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Ava DuVernay Expands and Renames AFFRM Distribution Company "Array," Focuses on Films by Minorities and Women

By goodblacknews on September 9, 2015

Ava DuVernay attends as Russell Simmons' Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation Celebrates 20th Anniversary At Annual Art For Life Benefit at Fairview Farms on July 18, 2015 in Water Mill, New York.
“Selma” director Ava DuVernay has given an extreme makeover to her 5-year-old distribution company.  Previously known as AFFRM (African American Film Festival Releasing Movement), the filmmaker has relaunched and expanded the company as Array.
“I’ve always felt as if there were so many films that get made but not seen,” she told Variety. “The real focus of our company has always been distribution. What we’re doing now is opening our arms a little wider and enlarging our mission.”
Array announced Tuesday that it has two films due out this fall: South African director Sara Blecher’s coming-of-age drama “Ayanda and the Mechanic” and Takeshi Fukunaga’s debut feature, “Out of My Hand.”
The focus will be films by minorities and women. Array aims to significantly boost the number of films it releases beyond the original company’s two a year. AFFRM released DuVernay’s 2012 film “Middle of Nowhere.”
“It’s a definite evolution of what we were doing at AFFRM,” she said. “When I was out promoting ‘Selma,’ I became aware of so many other films that ought to be getting distribution. And this is a problem I can do something about because of my experience.”
DuVernay said Array will distribute films via the theatrical arthouse circuit as well as on streaming platforms.
Array has teamed with Netflix to release Tina Mabry’s “Mississippi Damned,” a family drama that debuted at Slamdance in 2009. That film recently began streaming on Netflix.
article via eurweb.com

Jadakiss & Styles P Invest in "Juices For Life" Juice Bars to Boost Health in Hometown of NY (VIDEO)

By goodblacknews on September 4, 2015

Jadakiss and Styles P (photo via myfabolouslife.com
Jadakiss and Styles P (photo via myfabolouslife.com

Two legends in the hip-hop community are making it their goal to raise awareness about health and wellness with the launch of several juice bars in New York’s most impoverished neighborhoods.
In an interview with Elite Daily, Styles P and Jadakiss, known for their group The Lox, explain the inspiration behind opening Juices For Life, a juice bar that promotes healthy living. The rappers opened up about their childhoods, reminiscing about the unhealthy snacks, like honey buns and chips, they would eat daily.
Consuming junk food in their hometown of Yonkers, NY not only put a strain on their wallets, but their health. In recent years, both artists were inspired to change the lifestyle in their neighborhoods and beyond.
Huffington Post reports:

“You’re going to get out what you put into your body,” Jadakiss said. “We didn’t know. All we knew was run to the fast food spots or run to get big bags of candy. It’s a bunch of garbage.”

Juices For Life can be found in the Bronx borough of New York City, with two other locations in the borough of Queens and in Yonkers. The juice bars also offer drinks intended to help alleviate allergies, arthritis, acne, and bronchitis. The musicians declare there’s simply nothing “soft” about promoting fruits and vegetables in the Black community.

“Our juice bars are open in the hoods on purpose to educate our people on health awareness.” Styles P said. “Build it and they will come.”
“Most of the hood don’t have access to good food, most of the hood don’t have health insurance…”Jadakiss added.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUzrvOO2LXk&w=560&h=315]
If you’re in the New York area, check out Juices For Life and great recipes you can make at home here.
article by Desire Thompson via newsone.com

Young Entrepreneur Aireal Taylor Turns Class Project into Successful Kids Transportation Company, KidzCab

By goodblacknews on September 2, 2015

(Aireal Taylor via blackenterprise.com)
(Aireal Taylor via blackenterprise.com)

