative media. Enzor had experience with music when they were younger but burnt out by the time college rolled around. When they became interested in film and movies, they realized they wanted to be a director and then got involved with AppTV.
“I never expected to make something that also would feature me on camera,” McDonald said. “I think I’m really happy that I didn’t imagine that happening, but I’m happy that that’s what it led to me realizing how much I like to host and be a talent.”
McDonald always knew they were interested in working with media but never envisioned being featured on camera in their own show as a co-host. While this may not be how they envisioned it, this show has given them opportunities to learn and grow.
“I personally have grown a lot since the making of this show,” Enzor said. “I’m more confident in who I am and actually thinking about different topics that maybe I wasn’t comfortable enough to think about by myself, but now that I have a support crew and friends with me, I can actually think about those kinds of things.”
Taylor has been working on the show since the start, and they said the whole crew has become close through working on the show. The crew grew so close that they went on a spring break trip together.
“I think our closeness is a mix of finding like-minded people and also a safe space you feel like you can fully be yourself in,” Taylor said.
While Enzor and McDonald made the show their own, they said they are planning for the future and what the show may look like down the road. Their main goal for this semester is adjusting the show to promote longevity and keep it going after they leave App State. This and other aspects of the show is done by not only the two co-hosts but their team as well.
“I feel like this semester we are trying to make a show that other people would like more, which is a good thing,” McDonald said.
Their crew helps them with things like interviews, creative brainstorming, logistics, focusing on longevity and more.
Enzor said the crew is essential to the show. They mentioned that McDonald and them have the comedy aspect down, but their crew helps give an outside perspective to incorporate into their writing.
“‘Can’t Think Straight’ has been an amazing place where all of us feel like we can really express ourselves, hopefully, be able to express others on camera due to interviews and become friends and meet others,” Taylor said.
