“Speak into existence the life you dreamed about having”
Courtney Ward Thompkins
Courtney Ward-Thompkins
Producer, writer and content creator of scripted and unscripted television Courtney Ward-Thompkins is not afraid to live her dreams out loud. After interning with LaFace records she discovered her love for working in the entertainment industry. It’s not uncommon for someone who started in the music industry to navigate their way into the world of film and television.
Once Thompkins paved her way in the film industry through obtaining several titles such as production secretary, production manager , production coordinator, travel coordinator, doing overnights, and the list goes on. She was able to learn the in’s and outs of the industry; the do’s and what not to do and felt the urgency to share her knowledge with others. She believed all the information she obtained over the years would be extremely beneficial to newcomers just starting out to help them better navigate their way through the industry. This brings us to the creation of Courtney Ward’s Seminar. Check out her interview with Jonell Whitt from Rolling Out.
BASED ON THE UNTOLD TRUE STORY OF BLACK FARMER JOHN BOYD JR. AND LAWYER JAMES FARRIN WHO WORKED TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE JUSTICE FOR BLACK FARMERS IN AMERICA
Los Angeles, CA, June 10, 2021 – Today,CMNTY Culture, a Black-owned entertainment and media enterprise founded by eight-time GRAMMY award-winning songwriter Philip Lawrence, announced its first film project, The Last Plantation, via its film/ TV vertical, CMNTY Culture Films. CMNTY Culture will be the lead production company on The Last Plantation, an untold true story chronicling one of the largest civil rights settlements in history. Hunt Lowry(A Time to Kill, Last of the Mohicans) of Roserock Films and Jesse Kennedy (Brooklyn’s Finest, Stolen) are signed on to produce the film, joined by Philip Lawrence, CMNTY Culture Chief Operating Officer/ Chief Legal Officer Miles Cooley, CMNTY Culture CEO Thomas St. John, and main character/ lawyerJames Farrin as executive producers.
Written by Tyger Williams (Menace II Society, Self Made: Madam C.J. Walker), The Last Plantation follows Black soybean farmer, John Boyd Jr., and white car accident attorney, James Farrin, as they overcome long odds and Washington gridlock to obtain a $1.25 billion settlement for over 18,000 Black farmers who had been discriminated against by the U.S. government. For years, the USDA routinely treated Black farmers unjustly, earning it the unfortunate nickname “the last plantation.”
“With its underlying themes of racial justice and social equity, ‘The Last Plantation’ showcases everything that CMNTY Culture stands for. It’s an important story to tell, not only because of its historical context, but also because it points to how we can come together to address social issues and injustices, even in a polarized world,” said CMNTY Culture Founder and Chairman, Philip Lawrence. “We couldn’t be happier to launch our film/ TV vertical with such an inspiring project and hope that it helps shed some much-overdue light on the often-neglected plight of Black farmers in America.”
The premise of the film aligns closely with CMNTY Culture’s mission of promoting and advancing racial equity, social justice, and diversity/inclusion in all aspects of its business, which includes film/TV, music, music publishing, and real estate. Philip Lawrence founded the company in 2019 alongside a visionary group of accomplished leaders: Thomas St. John, Founder of Thomas St. John Group; Miles Cooley, formerly DLA Piper; Marlena Kaplan, formerly Blackstone; Malik Rasheed, formerly Epic Records; and Chief Johnson, formerly PUMA Group.
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About CMNTY Culture:Launched in 2019, CMNTY Culture is a Black-owned, independent music and media enterprise founded by eight-time GRAMMY award-winning songwriter Philip Lawrence in partnership with Thomas St. John, founder of Thomas St. John Group, a leading international accounting and business management firm. The company has several portfolio entertainment verticals in the music, music publishing, film/ TV, and real estate spaces. CMNTY Culture is dedicated to advocating for and empowering artists across disciplines, as well as promoting and advancing racial equity, social justice, and diversity/inclusion in all aspects of its business. To find out more, you can visit: https://cmntyculture.com/
Some say blood is thicker than water, but in the fictional small town of Cypress, vengeance is bigger than family loyalty. Mayor Ella Johnson is arrested for alledgely killing Malik Thompson whose body was found in her empty pool.
Things get worse when her mother Leona sweeps in for a power grab and undermines her daughter’s chance at freedom as she plots to take over the city of Cypress and New Hope church.
Alex (who we all know is gangster) is determined to get to the bottom of what happened , but does he have a motive? Dr Christi definitely is also on board to figure out what really happened, all while managing to keep close watch on her good friend Pastor Levi. Tune in tonight as there are several more pieces to this puzzle.
Last season of Saints and Sinners was the number one most-watched program on television, beating such shows as The $100,000 Pyramid on ABC, What Just Happened? (FOX), Instinct (CBS) and Big Little Lies (HBO), in the delivery of African Americans 18-49 and 25-54 Sunday night between 9-10 p.m. Each episode reaches 1.3 Million viewers Sunday night, becoming the most-watched program in Bounce history.
