The NAACP Image Award-nominated film “Memory Builds the Monument” was acquired by Paramount for continuous airings on BET throughout Black History Month. The documentary short, which spotlights the vibrant community of Black artists in the Historic 5th Ward of Houston, Texas, will also be available for streaming on BET+ starting Feb. 1.
The 11-minute film centers around the Houston-based concert venue Club Matinee, which was founded in 1936 amid rampant segregation and racially-driven violence. The musical hotbed became known for hosting legends like Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Louis Armstrong, Sam Cooke, Little Richard and B.B. King in the early stages of their careers. Simultaneously, director Isaac Yowman uses the short as a vehicle to explore the sociopolitical hardships faced by African Americans living in the South during the civil rights movement.
Yowman, who also doubles as a Grammy-nominated music producer, partnered with nonprofits like Fifth Ward CRC and Source Studio to develop the film through his production company, IYO Visuals. “Memory Builds the Monument” premiered globally at the 2022 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin.
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The BET special will also have a complimentary screening for residents of Atlanta, Ga. on Feb. 17 at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center in partnership with Morehouse College. The event will be followed by a Q&A with Yowman.
EXECUTIVES
The Television Academy Foundation named four new members to its board of directors: Scott Evans, Alix Jaffe, Paula Williams Madison and Babette Perry.
Evans is an Emmy Award-nominated entertainment journalist and currently hosts NBCUniversal’s “Access Hollywood” and “Access Daily.” Jaffe is the EVP of television for Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (VREG) and currently oversees VREG Television’s independent television business. Prior to joining VREG, Jaffe was president of Greg Garcia’s production company, Amigos de Garcia, and vice president of current programs for CBS, overseeing primetime series including “Blue Bloods,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “Rules of Engagement.”
Madison formerly served as the EVP of diversity at NBCUniversal and currently serves as chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC. Perry is a partner at Innovative Artist’s broadcast division. Formerly, Perry was the head of broadcasting at ICM and SVP of the West Coast broadcasting division at IMG.
The new members join re-elected board officers including foundation chair Cris Abrego, treasurer Deborah Bradley, secretary Billie Greer and vice chair Jonathan Murray.
“We are thrilled to welcome our esteemed colleagues to the board,” Abrego said in a statement. “We look forward to working together and implementing their collective professional expertise to support the Foundation’s mission of nurturing television’s next generation of leaders while capturing the stories of the industry’s icons.”
The Foundation prepares leaders and storytellers through its education and preservation programs: The College Television Awards and Summit, Student Internship Program, The Interviews: An Oral History of Television Project and the Media Educators Conference.
DATES
Fox Nation announced that its one-hour comedy special “Roseanne Barr: Cancel This!” will debut Feb. 13, after a teaser aired during Sunday’s NFL game.
The special marks Barr’s return to standup after almost 20 years. Filmed in Houston in front of a live studio audience, Barr provides commentary on several topics, including moving to Texas after growing up Jewish in Salt Lake City and acknowledging privilege.
Fox Nation will also release a closer look at Barr’s life and career in “Who Is Roseanne Barr?” to correspond with the comedy special premiere.
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Global French entertainment network TV5Monde announced that the iconic cartoon series “Les Schtroumpfs” (“The Smurfs”) will launch the first four seasons on TV5Mond+ on Feb. 1.
The series will also air on Tivi5Monde beginning Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. “Les Schtroumpfs” is based upon Belgian cartoonist Peyo’s (Pierre Culliford) newspaper cartoon strip and the upcoming release will present each episode in French. Peyo’s original book series follows the Smurf as they work to preserve their enchanting village from Gargamel the wizard .
“Les Schtroumpfs” will be accessible via TV5Monde+ via Xfinity, Fios, fuboTV and Sling TV.
GREEN LIGHTS
Allen Media Group announced the launch of its newest television series, “Equal Justice With Judge Eboni K. Williams.”
The upcoming court series will air daily this upcoming fall. The series will occupy a one-hour time slot, which will be accessible for viewers via broadcast television stations, global cable, network and digital distribution platforms.
Williams, a lawyer, author and television host, was also a former guest host on ABC’s “The View,” a cast member of “The Real Housewives of New York City” and a correspondent for CBS News and Fox News. As an attorney, Williams has provided legal counsel in family law and civil litigation, and worked in both public defense and private practices. Williams will be the youngest judge of any syndicated court show in the fall 2023 season.
“Eboni K. Williams is an outstanding and charismatic television host, and we are extremely confident that our newest court series will be very successful for years to come,” said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group.
Williams added, “Byron’s nonstop commitment to creating exceptional programming and his unmatched amplification of our culture are why I am certain we will deliver another phenomenal television court series.”
