Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios Storytellers Lab, a pioneering initiative designed to create impactful partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in America, recently hosted a conference attended by students from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa from AFDA and Multichoice Talent Factory.
Aimed at leading a discussion about the future of Black content creation, Dometi Pongo moderated the conference from Atlanta, GA, guiding an engaging conversation that connected talent and executives from both the US and Africa. Joining him as co-moderator was Lerai who participated from Johannesburg. Nick Cannon, multi-hyphenate entertainer and entrepreneur, joined from Atlanta, engaging with students and industry leaders in a conversation that centered on the Black experience in storytelling, uplifting fresh voices that reflect the diversity of the BIPOC culture in the entertainment industry, and how Black narratives are resonating with a global audience.
Others who participated in the conversation were US-based Sheila Ducksworth, President of CBS Studios NAACP Ventures and Tolani Holmes, SVP of Unscripted Development at Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios; Jerry Mofokeng, actor/director; Ferry Jele, director/producer and Desireé Markgraaff, a leading figure in South African film and TV.
Speaking, Ti-Shea Meadows, VP of Operations, Channel Planning and Culture, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks and Head, Storytellers Lab, said: “We’re delighted to have this important conversation with Paramount Africa to explore how telling stories rooted in culture and sharing global experiences is important for creating meaningful content. In today’s interconnected world, learning from one another and exchanging skills and knowledge help keep our storytelling relevant and reflect our diverse identities. By embracing each other’s perspectives, we can craft stories that resonate universally while staying true to who we are.
“We are thrilled to be able to leverage our global influence and network to include students from the African continent in this industry development initiative. We hope the AFDA and MultiChoice Talent Factory students will benefit from the international exposure and the opportunity to network with like-minded creatives. Paramount Africa has made significant investment in the local creative sector with popular productions like Redemption, Nkalakatha, DJ Zinhle and Faith Nketsi’s reality shows, and initiatives like this are an important part of growing the industry.”
Also commenting, Monde Twala, SVP/GM for Paramount Africa and Lead, BET International, stated, “Our ambition is to evolve this over time and give young African creatives a bigger platform to shine, as we continue to invest in the industry across Africa.”
On her part, Melissa C. Potter, Executive Director, Content for Change, said: “The broader HBCU engagement and global integration around conversations happening among creators and storytellers state side and across the diaspora are in lockstep with the overall mission of Content for Change, which is to transform how the world sees people. We are intentionally expanding the message globally, so that we ensure representation in storytelling on and off the screen remains accessible, authentic and inclusive.”