<p class="has-drop-cap" value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">Bounce, the first and only broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network serving African Americans, is gearing up for the worldpremiere of <strong>Saints & Sinners: Judgment Day</strong> movie tonight <strong>Sunday, February 14th</strong> at <strong>9:00 pm ET</strong>. Will you please tune in?Bounce, the first and only broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network serving African Americans, is gearing up for the worldpremiere of Saints & Sinners: Judgment Day movie tonight Sunday, February 14th at 9:00 pm ET. Will you please tune in?
SALT-N-PEPA details the journey of Queensborough Community College students Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton as they enter the world of rap and hip hop, after recording a song for their friend Hurby Azor. Salt-N-Pepa made a huge impact as one of the first all-female rap groups, changing the look of hip hop and being unafraid to talk about sex and share their thoughts on men. The movie follows the group as they become the first female rap act to go platinum and experience ground-breaking success with multiple awards, including a Grammy award – paving the way for all female rappers to follow. The film will feature performances of Salt-N-Pepa’s greatest hits, including: “Let’s Talk About Sex”, “What a Man”, “Shoop” and “Push It”.
Photos Courtesy of Aenetworks
Produced by Sony Pictures Television and directed by Mario Van Peebles (“New Jack City,” “Baadasssss!”) from a script by Abdul Williams (“The Bobby Brown Story,” “The New Edition Story”). Robert Teitel (“The Hate U Give,” “Barbershop” Franchise) from State Street Pictures serves as Executive Producer. Executive Produced by Cheryl James, Sandra Denton, Shakim Compere and Queen Latifah. Co-executive produced by Hurby Azor. Sebastian Dungan serves as the Lifetime executive in charge of production.
SALT-N-PEPA INTERVIEW SPECIALwill premiere Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 11 PM EST/10 PM CST on Lifetime
After 35 years, the reigning Queens of Hip Hop are still going strong. Salt-n-Pepa sit down for a fun and intimate discussion about what makes their iconic partnership work, how these two very different personalities find the delicate balance to keep it going, and how their pioneering style continues to influence the music world today. Hosted by Loni Love, the special is packed with never-before heard stories about their lives and careers and share exclusive BTS footage, with a few surprises and special guests along the way!
SALT-N-PEPA INTERVIEW SPECIAL is produced by A&E Originals with Ted Butler as executive producer.
Reality TV exploded during the pandemic but unscripted TV played a huge part in keeping broadcast netsworks afloat.
Photo Credit Michael Becker/FOX
It’s crazy how many shows were able to snap into remote mode and keep it pushing. News shows like TMZ , The Real and The Wendy Williams shows were examples of adapt and keep the show going . These were some of the types of shows that late 2020 were either able to hop back into full production and have business as usual in full production ;but following strict Covid guidelines.
According to the Hollywood Reporter check out what shows are getting renewed and what’s getting cancelled. Keep checking back on their website for updates.
Here is the list:
ABC
Veteran shows The $100,000 Pyramid America’s Funniest Home Videos American Idol The Bachelor The Bachelorette Bachelor in Paradise Card Sharks Celebrity Family Feud Dancing With the Stars Don’t The Great Christmas Light Fight Holey Moley Match Game Press Your Luck Shark Tank To Tell the Truth Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Veteran shows The Amazing Race: renewed for season 33 Big Brother: renewed for season 23 Game On The Greatest #AtHome Videos Love Island Survivor: renewed through season 42, return date TBD Tough as Nails: renewed for season two Undercover Boss
Ordered to series Secret Celebrity Renovation
The CW
Veteran shows Masters of Illusion Penn & Teller: Fool Us: renewed for season eight Whose Line Is It Anyway? World’s Funniest Animals: renewed for season two
Fox
Veteran shows 24 Hours to Hell and Back Beat Shazam: renewed for season four Hell’s Kitchen: renewed through season 20 Lego Masters: renewed for season two Masterchef Masterchef Junior: renewed for season eight The Masked Singer*: renewed for season five Mental Samurai: renewed for season two So You Think You Can Dance: renewed for season 17, return date TBD
Veteran shows America’s Got Talent America’s Got Talent: The Champions American Ninja Warrior Bring the Funny Ellen’s Game of Games Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways Hollywood Game Night* Little Big Shots Making It*: Renewed for season three in 2021 Songland* The Titan Games* The Voice The Wall* World of Dance*
Regina Hall is giving the people what they want! We want nothing other than to see our girl work her “Black Girl Magic” on the screen. Hall has signed a first-look deal with ViacomCBS’ premium cable outlet, under which she’ll develop projects via her Rh Negative banner.
“Still from BET’s “Bruh” episode 106. (Photo: Charles Bergmann/BET/Tyler Vision, LLC)
Tyler Perry’s “BRUH” is one of the best shows on the BET Plus Network. It’s easy to understand why these four men have amazing chemistry on camera after interviewing them and understanding the brotherhood they have developed off camera (in such a short period of time).
