Oscar-nominated producer teams with PBS KVIE, KVIE2 Sacramento, non-profit organizations The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) and Films With a Purpose to debut celebrity driven reality-based stories of inspirational youth.

Actor Jaleel White and Premiere Black Celebrities Share Spotlight With Exceptional Youth in PBS Special “Not All Lost

During Black History Month 2020, PBS KVIE and KVIE2 airs a special program Not All Lost. This half hour reality-based program is designed to provide inspirational profiles of today’s youth, notably those of color that dispel stereotypes often attached to them.

“Not All Lost shines light on the flip side of a coin that too often lands on the negative. It’s refreshing to see the positive side up,” states Glynn Turman, actor/director. The show spotlights inspirational youth. Not all are academically or athletically exceptional. Many are just determined to someday have a normal adult life by whatever positive means necessary. It focuses on their determination to achieve success despite being faced with unfavorable life circumstances and iterating the obstacles that they had to encounter along the way sch as steering clear of gangs, drugs and peer pressure.

“There are hundreds of stories about young people of color succeeding in life despite difficult situations. Not All Lost allows us the opportunity to share those stories with the world,” says David M. Massey, Oscar-nominated producer.

The program features profiles of:

* Peyton Polk – A legally Blind Student attending UCLA
* Brian “Dusty” Merriweather – The Horse Whisperer
* Marcus Johnson – Master Scuba Diver turned Investment Advisor, Principal Johnson Capital

The show is hosted by actor Jaleel White. Celebrity interviewers and mentors are: Kym Whitley, actress/writer/comedienne Young and Hungry; James Pickens, Jr., actor Grey’s Anatomy; Glynn Turman, actor/ writer/ director/ producer House of Lies and Nick Cannon, actor/ comedian/ rapper/ director/writer/producer/television host America’s Got Talent. This program provides truthful truthful accounts using real people, with the intent of filling the void or hunger for affirmative, encouraging stories of today’s young adults.

The highlighted individuals exemplify that they are Not All Lost.

The program airs:
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 7:30 PM, PBS KVIE; Thursday, Feb. 20, 8:30 AM; and 7:30 PM, PBS KVIE2; Friday, Feb. 21, 1:30 AM, PBS KVIE2; and 4:00 PM, PBS KVIE; Saturday, Feb. 22, 3:00 AM PBS KVIE2; and 7:30 AM, PBS KVIE; Sunday, Feb. 23, 3:30 PM PBS KVIE2, and Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2:00 PM, PBS KVIE2

For additional information log onto www.bherc.org or contact Lura Ball at 323-348-3739

About the Producers

Davis M. Massey, Oscar-nominated Director/Producer
David Massey is the first African American in the history of the Academy Awards to be nominated for an Oscar in the Live-Action Short Film category for Last Breeze of Summer (1992). He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications & Education from Ohio Dominican University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Advanced Film & Television from the American Film Institute. He has produced and directed several films and television shows. His hour-long docudrama Men of Courage received an NAACP Image Award and aired on BET and PBS. Massey produced and directed six short films for UCE Productions banner, including Island Song, which won the Audience Award at the 2013 Pan African Film Festival. When Justice Isn’t Just, a short documentary available on iTunes, examines the shootings of unarmed African Americans by law enforcement. Massey’s latest projects are Where We’re From, a feature chronicling the independent hip hop movement in L.A. in the early 90s; Passage, a short film examining the African slave trade; Not All Lost, a reality-based, celebrity driven PBS TV show; and A Dangerous Road, a feature film based on the first of Kris Nelscott’s seven novels featuring African American private eye Smokey Dalton.

Dawn Kirk-Alexander -Producer
The mother of a young African American male, Dawn created this project with a deeply felt commitment for his safety and the safety of other young Black men in America. When Justice Isn’t Just is her most recent attempt to address justice thru film. Producer-writer of the award-winning documentary Not All Lost, she has produced the short film Baby Girl and several award-winning commercials and public service announcements for TBWA/Chait/Day and Grey Advertising. Winner of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Award for her screenplay Madness, she holds an MFA from Columbia University. She was a line producer for television show American Gladiator and several music videos by directors F. Gary Gray Straight Outta Compton, The Italian Job and Paul Hunter’s Bulletproof Monk.

About Black Hollywood Education & Resource Center
Founded in 1996 by Sandra Evers-Manly, BHERC is a nonprofit, public benefit organization designed to advocate, educate, research, develop, and preserve the history and future of Blacks in film and television. BHERC programs include film festivals, award ceremonies, book signings, script readings, contests, scholarships, and other programs and special events. BHERC recognizes the contributions of Black men and women in front of and behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.