Every day millions of parents struggle with transporting their children to and from school, extracurricular activities, and events. Whether it’s because they don’t have the time or could use a helping hand, managing a child’s daily schedule, as well as their own, can feel like a stressful part-time job. Enter KidzCab, a transportation service for children ages 4-16, providing a sigh of relief for many parents in the Michigan area.
“The idea for my company stemmed from a marketing assignment I had in school, where I had to come up with a product or service and write a paper on it. Once I started researching it, I thought maybe I could really create this,” said Aireal Taylor, the founder of KidzCab.
Fresh off the heels of resigning from her steady job in administration and accounting, Taylor is solely focused on running KidzCab full-time. She has 3 KidzCab vehicles. She’s booked for the mornings and afternoons for the entire school year, and she expects to average about 6 trips per day, per vehicle.
BlackEnterprise.com caught up with the ambitious leader to learn more about her entrepreneurial journey.
BlackEnterprise.com: What makes your business different than other child transportation-related businesses?
Taylor: We use a fleet technology system that tracks our vehicles in real-time and provides destination alerts to parents. We also provide booster seats for children; one less thing parents have to worry about.
Describe the long-term vision or goals that you have for your business?
I’d like to see Kidz Cab’s outside of almost every school in Michigan. I’d also like to begin offering franchise options in other states.

CEO Charles King Lands Apple Heiress Laurene Jobs as Leading Investor in Multicultural Media Company MACRO

By goodblacknews on September 2, 2015
Macro CEO Charles King
MACRO Founder and CEO Charles King

According to Variety.com, former William Morris Endeavor (WME) agency partner Charles King has lined up Apple heiress Laurene Powell Jobs as the leading investor in MACRO, the media company King recently founded to produce content for the African-American, Latino and multicultural markets.

King announced Wednesday that Jobs’ Emerson Collective would head the first round of investment in his company, with contributions also coming from a host of other technology and innovation firms and individuals, including Michael Kassan’s Medialink, and MNM Creative, a multi-national media and entertainment company. The announcement did not describe the size of the individual investments in the initial funding round, but put the total infusion in the eight-figure range.

King left the talent agency and announced the formation of his new company at the beginning of the year, with a focus on building ownership of creative properties conceived and made by minority artists. One of the most prominent minority agents in Hollywood, King was the long-time representative of multi-hyphenate Tyler Perry. MACRO has signaled that it will be announcing projects with filmmakers Ryan Coogler (“Fruitvale Station”) and Craig Brewer (“Hustle & Flow”).

MACRO Charles King

Other investors in MACRO include Raymond McGuire, the global head of corporate and investment banking at Citigroup, tech entrepreneur Justin Yoshimura and Michael Kane, managing director of the Los Angeles-based private equity firm Caltius Capital.
Jobs is the widow of Apple computer founder Steve Jobs. Her net worth has been pegged by Forbes at more than $18 billion. Her Emerson Collective had previously provided seed money to small startups focused on education and health care.
“Charles is uniquely poised to lead what’s sure to become the kind of media company that will launch careers and brands, but more importantly, add rich value to our entertainment culture,” Jobs said in a statement. “Charles has an extraordinary set of creative instincts — he’s demonstrated a remarkable ability to amplify talent, trends and content to multi-cultural audiences throughout his career.”
King said that his company would serve a market that “has been vastly underserved for too long.” He called the newly-announced investors “boundary-pushing, innovative thinkers and leaders in their respective fields of technology, finance and media.”
original article by James Rainey; additions by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Michael Jordan Wins $8.9 Million Lawsuit Against Grocery Store – Donates Money To Charity

By goodblacknews on August 23, 2015

10th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Celebrity Dinner In BESO At Crystals At CityCenter In Las Vegas
The grocery store Dominick’s – which closed all its stores last year – has to pay $8.9 million to Michael Jordan after using his name and brand in a steak ad without permission in 2009, Complex reports.
Arguing that it hurt his brand image, and doing this on principal, Jordan believed a law suit was the right approach. Upon hearing about the win, Jordan released the following statement:
I’m pleased with today’s verdict. No one — whether or not they’re a public figure — should have to worry about their identity being used without their permission. The case was not about the money as I plan to donate the proceeds to charity. It was about honesty and integrity. I hope this case sends a clear message, both here in the United States and around the world, that I will continue to be vigilant about protecting my name and identity. I also hope the size of the monetary reward will deter others from using someone else’s identity and believe they will only pay a small penalty.
ESPN sports business reporter, Darren Rovell tweeted the following:


