HBCUs in Film, Television, and the Arts
- Details
- Written by ND Brown
When you look back at American arts and cinema and parallel that with world history, one of the most important aspects of defining a community, a country, a society, was the type of education that nation promoted and the standards that came from it. In the United States, education not only shaped the minds of the youth but it also became a haven for free thinking, a symposium for new ideals and a launching pad for visionaries to create. That philosophy was most finely personified within our African-American culture, arts, and cinema on the courageous campuses of higher learning called the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
As CEO of Tri Destined Studios (www.tridestined.com), Hollywood's premiere urban production and distribution studio (which I founded with my partner Trey Haley), and as a graduate of an HBCU (Florida A&M University), I see the history of HBCUs as an epic movie.
From a time period before the American Civil War to the free world of today, HBCUs have been the home to a starstudded cast, including Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Debbie Allen, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Tom Joyner, Sean "P Diddy" Combs, Keisha Knight Pulliam, Yolanda Adams, Erykah Badu, Jesse Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, American Idol's Randy Jackson, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Alex Haley, Martin Luther King Jr., Omarosa Manigault, Shannon Sharp, Rueben Studdard, Wanda Sykes, Joe Torrey, Ben Wallace, Lynn Whitfield, Laz Alonzo, Jerry Rice, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Matthew Knowles, Phylicia Rashad, sportcaster Pam Oliver, Lance Gross, Anthony Anderson, and a host of others.
Like a blockbuster Oscar-winning film, the plot unfolds when a few brave souls establish the first HBCUs: Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Lincoln University (Pennsylvania), and Wilberforce University. Through the years our HBCUs survived the most tumultuous times, including the Great Depression, Sweatt v. Painter, Brown v. Board of Education, The Higher Education Act of 1965, and the Morrill Act of 1863. Now standing strong, HBCUs have blossomed into 105 historically black colleges and universities across the United States that teach much more than what is written in text books. At these fine institutions, students are given the opportunity to discover what makes them unique and special. Often, they find their place of refuge in arts and entertainment. Whether in front or behind the camera or on stage, one must first believe they are worthy to walk into their destiny. HBCUs create an environment that fosters that seed of belief.
My HBCU experience began long before I stepped foot on the campus of Florida A&M University. It began with the opening scene of School Daze in 1988. Spike Lee had written and directed the American musical-dramatic film—starring Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell-Martin— based in part on his experiences at Atlanta's Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University. It was a story about fraternity and sorority members clashing with other students at a historically black college during homecoming weekend, who ultimately had to evolve into their greatness. This movie had such a powerful impact on the way I saw higher education. It allowed me to know there was so much more to discover and become than I had previously encountered growing up in my quaint suburb of Warrensville Heights, Ohio.
Simultaneously, in television, the award-winning The Cosby Show had just created a spinoff show, A Different World, centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically black college in Virginia. The images portrayed were so inspirational because they were relatable and empowering. At a time in the late '80s and early '90s when movies were exploring gang violence in the urban community and rap music was expressing our cultural pain, it was refreshing to see positive images of students wanting to be greater. I decided right then and there that going to an HBCU and bettering myself would be the path for me. It was like peeking into my future, and I desired the vision ahead.
Although I graduated at the top of my high school class with scholarship offers to Ivy League and predominately white colleges and universities, there was only one choice for me: Florida A&M University due to its rich legacy in business and the arts. My parents, Abe and Sallie Brown, were very supportive of my decision and wanted me to not only have an education in books, but also in life.
With a rich history in education, FAMU impresses on all students on the first day of orientation that scholastic achievement is the top priority. Additionally, renowned professors such as Dr. Osifield Anderson also instructed us that social evolution and cultural awareness was equally
important to having a successful matriculation. Therefore, I joined several organizations, including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., which taught me the synergistic value of working together to achieve a higher purpose for the greater good, a value that would propel me into top leadership roles and, later, producing.
After graduating from Florida A&M University, I and several of my Rattler classmates—Gregory Anderson, Anika Noni Rose, Daniel Sinjata, Veronica Nichols, Will Packer, Common, Rob Hardy—decided to embark on a career in entertainment that has left our mark on the world. Collectively, we have produced, directed, and written films and television shows, had No. 1 movies in the country, won a Grammy award, won a Tony award, and founded production companies and studios of our own.
