Lena Waithe

Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad, 271 and Indeed Announce Rising Voices Season 4 Filmmakers

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When it comes to inspiring the culture in Hollywood Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad and 271 are doing their part after announcing the new host of filmmakers hand-picked to take part in Season 4 of Indeed’s Rising Voices.

“We’re so excited to announce the next class of incredible Rising Voices filmmakers,” said Waithe, Hillman Grad Founder and Rishi Rajani, Hillman Grad CEO. “It’s been a tumultuous year in Hollywood, which makes supporting the next generation of underrepresented storytellers even more crucial. These brilliant artists are the future of our industry and we’re proud to be part of their journey.”

ICYMI Indeed’s Rising Voices boosts Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) filmmakers across the United States to amplify the conversation on their unique takes on the climate that impacts the workplace.

The season 4 filmmakers include Anndi Jinelle Liggett, Jean Liu, Kelly Yu, Kevin Luu & Kelly Luu, Manuel Del Valle, Mercedes Arturo, Omar Kamara, Robin D’Oench, Wesley Goodrich and Winter Dunn.

“Indeed’s mission is to help people get jobs,” Indeed CEO Chris Hyamas said in a statement. “Rising Voices is not just an opportunity to create jobs for the filmmakers, casts, and crews, but to imagine the future of work from voices that are often unheard. We are grateful to again give 10 talented filmmakers the opportunity to share what the future of work looks like through their lens.”

These filmmakers will showcase their talents with an opportunity to create short films about the future of work and will premiere their projects at the prestigious Tribeca Festival in New York City in June 2024.

The post Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad, 271 and Indeed Announce Rising Voices Season 4 Filmmakers first appeared on The Source.

The post Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad, 271 and Indeed Announce Rising Voices Season 4 Filmmakers appeared first on The Source.

Swizz Beatz And Timbaland Will Partner With Lena Waithe For A Film That Documents The Rise Of ‘Verzuz’

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This month marks the two-year anniversary of Verzuz, the platform was launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland that showcases beat battles held on Instagram Live. Since then, the show has held numerous duels between the likes of The Lox, Dipset, Nelly, Ludacris, Keyshia Cole, Ashanti, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, E-40, Too Short, Gucci Mane, Jeezy, and many more. To commemorate their success, Swizz and Timbo will partner with Amazon Studios, Lena Waithe, her production company Hillman Grad Productions, and Good Trouble Studios for a special documentary.

Titled Gifted & Black, the documentary will highlight the rise of Verzuz, as well as the roots of Black music. According to Deadline, it will use “poignant interviews, gripping vérité and magnetic archival footage” to see how Black music impacts the culture.

“When we first started this mission the entire world had hit rock bottom,” Swizz Beatz said in a statement. “People were going through so much and Tim and I felt we should do something to help folks escape. The rest is history, we made the magical call to Hillman Grad because we only wanted people to see the best of the best.”

A release date for Gifted & Black has not yet been revealed but it will air on Amazon Prime Video when released.

Lena Waithe Launches A New Label, Hillman Grad Records, With Def Jam

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Queen & Slim creator Lena Waithe is making the jump from film and TV into music, announcing the creation of a new label with Def Jam, Hillman Grad Records (named for Waithe’s production company, which itself is named for the fictional HBCU in A Different World). Waithe will be joined by Tebs Maqubela and Albert Cooke to “identify and develop underrepresented artists in hopes of priming them for long-term success,” according to a press release. Maquebela previously helped develop Brockhampton, while Cooke worked in Artist Development at Island Def Jam and Artist Relations at SoundCloud.

Waithe detailed the importance of storytelling in music in a statement, saying, “Music and storytelling have always gone hand in hand. And I think that’s because musicians are the storytellers we love the most. They can take complex emotions and simplify it in four minutes, the same artist can sing about the revolution and falling in love. Music is a part of us. It’s so often connected to our fondest and sometimes our darkest memories. Musicians tell our story. At Hillman Grad Productions we believe in identifying and amplifying new talent, and we want to continue to do that in the music industry. Jeff Harleston and his phenomenal team at Def Jam have given us their trust and their resources to help develop artists that not only have potential but staying power. We look forward to the journey ahead.” Interestingly enough, Waithe isn’t the only film talent getting into the music business.

In 2020, Atlantic Records partnered with television and film creator Issa Rae for Raedio, a new record label that has since been the launching pad for a number of successful emerging artists like Pink Sweats, Teamarr, and Yung Baby Tate, as well as the Insecure soundtrack. If this sort of thing really does become a trend, it’ll go a long way toward reversing a dire lack of Black and female executives in the recording industry, bringing new voices to the fore, which we’re all the way here for. Someone get Quinta Brunson on the phone.