Well, the moral to the story here is do not use anyone’s name and brand without their permission. And definitely not Michael Jordan’s.
article by Kovie Biakolo via hellobeautiful.com

Aretha Franklin Looking to Open Detroit Entertainment Complex to Further City's Renewal

By goodblacknews on August 21, 2015
The Queen of Soul told WWJ-AM she wants to open an entertainment venue in Detroit that would include a nightclub and fine dining.
It would also include “a five-star night club for dining and dancing, the band, the whole nine yards,” as well as a museum, she added.
Franklin said in Thursday’s interview she’s “glad that Detroit came through the bankruptcy with flying colors.” She says she loves how Detroit is enjoying a renaissance and that she’s “going to be part of that renaissance.”
Downtown Detroit has been a hotbed of redevelopment since the city emerged from Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in December.
Franklin says she’s found a potential location downtown, with details to be announced later.
She performs Saturday at Detroit’s Chene Park.
article via blackamericaweb.com

Google Expands Low-Cost Phone Program to Several African Countries

By goodblacknews on August 19, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-08-19 at 10.07.27 AM
Google is attempting to make cell phones affordable for people living in six African countries. Google announced the “Hot 2″ phone, which will cost only $88, would be sold in stores in Nigeria and offered by online retailer Jumia in five other countries: Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Morocco.
Although the phones being released in Africa will be ‘bare minimum’ when it comes to technology in them, the company hopes that it will be a start pointing for getting more people online.
Google, Facebook and other Internet companies are trying to get more people online in places like Africa so they can expand their audiences and eventually sell more digital advertising.
As part of that effort, Google already has built a fiber-optic network to provide faster Internet access in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.
article via clutchmagonline.com

GBN Sports: Snoop Dogg Named Director of Football Recruiting for Adidas

By goodblacknews on August 18, 2015

Coach Snoop

Lesa Lakin GBN Lifestyle
Lesa Lakin
GBN Lifestyle

Here we go again… Adidas is marketing to the cool kids. I’ve got to give it up to the team behind naming Snoop Dogg (a.k.a Calvin Broadus) Director of Football Recruiting. It’s a clever idea. In addition to the already successful collaboration of designs inspired by Snoop and the position he holds as Director of Football Development for the company, Adidas has enlisted the rapper/football aficionado to handle an additional gig in a position that makes a lot of sense.
Everyone on the sports circuit knows that Snoop has served as a sports mentor who has lead his very own youth league for years http://snoopyfl.net. He has inspired many young athletes, including his own collegiate player son, Cordell Broadus. Although Cordell may have recently made the choice not to continue his football career… he did in fact become one of the highest-recruited players in the country.
Snoop has proven he can coach and has a vast knowledge of the sport. While this new corporate appointment may not be the most expected hire, it actually is sort of a no-brainer when you really think about it.  Snoop Dogg as Director of Football Recruiting fits right in line with the Adidas marketing philosophy.  Snoop has certainly got that football drive and his team mentality could pay off big for the brand.  It’s always nice when a passion pays off.  We wish Coach Snoop all the best in his new venture.
Check out his proud instagram post here: https://instagram.com/p/6fSVxmP9No/
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"Straight Outta Compton" Debuts to Scorching $56.1 Million to Top Weekend's Box Office

By goodblacknews on August 16, 2015
Straight Outta Compton
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL

