(1888PressRelease)
July 10, 2008 - Los Angeles - Artist branding expert and independent film producer Charles Belk has been selected to participate in the third annual National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE) Diversity Fellowship Program. One of only 24 selected nationally, he will join other emerging television and video creators in a series of mentoring meetings, networking opportunities and workshops.
A Durham, NC native, Charles Belk is the Chief Branding Officer of Charles Belk Management, a Los Angeles based entertainment agency that offers brand awareness and marketing services for up and coming actors and independent film makers. He has held senior level marketing positions on both the agency and client sides of the business, and have created successful brand awareness campaigns on behalf of his clients by integrating grass-roots, guerrilla, viral, online, promotional, mobile and new media marketing tactics. A budding independent film maker, working on such indie film as "The Greatest Song", "House Arrest" and "In Disbelief", Charles Belk has started tackling the world of television content creation. He is currently developing a comedy talk show with national comedian and actor, Jamal Doman, and a scripted comedy series with actor / entertainer Willie Macc. With a love of teen and young adult related television programming, his focus is developing ideas targeting this audience
The NATPE Diversity Fellowship Program kicks off the LATV Festival being held in Los Angeles, July 30 - August 1, 2008. It is presented in collaboration with the Washington, DC based Walter Kaitz Foundation and it's Executive Director, Dr. David Porter. The Fellows were chosen through a selection and submission process with support from key industry organizations whose mission is to support and promote diversity in the media, entertainment and television industries. For a complete list of the 24 Fellows, please visit http://www.latvfest.net/index.php/Information/2008-Diversity-Fellows.html. Other sponsoring companies include BET, ESPN, FOX Networks Group, The Orlando, and Scripps Network.
"This is a great opportunity! The program allows access to the key players and decision makers from all segments of the television industry, which will certainly positively impact the navigation of my current and future projects through the television development process. As the internet has reinforced something that television has successfully demonstrated over the years, content is king! My intent is to help continue to supply the television industry with outstanding, creative and irreverent content, " said Charles Belk.
Fellows are assigned mentors as part of the program. Key mentors in the Diversity Fellowship Program are former television producer and educator Carole M. Kirschner and former William Morris television packaging agent Ray Solley. Ms. Kirschner spent more than 15 years as a television executive and producer with CBS and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television, and was involved with developing CBS’s Murphy Brown and Designing Women. She spearheaded the creation of the CBS Diversity Institute Writers Mentoring Program, which has been responsible for launching the careers of more than seventeen television writers of color, and she worked with the Writers Guild of America to develop the ground-breaking “WGA Showrunner Training Program”. Mr. Solley, a former primary agent responsible for packaging and sales of programs to basic and pay cable networks for the William Morris Agency, is the Executive Director of the Torrance Cultural Arts Center Foundation (TCACF).
About NATPE
NATPE is a global, nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation, development and distribution of televised programming in all forms across all mature and emerging media platforms. NATPE develops and nurtures opportunities, both commercial and educational, for buying, selling and sharing of content and ideas.
About The Walter Kaitz Foundation
The Walter Kaitz Foundation is cable's national foundation dedicated to helping advance the contributions of ethnic minorities and women in the cable telecommunications industry by advocating for diversity and providing resources for the organization’s members and the industry at large.
About Charles Belk Management
Charles Belk Management (www.charlesbelk.com) is a Los Angeles based entertainment agency that offers artist and film brand development & awareness and artist management. Services include a complete "branding experience" for independent films and up & coming and established recording artists, music producers, actors, models, comedians, directors, on-air personalities and professional athletes.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Nichols
The Lippin Group
pnichols ( @ ) lippingroup dot com
(323) 965-1990
Joy Sims
Walter Kaitz Foundation
jsims ( @ ) ncta dot com
(202) 222-2350
Margaret Merriweather
Charles Belk Management
mmerriweather ( @ ) charlesbelk dot com
or call (323) 282-7878
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