Seed&Spark, Black&Sexy TV and Color Farm Media Unite to Empower Creators of Color in Film & TV
Los Angeles, Calif (PRWEB) June 04, 2018 -- Three entertainment brands focused on increasing representation in the industry announced a joint initiative to make a lasting and meaningful impact for creators of color today. Keep It Colorful unites the inclusive crowdfunding and streaming platform Seed&Spark with Erika Alexander’s diversity-focused media company Color Farm Media and entertainment and lifestyle network Black&SexyTV in a single push beginning this month with a multi-city educational tour and culminating in a crowdfunding rally for creators of color this fall. Their focus: representation with a capital “R” — not only will they be educating filmmakers and providing them a platform for better representation on screen, they’ll be leveraging their educational events as voter registration drives efforts starting in July.
“I've been in showbiz for three decades and I watched a New Majority of creators of color emerge. Now those creators, previously ignored and disposable, are valuable. We will help them learn the tools and techniques needed to tell their stories. And they will discover they have the power to change the world, forever,” said Alexander. Best known for her roles on Living Single, The Cosby Show, Get Out and Queen Sugar, she’s continuing to use her platform and role as founder of Color Farm to inspire and empower non-traditional creators to take the next step in their work.
“There’s a lot of talk in the industry on how to solve the ‘diversity problem’,” said Emily Best, Seed&Spark founder and CEO. “We’re coming together with one solution: getting work made by creators who have not yet had the chance to make it.”
Keep It Colorful’s educational tour features a mix of events, including Q&As with Alexander, workshops with Seed&Spark and panels. Confirmed dates/locations are:
June 2: Cleveland, OH
June 7 - 8: Detroit, MI
Late June: Los Angeles, CA
July 9-13: Atlanta, GA
July 14: Washington, D.C.
July 19-21: Philadelphia, PA
More dates and locations will be announced for August and September in the coming weeks.
The crowdfunding rally will open for submissions June 18, with a launch date of September 4 and focus on creators of color making episodic work. Rally prizes total $25,000 and include matching funds for production and distribution from Black&Sexy TV as well as matching funds and production support from Color Farm Media.
“BLACK&SEXY TV has served as the undeniable launching pad for new black writers, creators and actors who found further success in the film & TV industry, while connecting with a living and breathing online audience that's hungry for authentic stories and characters about black people,” said Dennis Dortch, Black&SexyTV co-founder.
For details on Keep It Colorful, including event info and rally announcements, visit http://www.seedandspark.com/colorful.
About Seed&Spark
Seed&Spark is an entertainment platform built to increase representation in media and help creators build sustainable careers. We connect some of the most unique new voices making movies and shows to the diverse audiences hungry for diverse stories and storytellers via crowdfunding and subscription streaming. Since our founding in 2012, more than $12M has been raised across more than 900 crowdfunding campaigns on Seed&Spark, with the highest campaign success rate of any crowdfunding platform in the world. Our highly curated streaming library is full of award-winning movies and shows by diverse creators from all over the world.
About Color Farm Media
Color Farm Media is a multi-platform media company whose mission is to change the ‘face’ of media by bringing greater inclusion and diversity to film and television. Founded by actress/writer Erika Alexander and tech entrepreneur Ben Arnon, Color Farm develops and produces premium-quality, diverse film, TV and digital content for a new world, where there are no borders. Color Farm is a bridge to the New Majority — voices and talent traditionally left out of Hollywood, with no access or financing. Color Farm is a place where colorful creators and entrepreneurs can win and be profitable on multiple platforms. Amongst other projects, Color Farm's inaugural slate includes an upcoming horror/thriller film, penned by Alexander, at Lionsgate Entertainment, and a feature film about the Boys Choir of Harlem, on which Color Farm is partnered with producers Paul & Tammy Garnes (Selma, Queen Sugar) and Jamie Patricof (Half Nelson, The Zookeeper’s Wife).
About Black&SexyTV
BLACK&SEXY TV is an entertainment and lifestyle network that has coined the phrase Independent TV while creating a slate of programming and a streaming service focused on a young, progressive, Black audience who seek a truer reflection of their modern culture. At first launching on Youtube to scoring development deals with HBO and BET, the BLACK&SEXY brand is a spin off venture from the 2008 Sundance Film Festival darling, “A Good Day to be Black and Sexy” written and directed by Dennis Dortch, distributed by Magnolia Pictures. Dennis Dortch CEO, runs the network alongside COO J. Christopher Hamilton.
Kt McBratney, Seed&Spark, http://www.seedandspark.com, +1 (323) 250-6435, [email protected]
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