As Seen on TV: Meet Alicia, the Creative Instigator Behind Cheechable LIVN

When Alicia Navarrette talks about Open Signal, she lights up: “I love Open Signal.” She adds, “Staff show up with answers, tools, and care.” That spirit comes through in Cheechable LIVN, a lifestyle talk show now airing on our public access channels.

Alicia calls herself a creative instigator, someone who encourages creatives to take risks and experiment. Her education and practice weave together Portland’s creative threads: design, fine art, gallery work, community organizing, and now television. She started Cheechable LIVN to bring her print project, Cheechable, off the page and into motion. The show feels like Portland: artist conversations, live performances, food and culture, comedy, and process-driven segments that reveal how ideas become work.

Cheechable LIVN is more than a show; it’s a blueprint. It demonstrates how Open Signal’s resources (training, studios, staff, and a community of collaborators) turn a spark of inspiration into sustained practice. Alicia’s spark led her to attend an Orientation and our Studio Production class. The concept came to life at Open Playground, our weekly open-format, open-call studio sessions. In four hours, a team of staff and volunteers recorded seven segments that became the series pilot. To produce the rest of the series, she posted a crew call on our online message board, Switchboard, where she was able to build a crew that grew to a dozen people. The result was a full first season: 26 half-hour episodes, airing weekly.

The show has rolled into season two with a refined format: 14 fifteen-minute episodes, a steady core crew, and additional crew as needed. Collaboration remains at the center; Thursday creative meetings are where decisions are made together. The team also submitted and was accepted into a short to a film festival, screening alongside larger production companies as one of just eight selections.

The project now serves as a bridge for people ready to step back into the creative process and into the studio. It’s a gentle nudge to Portland’s creatives: if you’ve been curious, come make something with us!

It’s also a portrait of what happens when inspiration meets community media support. When production hiccups pop up, Alicia says, “people show up out of the woodwork.” Vo helped get the project off the ground and guides the crew during studio sessions. Tracy facilitates equipment and information. Kamryn and Melissa offer production support and know-how. KatMeow’s facilitation shaped the studio flow. Public access doesn’t just open doors, it pairs tools with people who care.

Where to Watch and How to Plug In

Watch Cheechable LIVN Thursday evenings at 11pm on Channel 11 (Community Access Network) and Channel 22 (ITN 1).  Learn more about this project at cheechable.com.

Ready to act on your inspiration? Check out our upcoming Orientations and classes and start creating!