Questlove and Black Thought Ink First-Look Deal With Universal Television

The production company founded by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter of the hip-hop collective The Roots signed a first-look deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal Television.

Under the three-year deal, Thompson and Trotter’s production company, Two One Five Entertainment, will develop scripted, unscripted, and special programming across NBC’s television and digital content platforms.

“This deal is very important to us as we’ve been content producers and storytellers for our entire career,” said Thompson in a statement sent to BLACK ENTERPRISE. “A significant investment from Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal Television in our vision allows us to share these stories on a much larger scale. Tarik and I see this as the next chapter to our careers, and we are very involved in the entire process.  I’m directing, Tarik is writing and we both are producing.”

The Roots’ have worked with NBC for over a decade. The Grammy award-winning group has been the official house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since the show premiered in 2014. The Roots also served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. Meanwhile, Thompson currently serves as the show’s musical director.

“Many of our initial projects have been music-centric content, and one of our goals is to become the premiere hub for music storytelling – a safe space for these stories to be shared across a variety of platforms,” added Trotter. “Eventually we will expand outside of music with our stories. However, as we all know, every story has a rhythm and Two One Five Entertainment will harness that rhythm and create well-produced, compelling content.”

Previously, Two One Five Entertainment produced the AMC docuseries, Hip Hop Songs that Shook America, along with Black Woodstock, a documentary that explored the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The company also worked on the Broadway productions Soul Train the Musical and Black No More in partnership with Oscar winnerJohn Ridley and.

“The Roots are innovators and cultural tastemakers whose breadth of musical knowledge is unparalleled,” said Meredith Ahr, President, of NBC Alternative and Reality Group. “The band has been a cornerstone of NBC’s late-night programming for over a decade, and we are excited to extend our collaboration across a diverse slate of projects to bring even more compelling storytelling to our audience.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/3fVEusu

Questlove and Black Thought Ink First-Look Deal With Universal Television

The production company founded by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter of the hip-hop collective The Roots signed a first-look deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal Television.

Under the three-year deal, Thompson and Trotter’s production company, Two One Five Entertainment, will develop scripted, unscripted, and special programming across NBC’s television and digital content platforms.

“This deal is very important to us as we’ve been content producers and storytellers for our entire career,” said Thompson in a statement sent to BLACK ENTERPRISE. “A significant investment from Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal Television in our vision allows us to share these stories on a much larger scale. Tarik and I see this as the next chapter to our careers, and we are very involved in the entire process.  I’m directing, Tarik is writing and we both are producing.”

The Roots’ have worked with NBC for over a decade. The Grammy award-winning group has been the official house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since the show premiered in 2014. The Roots also served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. Meanwhile, Thompson currently serves as the show’s musical director.

“Many of our initial projects have been music-centric content, and one of our goals is to become the premiere hub for music storytelling – a safe space for these stories to be shared across a variety of platforms,” added Trotter. “Eventually we will expand outside of music with our stories. However, as we all know, every story has a rhythm and Two One Five Entertainment will harness that rhythm and create well-produced, compelling content.”

Previously, Two One Five Entertainment produced the AMC docuseries, Hip Hop Songs that Shook America, along with Black Woodstock, a documentary that explored the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The company also worked on the Broadway productions Soul Train the Musical and Black No More in partnership with Oscar winnerJohn Ridley and.

“The Roots are innovators and cultural tastemakers whose breadth of musical knowledge is unparalleled,” said Meredith Ahr, President, of NBC Alternative and Reality Group. “The band has been a cornerstone of NBC’s late-night programming for over a decade, and we are excited to extend our collaboration across a diverse slate of projects to bring even more compelling storytelling to our audience.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/3fVEusu

TIAA Hosts Virtual Commencement to Celebrate their Next Generation of Difference Makers Program Participants

Students have worked hard all year and leaders are making sure that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed just because people can’t physically walk across the stage during the pandemic. One of those leaders is The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA). As a part of the efforrt to uplift the community, TIAA celebrated individuals who are committed to making a positive impact on society and on the lives of others who they consider to be next generation of difference-makers last week during their virtual commencement in partnership with Facebook and Snapchat.