On March 21, 2020 at the fabulous Apopka Amphitheatre, actor Christian Keyes will be hosting the Heart & Soul Music Festival, a fundraiser to help children travel to, and experience Africa, with the Kid’s Free Trip to Africa program! Christian Keyes is a long-time actor and is well known for his roles played in Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail and Diary of a Mad Black Woman. He has also held a recurring role in the television shows Let’s Stay Together, Saints & Sinners, and most recently the well-known soap opera The Young and The Restless.

The Kid’s Free Trip to Africa program was created in collaboration with several non-profits, WMCHN, Inc. and WHPB 98.5 The Wire, which is based in both Florida and Michigan. The Kid’s Free Trip to Africa program took its first group of students to Ghana, Africa in 2017 and have since taken a total of 22 high school students to the continent, free of charge. Through fundraising, the program has been able to pay for the student’s passports, immunizations, airfare, and accommodations. This has indeed been the experience of a lifetime and life changing experience for these young students.

The goal of the Kid’s Free Trip to Africa program is to give students, especially African American students, the opportunity to travel to Africa and obtain valuable knowledge and experience the cultures of their ancestors. In past years, students have been able to meet new friends, experience new food, learn about the history of African slaves, experience life-changing activities, and grow a deeper love and respect for Africa. It is an educational cultural exchange experience that lasts a lifetime.

100% of the proceeds from this fundraiser will be used for the Kid’s Free Trip to Africa Program. The demand has been high for students who are interested in going, in comparison to the funds available to support their trip. The goal of the program is to fund 100% all interested students, the opportunity to experience this trip of a lifetime.

The festival headliner act is Midnight Star, who in the eighties and nineties had hits such as Curious, Wet My Whistle, Slow Jam, and No Parking on the Dance Floor. Also, on the line-up, is the 3 decades hit maker Meli’sa Morgan with hits such as Do Me Baby, Do You Still Love Me?, Back Together Again, and a duet with Kasif called Love Changes. Another female legendary singer in the show is Angela Winbush, who is a songwriter, arranger, and producer, with songs such as Angel, You Don’t Have to Cry, and other top ten R&B hits. The final act is Loose Ends featuring Jane Eugene, who had the hits in the 80’s, Slow Down and Hanging on a String. This will be an amazing show!

The mission of WHPB 98.5 is to serve and educate the urban community about issues that impact their families, their community, and their well-being. The station has been in operation for 3 1/2 years and is a 24-hour full-service station. In September 2019, Orlando Magazine named The Wire 98.5 FM in the “Music Radio Station category of their Best of Orlando 2019 Issue.” General Manager Paul Billings largely credits the station’s community partnerships, supporters and the listeners for the remarkable success which the low-power FM station has enjoyed over the time present.

Paul Billing and The Wire team would like to thank all the sponsors; Florida Lottery, Bud Light, Hope&Help, Mentality Grooming Company, and 30 Something Orlando for their continued support of the station.

For more information on tickets, go to www.heartandsoulfestival.com, call 407-601-7565, or visit https.//heartandsoulmusicfestival.eventbrite.com/

General Admission: $35, day of show: $40, Reserved Silver Seating: $40, day of show: $50, fixed seat under canopy, Reserved Gold Seating: $60, day of show: $75, fixed seat under canopy, Reserved VIP Diamond Seating: $80, day of show: $100, under canopy.

Nationwide — Journalist Gayle King is reportedly upset at her long-time employer, CBS News, for resurfacing and sharing a video clip of her provocative line of questions about Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case from 2003, which has sparked a national outrage against her.

King, who is the host of CBS This Morning, has come under fire from many Twitter users and celebrities including Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Ari Lennox after seeing the clip.

King addressed the issue through a video posted to her social media accounts, defending herself and blaming her home network, CBS News.

“I know that if I had only seen the clip that you saw, I’d be extremely angry with me too,” she said. “I am mortified, I’m embarrassed and I am very angry. Unbeknownst to me, my network put up a clip from a very wide-ranging interview — totally taken out of context — and when you see it that way, it’s very jarring. It’s jarring to me. I didn’t even know anything about it.”

In the clip, King asked Leslie about Bryant’s sexual assault case which was eventually settled in 2005. During the interview, she says, “It’s been said that his legacy is complicated because of a sexual assault charge which was dismissed in 2003, 2004. Is it complicated for you, as a woman, as a WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) player?”

Leslie then responded, “It’s not complicated for me at all… I just never see — have ever seen him being the kind of person that would be — do something to violate a woman or be aggressive in that way. That’s just not the person that I know.”

Bryant’s untimely death in a helicopter crash last month revived the issue of the 2003 sexual assault, but King claimed that “last thing I would want to do is disparage him (Bryant) at this particular time.”

Meanwhile, CBS said in a statement that King “conducted a thoughtful, wide-ranging interview” with Leslie but the clip that was posted “did not reflect the nature and tone of the full interview.” Their spokesperson added that they “are addressing the internal process that led to this and changes have already been made.”