Tour to Present Films, Entertainment, Mentoring and Career Opportunities, and More; AOL Time Warner Commits Over $1 Million to HBCUs
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Feb 5, 2002--AOL Time Warner Inc. and its HBO division, in partnership with Urbanworld Group, today announced the sponsorship of the Urbanworld Flix & Beats College Tour 2K2, a film, entertainment and information tour at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other campuses in recognition of Black History Month.
The Urbanworld Flix & Beats College Tour 2K2 presented by AOL Time Warner and HBO kicks off today at Howard University in Washington D.C. and will visit a total of 16 campuses in 13 cities through early March. The tour will feature screenings of three new films -- ''Morning Breath,'' which won an Honorable Mention for Short Filmmaking at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival; ''Murder on a Sunday Morning,'' part of HBO`s ''America Undercover'' documentary series; and Urbanworld Films` ''For Da Love of Money,'' a film slated for theatrical release this March that is written, directed and produced by comedian Pierre, who will join the tour for several dates. AOL Time Warner brands and businesses will also provide entertainment and information to students at each college.
AOL Time Warner will also sponsor new career and mentoring opportunities for students at each campus as well as make grants for scholarships and academic programs to schools on the tour.
-- AOL Time Warner will donate a total of $1 million over the next three years to various Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country and to the United Negro College Fund in support of school scholarship funds and academic programs.
-- In partnership with SCALE (Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education), AOL Time Warner will launch a chapter of its Time To Read program, the nation`s largest and longest-standing corporate-sponsored volunteer mentoring and literacy program, at each of the colleges visited during the Tour. Time To Read will have representatives available at each campus to provide information to students and others who want to serve or participate in the program.
-- AOL Time Warner`s Talent Acquisition group will have representatives on campus to provide career guidance to students and to discuss opportunities for internships and full-time employment with the Company.
Kathy Bushkin, Senior Vice President of AOL Time Warner and President of the AOL Time Warner Foundation, said: ''We are pleased to be able to build on our strong relationships with these colleges by presenting this exciting tour in support and celebration of Black History Month. It has been part of our long-standing commitment to serve the many interests of the African American community through entertainment, information and giving back. And this year we are especially excited to include career opportunities, mentoring initiatives and scholarship funding as part of this outreach.''
Olivia Smashum, Senior Vice President, Subscriber Marketing and Business Development, HBO, said: ''We are delighted to once again be partnering with Urbanworld for this year`s tour. We look forward to sharing with students some of the latest films from HBO as well as other entertainment from across the AOL Time Warner family of brands.''
Stacy Spikes, President and CEO, Urbanworld Group, said: ''We are excited to join forces with AOL Time Warner and HBO for our second nationwide tour of these college campuses. Celebrating Black History Month with films and entertainment by and for African Americans is a great way to raise consciousness and pride on campus, and the entertainment, information and scholarship funding being offered by our partners at AOL Time Warner will be an important addition to this special series of events.''
Other scheduled events and promotions at selected college campuses by AOL Time Warner divisions include:
-- Appearances by new recording artists from Warner Music Group record companies, including new singing sensation Tweet (Elektra Entertainment Group) and Nappy Roots (Atlantic);
-- Appearances and readings by prominent authors and journalists, including TIME Magazine senior writer Chris Farley;
-- Promotions and contests sponsored by HBO, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., Essence Magazine and Africana.com;
-- Promotions and tickets to screenings for New Line Cinema`s new releases John Q, All About the Benjamins and Blade 2;
-- Distribution of Time Warner AudioBooks` collection of speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The schedule of dates and locations for the Urbanworld Flix & Beats College Tour 2K2, presented by AOL Time Warner and HBO, follow:
February 5 Howard University, Washington, DC
February 6 Hampton University, Hampton, VA
February 7 Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA
February 7 University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
February 11 North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC
February 13 Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA
February 13 Spelman College, Atlanta, GA
February 14 Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA
February 20 Florida A&M; University, Tallahassee, FL
February 21 University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
February 22 Xavier University, New Orleans, LA
February 25 Grambling State University, Grambling, LA
February 27 Texas Southern University, Houston, TX
March 1 Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
March 4 Columbia University, New York, NY
About AOL Time Warner
AOL Time Warner is the world`s first Internet-powered media and communications company, whose industry-leading businesses include interactive services, cable systems, publishing, music, networks and filmed entertainment.
About Home Box Office (HBO)
Home Box Office is the premium television programming division of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P., providing two 24-hour premium television services, HBO and Cinemax. Together, both networks reach nearly 37 million subscribers in the United States via cable and satellite delivery. Home Box Office`s international joint ventures bring HBO branded services to more than 50 countries around the globe.
About Urbanworld Group
Urbanworld Group is an independent film distribution company that focuses on films produced by and about African Americans and other minority groups. The Urbanworld Film Festival is the world`s premiere showcase for films by African American, Latino and Asian filmmakers. Now entering its sixth season (August 7-11, 2002), Urbanworld has grown to be the largest internationally competitive film festival of its kind. Launched in August 1997 with 35 films by founder Stacy Spikes, a former executive at Miramax and October Films and now president and chief executive officer of Urbanworld Films, the festival now annually presents an average of 65 feature, short and documentary films from filmmakers around the globe.
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