WQED’s Portrayal & Perception Television Series Accepted
for National Distribution
PITTSBURGH – Since 2012 WQED has produced more than a dozen documentaries and specials that offer alternative portrayals of African American men and boys than are commonly found in commercial media. From entrepreneurs to teachers, from artists to doctors, the Portrayal and Perception: African American Men & Boys initiative has shared stories of the most successful and influential black males. This series aims to educate the public and provide a positive perspective on the contributions of these men and boys to a national audience.
The most nationally relevant episodes of the series have been accepted for national distribution by American Public Television (APT) and will be offered to public television stations for airing nationwide beginning in early 2016.
“WQED continues to be successful in producing and distributing programming that started with a local focus to a nationwide audience,” said Deborah L. Acklin, President and CEO of WQED Multimedia.
“Portrayal & Perception is WQED’s second series to be accepted for national distribution,” said Darryl Ford Williams, Vice President of Content at WQED. “In 2014, WQED’s iQ: smartparent series went national and we are now in production for season four. Both series are in demand because there is nothing else like them available anywhere else.”
Portrayal & Perception includes the following episodes that will be available to public stations across the country:
Owning It
This episode shows how local African American entrepreneurs, often overlooked by commercial media, are not only experiencing financial success, they are inspiring future business leaders.
Teaching Success
This episode looks at teaching African American boys to become leaders and examines three different on-ramps to the road to success: a program for young entrepreneurs and one of its star pupils; the commitment of African American educators at a K-8 school; and the Black Male Leadership Development Institute, a seven-day leadership training collaboration between Robert Morris University and the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.
Media Men
This episode focuses on communications careers. Featured profiles include Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Tony Norman; WQED/PCNC/KDKA Radio Host Chris Moore; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Photographer Sidney Davis; and social media networker Alex Simmons.
Journey to Medicine
This episode follows middle school students, medical school students and seasoned professional physicians as they pursue careers in medicine.
Fine Arts and Artists
This episode looks at men who have made a career in the fine arts. The program profiles a classical musician, painter, playwright, ballet dancer, poet and arts educator -- and explores some of the obstacles and accomplishments of each in his chosen field.
Already Doing It
Young African American men - as a whole - score below their counterparts in other racial and ethnic groups when it comes to graduation rates, literacy rates and college preparedness. Yet sometimes it is the success story that inspires other young people, and encourages community leaders to keep working for change. This episode showcases teenagers excelling in school, volunteering as mentors and working hard to make a difference among their peers.
The Next Generation
This episode examines how highly-charged incidents in Baltimore, Ferguson, and New York still indicate a racial divide in America. WQED reporters speak with community and law enforcement leaders and with young men whose lives are impacted daily by these events to examine the progress made and challenges that remain in healing tensions nationwide.
The entire series is available for online viewing on WQED Interactive at wqed.org/watch. Educational resources and additional information about this initiative are available at wqed.org/portrayal.
Funding for Portrayal and Perception: African American Men & Boys was provided by a grant from The Heinz Endowments, which supports efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work; a center for learning and educational excellence; and region that embraces diversity and inclusion.
About WQED
WQED changes lives by creating and sharing outstanding public media that educates, entertains, and inspires. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED Create; WQED WORLD; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; the Pittsburgh Concert Channel at WQED-HD2 (89.3-2FM) and online at www.wqedfm.org; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and iQ: smartmedia, WQED’s Educational initiative (www.wqed.org/edu).
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