In the nearly 3,000-word essay for The Players’ Tribune, the Minnesota Timberwolves center got candid about an incident that involved him and his mother right before Christmas when he was just a baby. “It’s a painful memory, but one that […]
Following the “Fukumean” artist’s release from the Fulton County Jail in December 2022, seven months after he was indicted for charges of violating the RICO Act. He eventually pleaded guilty to a charge in the case filed against him and […]
Alex Stapleton knows that some stories do not have fairy tale endings. The Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker is known for her thought-provoking projects and authentic storytelling in sports, music, pop culture and social justice.
Stapleton has dedicated her career of over 15 years to capturing stories that entertain viewers, shift their perspectives and inspire change. She has collaborated with some of the industry’s best documentarians and released projects with top networks, including HBO and Paramount.
As a Black female documentarian in a white and male-dominated field, Stapleton has cemented herself as a force to be reckoned with.
“I knew that I liked storytelling. But I didn’t really understand what a director was,” Stapleton told Blavity’s Shadow and Act.
The Houston native didn’t have the traditional journey into filmmaking. She bypassed film school and began working on film sets after dropping out of college at 18. Her heart was set on scripted projects. This was until she got a call to head to France and produce 2005’s Just For Kicks. The film’s success lit a fuse under Stapleton to take her career as a documentarian to the next level.
“It was like, wow, we just made a documentary about our culture, Black culture. And what’s cool to us,” she said.
She built her resume in documentaries, working as a producer and director, taking jobs in reality television, and doing whatever projects she thought would get her in the right rooms — a story all too common for Black directors.
First-season housewives always have it tough. If they’re lucky enough to survive their initial season, they may eventually become a fan favorite. Until recently, The Real Housewives of Potomac has been the sole Bravo franchise with four original cast members: Karen Huger, Ashley Darby, Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon. Dixon confirmed on the April 15 episode of her Reasonably Shady podcast alongside her BFF Bryant that she’s been fired from the show after eight consecutive seasons.
Ihim came in hot. And instead of bonding with four-season housewife Wendy Osefo over their shared Nigerian culture, an immediate beef ensued, sparking conversation about cultural sensitivity and making viewers question if Ihim contrived the beef to solidify herself on the show. She’s denied the latter and claimed there were behind-the-scenes plots by Osefo to ice her out of the group. Some also wondered whether Ihim chummed up to the green-eyed bandits to be in with the cool clique, which she also said is false.
With the last part of the Season 8 reunion airing recently, Blavity’s Shadow and Act Unscripted spoke with Ihim about everything that transpired during the season and beyond.
Tyler Perry and BET Media Group have set a new deal which sees 8 of his series across BET and BET+ renewed, and one new series ordered.
The company announced that Perry has signed a new “comprehensive, multi-year content partnership” that will replace the original agreement that expires this year. Perry will continue to create hundreds of new episodes for new and existing shows on BET. BET Media Group states that under the original agreement, Perry produced over 700 episodes for both BET and BET+.
As a part of the deal, the following shows have been renewed at BET: Tyler Perry’s Sistas for an eighth season, Tyler Perry’s The Oval for a sixth season, Tyler Perry’s Assisted Living and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne for a sixth season on BET (the 11th season overall for the latter, counting its TBS run). These Perry-produced series have been renewed at BET+: Tyler Perry’s Zatima, Tyler Perry’s Ruthless, Tyler Perry’s Bruh and All The Queen’s Men.
Route 187, a new scripted series has also been ordered as a part of the deal, “featuring content, executive produced, directed, and written by Tyler Perry.”
Scott Mills, BET Media Group’s President and CEO, said in a statement how Perry’s output continues to entertain.
“Tyler Perry is simply without rival as a creator of content that powerfully resonates with audiences across genres, formats, and platforms. Our programming partnership with Tyler – undoubtably the largest deal ever in the industry with a Black creator – has been hugely successful; delivering the number one series across all TV among Black audiences and five of the top 10 series on cable among Black viewers,” he said. “We are thrilled to extend our extraordinary relationship with Tyler and to continue to be the home of the largest and most diverse collection of new Tyler Perry content for years to come.”
Perry also said how his Mills and BET have been a great partner for him and his creativity.
“Scott Mills and his team at BET have been incredibly supportive throughout our time working together, and I’m excited to continue bringing these stories to the screen. I’m grateful to our loyal audiences for watching week after week and engaging these stories,” he said.
This is just one of several deals Perry has over the entertainment industry. Perry also has creative deals in place with Prime Video and Netflix.
DanceHall Mag reported that for his 50-minute set, the 22-year-old Marley orchestrated a musical masterpiece, joining forces with his mother, Lauryn Hill, and other hip-hop legends Wyclef Jean and Busta Rhymes. This collaboration showcased his talent and underscored the importance of […]
T.I.’s son, Domani Harris, has always been vocal about respecting and admiring J. Cole‘s approach to the rap game. Now, he can officially add opening up his 2024 Dreamville festival to his ever-growing list of accomplishments.
Donald Glover has announced that he’s ready to retire his musical alter ego, Childish Gambino. The five-time Grammy winner shared the news during a Gilga Radio interview live-streamed on Instagram, saying he will release two more albums before he gets rid of his Childish Gambino persona. One of the two upcoming albums, titled Atavista, is an extension of his 3.15.20 project from 2020, The Fader reported. The second album, he said, will be the last Childish Gambino album.
The disappearance and murder of a Milwaukee teenager is drawing comparisons a 2021 death that took social media by storm.
A recent discovery of body limb was a necessary clue that helped police capture the man allegedly behind the disappearance of Sade Robinson, a Black Milwaukee teenager who was reported missing on April 2, 2024.
The United States Tennis Association shared a video of the interaction on social media. “Take your child to work day, @billiejeankingcup style!” the USTA captioned an Instagram post. The organization referenced the “Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day” […]
Stay up to date on exciting projects and upcoming events from the Black Promoters Collective.
©2022 Black Promoters Collective (BPC) All Rights Reserved.