The story expands to present times. Now I am the CEO of Tri Destined Studios, and our team is responsible for making content that empowers, entertains, and educates our youth. This legacy was passed down to us, and we continue to pass it down to other students who are at home or in the movie theatre watching our content as I once did in my teens.
With amazing production and distribution partners such as BET Networks, Image Entertainment, Swirl Films, GMCTV, Fox Sport Networks, Relativity, Black Educational Events, and numerous other media outlets, we are now able to inspire others to become greater and find their purpose.
This position of purpose is what drives the work I do today. In 2012, our company made it a point to employ talents in the HBCU world to work on some of our projects, including:
He's Mine Not Yours – Starring from BET's The Game, Wendy Raquel Robinson (graduate of Howard University), Gabrielle Dennis, and Caryn Ward; Nadine Ellis (BET's Let's Stay Together), Jason Weaver (Drumline), Carl Payne (Martin), Darrius McCrary (The Young and the Restless), and Clifton Powell (Ray).
GMC's She's Still Not Our Sister – Starring Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show), Drew Sidora (The Game), Azur De (Somebody Help Me 2), Christian Keyes (Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail; Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Clifton Powell (Ray), Jazsmin Lewis (Meet the Browns), Jackee Harry (Sister, Sister; Everybody Hates Chris), Tony Grant (Why Did I Get Married?), and the awardwinning Gospel group Trin-i-tee 57.
Note to Self – Starring Christian Keyes (BET's Let's Stay Together), Richard T. Jones (Why Did I Get Married?), LeToya Luckett (Preacher's Kid; Destiny's Child), Eva Marcille Pigford (The Young and the Restless; America's Next Top Model), and Tony-nominated actress Valarie Pettiford (Jumping the Broom).
Lord, All Men Can't Be Dogs – Starring Vivica A. Fox, Christian Keyes, Elise Neal (Hustle and Flow; Scream 2), singer Johnny Gill, Laila Odom (Zane's Chronicles), Tony Grant (Why Did I Get Married?), Shoneji Loraine (Perfect Combination), Kareem Grimes (A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy), Christian comedian John Gray, and Trisha Mann (David E. Talbert's His Woman His Wife). It is currently available on DVD.
We Are Family – Starring Monique Coleman (High School Musical), Chyna Layne (Precious), Christian Keyes, Lew Temple (Unstoppable), Rey Valentin (HBO's Generation Kill), RonReaco Lee (BET's Let's Stay Together), Omarosa Manigault (The Apprentice), Frenchie Davis (The Voice; American Idol), D. Woods (Danity Kane/ MTV's Making the Band), Leslie Jones (Lottery Ticket), Shoneji Loraine, Karlie Lewis (VH1's Scream Queens), and Serein Wu.
David E. Talbert's A Fool and His Money / What Comes Around Goes Around – Further expanding our studio's capabilities, the executives of Tri Destined made a foray into casting two filmed plays by acclaimed playwright and director David E. Talbert (First Sunday).
This may seem like a lot of work, a lot to accomplish in a short time. It is. And, yes, the work is hard. However, we learned a winner's mindset at FAMU that goes far beyond a book. It is the intrinsic push to be great for greatness sake. It is the gas, the fuel, the energy, the electricity that propels you past any and all obstacles that stand in your way. It's the belief in God and understanding of one's self and culture that makes you faster, smarter, hungrier, and keener than your peers. It is also a love that runs deep and a realization that you are standing on the shoulders of greatness. And for those of us who are blessed to live out our dreams in arts and entertainment, the HBCU experience is the bloodline that carries with it a sense of pride and unwavering determination to tell stories and portray images that inspire us all.
Yes, the future for HBCUs impacting film, television, and the arts is bright. And, like the greatest film franchises, the story is not over. You have a chance to cast yourself in the role of a lifetime, to be a part of a legacy like none other, to plant your hands and feet in the immortalized cement and be remembered as a piece of an ever-growing dream. Come to an HBCU. Your spotlight awaits!
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