TYLER PERRY’S BRUH is executive produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed also serves as Executive Producer of the series for Tyler Perry Studios. For more on TYLER PERRY’S BRUH, go to http://www.betpressroom.com. Follow us on social media platforms @betplus, and join the conversation using the hashtag #TylerPerryBruh.
Phillip Mullings Jr. (Mike), Barry Brewer (John), Mahdi Cocci (Tom), and Monti Washington (Bill) are the four young handsome men that keep your eyes glued to the television with their dating scenarios. Modern day problems with a hint of drama in each one of the guy’s life in real time (on the television show only ladies). Please don’t confuse their television characters with real life. These have got to be four of the most respectable young men that I’ve interviewed in a very long time.
Please tune in September 10th on BET+ and I really hope if you missed the first 12 episodes that you go back and binge watch everything so you will know what’s going on. I promise you won’t regret adding this show on repeat as the type of series you can watch over and over again.
Check out our zoom interview below:
As an advocate BET television viewer for the past 40 years I can’t believe that Tyler Perry’s new show BRUH is what made me download the BET+(Plus) app. There are so many amazing shows streaming on the Plus App. At first I thought it was just a streaming platform of old school BET shows; “boy was I wrong!” Download it today!
ABOUT “TYLER PERRY’S BRUH” “Tyler Perry’s BRUH” tracks the story of four thirty-something year old friends in present-day Atlanta, trying to find themselves as men and navigate life, careers and courtship. Finding romance has been a constant bump in the road for the guys.
One of the Producer’s Channel’s favorite television music series is TV ONE’s UNSUNG. Season 14 in “my opinion” has been one of the most epic seasons by far. Goodie Mobb fans really turned up on show night and turned out according to the numbers. The city of “Atlanta” has been on the forefront of conversation during this pandemic and finally it wasn’t due to anything having to do with the words “Coronavirus” or “COVID19”.
According to a recent Press Release by put out by the TV ONE “Dru Hill” actually led the numbers with 805k Unique viewers on premiere night. Check out the Press Release:
Network Season 14 of TV One’s award-winning documentary series UNSUNG delivered a combined reach of 5.7MM unique viewers P2+ during its premiere run. Additionally, UNSUNG was the #1 series on Cable, 2020-to-date, in the 10 p.m. timeslot among African American Households: P25-54 and P2+.*
UNSUNG celebrates the lives of trailblazing musicians whose full stories and journeys have yet to be explored. Through first-hand accounts, interviews with family and friends, and archival footage, each episode weaves a tale of the highs and lows of a life in the limelight.
The premiere episode on February 23 featured Dru Hill and reached 805K Unique Viewers 2+ on its premiere night. Competitively, UNSUNG “Dru Hill” was the #1 cable telecast in its timeslot among African Americans: P25-54, and the #4 primetime cable telecast for the full weekend among African Americans: P/W25-54 and African Americans: P/W18-49.
This season highlighted the memorable stories of influential artists including rap’s first female star MC Roxanne Shante; singer/actor Christopher Williams; funk and disco band Skyy; the “Mother of Freestyle” Shannon; Grammy Award-winning crooner behind the 1972 number one single “Me and Mrs. Jones,” Billy Paul; vocal powerhouse Betty Wright, best known for the 70s hit single “Clean Up Woman;” multi-Grammy Award-winning musician Al Jarreau; and Atlanta hip hop quartet Goodie Mob.
Due to the Covid 19 pandemic residents nationwide have been urged to “Stay at Home” since the latter part of March 2020. Well things just got real serious for Georgia’s Fulton County residents as the only April Fool’s joke was on the entire nation. Effective April 1st Fulton County has issued an immediate stay-at-home order to combat the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and threatened $1,000 fines and/or 12 months in jail for those who don’t obey. Continue reading Did HBO postpone new season of Issa Rae’s Insecure? Check out what other shows have been postponed as well→
Went to see The Photograph today after reading a handful of great reviews even though they had me after I had seen the trailer. I love a great love story & Valentine’s Day (even after having no specific Valentine for the past 12 years). Issa Rae & LaKeith did an amazing acting job of really making the audience feel like they are both in love in real life.
The writer/director Stella Meghie of this film Stella did an amazing job of telling a story line without adding too much drama or conflict to detract from the “love line” of the story. A great job of flip flopping back and forth through two different time eras and telling two love stories of two different generations of women at once. There were a lot of moments in the movie that made the audience look at their own personal love life (looking at their relationship with their own mom), their ability to take a chance on love or wonder why they aren’t willing to take chances on love. Continue reading The Photograph staring Issa Rae & LaKeith Stanfield – the perfect Romance Dramedy→
Went to see The Photograph today after reading a handful of great reviews even though they had me after I had seen the trailer. I love a great love story & Valentine’s Day (even after having no specific Valentine for the past 12 years). Issa Rae & LaKeith did an amazing acting job of really making the audience feel like they are both in love in real life.
The Producer's Channel 