Profiles of African-American Success
| Profiles of African-American Success | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Frances Presley-Rice |
| Presented by | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Frances Presley-Rice Bayer Mack |
| Running time | 2-4 minutes per episode |
| Production company | Block Starz Music Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | BSMTV |
| Release | 2014 – present |
Profiles of African-American Success is an American documentary web series produced by Frances Presley-Rice and filmmaker Bayer Mack for their production company Block Starz Music Television. The documentary series features short biographies of African-American businesses and entrepreneurs.
Development
Profiles of African-American Success was originally developed by executive producer Frances Presley-Rice in conjunction with The Washington Times as a ten-part weekly video series for Dr. Ben Carson's digital magazine, American CurrentSee.[1] The series is now distributed exclusively by BSMTV through its official website, Vimeo and YouTube channels and on various community television stations.[2] During the promotion for his documentary film, The Czar of Black Hollywood, director Bayer Mack said his goal with Profiles of African-American Success was to carry on The Czar of Black Hollywood's theme of celebrating black Americans who succeeded in the face of Jim Crow and other challenges.[3]
Featured profiles
Profiles of African-American Success has featured the following black entrepreneurs and institutions:
- Junius G. Groves: Gilded Age Business Magnate
- Robert S. Abbott: Millionaire Newspaper Publisher
- Jeremiah G. Hamilton: The Dark Prince of Wall Street
- Harry H. Pace: America's First Black Record Label Owner
- Frederick D. Patterson: America's Only Black Car Manufacturer
- Homer B. Roberts: America's First Black Auto Dealer
- Reginald F. Lewis: America's First Black Billion Dollar Businessman
- Paul R. Williams: Architect to the Stars
- Don H. Barden: King of Detroit
- Richard "Dick" Griffey: Music Industry Kingpin
- Alpha Kappa Alpha: A Legacy of Sisterhood and Service
- Sylvia Robinson: Mother of Hip-Hop
- Gamble and Huff: The Sound of Philadelphia
- The Million Man March: 20 Year Anniversary
- Miss Black America: The Pageant Changed History
- Vee-Jay Records: Most Successful Black Owned Label Before Motown
- George E. Johnson, Sr.: First Black Company on American Stock Exchange
- Cathy L. Hughes: First Black Woman to Head a Publicly-traded Company
- Jerry Lawson: A Black Man Developed the First Cartridge Video Game Console
- Black Journal: America's Most Dangerous Public Television Show
Narrators
Season 1 of Profiles of African-American Success was presented by William Bell, who had worked with the producers on The Czar of Black Hollywood. Seasons 2 and 3 employed relatively unknown African-American voice actors and actresses. The premiere episode for Season 4 features narration by noted media professional Dyana Williams in a tribute to her friend, Radio One founder Cathy Hughes.[4]
Reception
The critical and public response to the documentary series has been generally favorable with many praising its effort to showcase positive aspects of the African-American experience.[5][6][7][8]
References
- ^ ACS Bio. "Homer B. Roberts: America's First Black Auto Dealer". WashingtonTimes.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Lily Bouvier (2016-01-30). "This Week on TV: Black History Month commences". CCTV.org. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ Michael Neary (2014-10-15). "It's a treasure trove of black social history". NewsAdvance.com. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ Shared (2017-03-11). "Cathy Hughes on Twitter: "Thank you to my dear friend @DyanaWilliams..."". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
- ^ Staff (2016-04-16). "Sylvia Robinson: Mother of Hip Hop and the Real Cookie Lyon of Empire [VIDEO]". BlackThen.com. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ EURPublisher (2015-01-14). "Watch Block Starz Video Tribute to the Sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha". EURWeb.com. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ Posted (2016-05-16). "Did You Know America's First Black Billion Dollar Businessman Was A Nupe?". WatchtheYard.com. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
- ^ Kate Kelly (2016-12-07). "Johnson Products, 1st Black Co. on American Stock Exchange, New Documentary Short". HuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved 2017-02-11.
External links