“Straight Outta Compton” may take place more than two decades ago, but its themes of racial tension, poverty and police brutality still speak to moviegoers living in a post-Ferguson world.
The biopic about rap group N.W.A. debuted to a blistering $56.1 million this weekend in 2,757 theaters, surpassing “American Pie 2” to become the biggest-ever August debut for an R-rated movie. It’s the kind of opening usually reserved for so-called tentpole movies that trade in costumed heroes and special effects, not urban violence.
“The movie tapped into something in our culture and that made it more of a must-see,” said Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com.
Its debut nearly doubles “Straight Outta Compton’s” budget of $29 million in a single weekend, meaning the film could be among the most profitable releases of the summer. N.W.A members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre helped produce the film about the early days of gansta rap and were integral to its marketing campaign.
Universal, the studio behind the music biopic, has been having a year for the ages, as a steady stream of hits such as “Jurassic World,” “Fifty Shades of Grey,” “Pitch Perfect 2,”  “Furious 7” and “Minions” have pushed its grosses to record heights. Legendary Pictures co-financed “Straight Outta Compton.”
“Straight Outta Compton’s” success overshadowed the weekend’s other new release, Warner Bros.’ “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” The stylish action-adventure wilted at the megaplexes, bringing in an etiolated $13.5 million from 3,638 theaters. That’s a particularly rough start considering that “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” cost a sizable $75 million to produce.
Universal domestic distribution chief Nick Carpou labeled “Straight Outta Compton” as a “labor of love” that benefited from being dramatically different from the kind of films flooding cinemas in recent months.
“The public was ready for something with a bit more substance that they could identify with,” he said.
The film’s opening weekend crowd was 52% female, 51% under the age of 30, 46% African-American, 23% Caucasian, 21% Hispanic and 4% Asian. It did not play in Imax or 3D, but did score in premium large format locations, where it grossed $5.1 million, representing 9% of the film’s weekend receipts.
In second place, Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” continued to get a lift from strong word-of-mouth, picking up $17 million in its third weekend. That brings the fifth film in the spy franchise’s North American haul to $138.1 million.
Fox’s “Fantastic Four” dropped steeply in its second weekend, falling nearly 70% from its debut and mustering a paltry $8 million. The film ranks as one of the biggest comicbook movie flops in history, having earned a meagre $42 million Stateside.
STX Entertainment’s “The Gift” rounded out the top five, earning $6.5 million this weekend and pushing its domestic total to $23.6 million.
Final numbers are still being tallied, but it looks as though “Straight Outta Compton” will bolster ticket sales over the year-ago period when “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” were drawing the biggest crowds.
article by Brett Lang via Variety.com

OWN Promotes Jill Dickerson to Senior Vice President of Programming and Development

By goodblacknews on August 14, 2015
Jill Dickerson OWN
OWN Senior Vice President Jill Dickerson (Photo: COURTESY OF OWN)

OWN has promoted Jill Dickerson to senior vice president of programming and development, the cable channel announced Friday.
Dickerson has been serving as vice president of programming and marketing since 2009 and has worked on the OWN series “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s,” “Flex & Shanice,” Deion’s Family Playbook” as well as Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete’s upcoming “For Peete’s Sake” and the new primetime show featuring Rev Run and Tyrese Gibson. In her new role, she will continue to collaborate with producers in the development of nonfiction programming for OWN and supervise editorial management of outside production.
“We are thrilled to announce Jill Dickerson’s move up to the next level in her career as she has been integral to OWN’s success,” said OWN prexy Sheri Salata. “Jill is an exceptional team player and a seasoned pro who brings a wealth of experience in non-scripted television to our programming efforts.”
Dickerson has a strong background in the reality TV world and her previous credits include serving as consulting producer and head writer for the Sydney, Hollywood and Brooklyn seasons of MTV’s “The Real World.” She also was a series producer for TLC’s “Miami Ink,” supervising producer for the VH1 series “My Fair Brady,” and co-executive producer on “Venus & Serena: For Real.”
article by Whitney Frielander via variety.com