During the ceremony, over 540 students receiving high school diplomas, college degrees, and postgraduate degrees were recognized for their accomplishments.

To recognize the graduates and their efforts to give back, TIAA awarded four individuals $1,000 book scholarships or to a charity of their choice, along with six honorable mentions and $500 book scholarships or contributions to a charity of the student’s choice. Additionally, 90 individuals received a $100 book scholarship or contribution of that amount to a charity of their choice.

For the ceremony, TIAA partnered with Snapchat to create a virtual graduation ceremony lens Snapchatter so they could experience hearing the crowd roar as they stand on the graduation stage in front of their fellow graduates with personalized Congrats signs. Through a partnership with Facebook, TIAA is creating a photo story for graduates or proud parents. Facebook users will be able to leverage existing photos or upload new photos/videos into a collection that can be sent to their friends or posted and commented on.

Parting Words to the Class of 2020

Roger W. Ferguson, president & CEO of TIAA, along with Lori Dickerson Fouché, CEO of TIAA Financial Solutions; Chancellor Felix Matos Rodríguez of CUNY, the nation’s largest urban public university system; Jose Mineya, CEO of Nuveen Asset Management; Sean Woodroffe, Chief Human Resources Office of TIAA; and Corie Pauling, Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer of TIAA and head of Corporate Social Responsibility gave remarks.

(Image: TIAA)

During Ferguson’s speech, he encouraged students to be optimistic about their futures; be continuous learners; see their career as more of a climbing wall than a ladder, and to set themselves up for success by building their financial knowledge.

“You’re entering a world and a future that you have every reason to be optimistic about—even in the midst of this pandemic. Being optimistic isn’t about sweeping our anxieties under the rug. It’s about being hopeful about the future, even during a crisis. In fact, it’s during times such as these that optimism is most important,” said Ferguson.

“When we approach challenges with confidence and hope, we do better and often gain important insights in the process. This pandemic may help you gain a greater sense of purpose, for example. You see, there is nothing—not even a pandemic—that can diminish the collective power of the human spirit to achieve and persevere,” he added.

In the midst of the pandemic, Ferguson wants to encourage graduates all over to see challenges as they present themselves as opportunities.

“Change is not something to be afraid of. It’s simply the natural order of things, and it has been that way since the beginning of time. Out of change comes improvement…that’s how we evolve and make things better. You’re entering a world and a future that you have every reason to be optimistic about—even in the midst of this pandemic,” he said.

“Being optimistic isn’t about sweeping our anxieties under the rug. It’s about being hopeful about the future, even during a crisis. In fact, it’s during times such as these that optimism is most important. When we approach challenges with confidence and hope, we do better and often gain important insights in the process,” Ferguson exclaimed.

 

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Indianapolis Police Officer Who Made ‘Closed Casket Homie’ Remark Suspended and Reassigned

Last week, a black man, Dreasjon Sean Reed, was killed by Indianapolis police after being shot while evading officers after a car chase. One of the officers, not realizing that the scene was being recorded on Facebook Live, was heard saying “Looks like it’s going to be a closed casket, homie,” has been suspended and reassigned because of the comment he made according to The Associated Press.

The victim, Dreasjon Sean Reed, was live-streaming himself on Facebook when he was shot. Unknown to the police, Reed was recording as he was gunned down and the officers had no clue that after shooting him, they could be heard sharing a laugh over his dead body.

Chief Randal Taylor, who stated at a press conference last week that the comments were “unacceptable,” said earlier this week that the police officer received a suspension of numerous days and has been reassigned to another unit. 

Indianapolis police said in a statement that they cannot release the identities of the officer involved in the shooting, and the detective who made the inappropriate comment for safety reasons, but that the officer who fatally shot Reed is also African-American, The Indianapolis Star has reported. Taylor said earlier this week that detectives are investigating at least 26 threats made against officers following the fatal shootings of Reed and another police shooting victim, 19-year-old McHale Rose.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department released a statement last week stating that gunfire was exchanged between the officers and the victim. “There was an exchange of gunfire between the driver and the officer. The driver was struck by the gunfire.”

“IMPD closely scrutinizes all uses of force, as we hold every officer to our high standards. While we are withholding judgment on the actions of the involved officer at this time, the officer has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation. The shooting is being investigated by IMPD’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). A separate and independent internal investigation will be conducted by IMPD’s Internal Affairs Unit to ensure compliance with departmental policy, as is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is involved and will be consulted throughout the investigative process, which includes up to or including the Grand Jury, with civilian oversight. In addition, the IMPD Firearms Review Board will determine whether the departmental use of force was reasonable.”

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TIAA Hosts Virtual Commencement to Celebrate their Next Generation of Difference Makers Program Participants

Students have worked hard all year and leaders are making sure that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed just because people can’t physically walk across the stage during the pandemic. One of those leaders is The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA). As a part of the efforrt to uplift the community, TIAA celebrated individuals who are committed to making a positive impact on society and on the lives of others who they consider to be next generation of difference-makers last week during their virtual commencement in partnership with Facebook and Snapchat.

During the ceremony, over 540 students receiving high school diplomas, college degrees, and postgraduate degrees were recognized for their accomplishments.

To recognize the graduates and their efforts to give back, TIAA awarded four individuals $1,000 book scholarships or to a charity of their choice, along with six honorable mentions and $500 book scholarships or contributions to a charity of the student’s choice. Additionally, 90 individuals received a $100 book scholarship or contribution of that amount to a charity of their choice.

For the ceremony, TIAA partnered with Snapchat to create a virtual graduation ceremony lens Snapchatter so they could experience hearing the crowd roar as they stand on the graduation stage in front of their fellow graduates with personalized Congrats signs. Through a partnership with Facebook, TIAA is creating a photo story for graduates or proud parents. Facebook users will be able to leverage existing photos or upload new photos/videos into a collection that can be sent to their friends or posted and commented on.

Parting Words to the Class of 2020

Roger W. Ferguson, president & CEO of TIAA, along with Lori Dickerson Fouché, CEO of TIAA Financial Solutions; Chancellor Felix Matos Rodríguez of CUNY, the nation’s largest urban public university system; Jose Mineya, CEO of Nuveen Asset Management; Sean Woodroffe, Chief Human Resources Office of TIAA; and Corie Pauling, Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer of TIAA and head of Corporate Social Responsibility gave remarks.

(Image: TIAA)

During Ferguson’s speech, he encouraged students to be optimistic about their futures; be continuous learners; see their career as more of a climbing wall than a ladder, and to set themselves up for success by building their financial knowledge.

“You’re entering a world and a future that you have every reason to be optimistic about—even in the midst of this pandemic. Being optimistic isn’t about sweeping our anxieties under the rug. It’s about being hopeful about the future, even during a crisis. In fact, it’s during times such as these that optimism is most important,” said Ferguson.

“When we approach challenges with confidence and hope, we do better and often gain important insights in the process. This pandemic may help you gain a greater sense of purpose, for example. You see, there is nothing—not even a pandemic—that can diminish the collective power of the human spirit to achieve and persevere,” he added.

In the midst of the pandemic, Ferguson wants to encourage graduates all over to see challenges as they present themselves as opportunities.

“Change is not something to be afraid of. It’s simply the natural order of things, and it has been that way since the beginning of time. Out of change comes improvement…that’s how we evolve and make things better. You’re entering a world and a future that you have every reason to be optimistic about—even in the midst of this pandemic,” he said.

“Being optimistic isn’t about sweeping our anxieties under the rug. It’s about being hopeful about the future, even during a crisis. In fact, it’s during times such as these that optimism is most important. When we approach challenges with confidence and hope, we do better and often gain important insights in the process,” Ferguson exclaimed.

 

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2Z8GoQz