Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Council Communications
City Hall
55 Trinity Ave. SW
Atlanta, GA 30303
Contact: Jay Tribby, Chief of Staff District 2: 404-330-6038
Dexter Chambers, City Council Communications Director: 404-330-6309/392-0159
Thermice J. Bevelle, City Council Communications Specialist: 404-330-6823
Bruce Morton, City Council Communications Specialist: 404-330-6357
Date: October 9, 2009
Councilmember Kwanza Hall and BET Host Backstage Tour with Ludacris for Neighborhood Teens
ATLANTA – Thanks to a partnership between Atlanta District 2 City Councilman Kwanza Hall and BET Networks, twenty teenagers from the Bedford Pine and Centennial Place communities took a backstage tour of the BET Hip Hop Awards on Thursday, October 8, 2009. This year’s by-invitation-only awards ceremony will be held Saturday, October 10, at the AtlantaCivicCenter. Hall’s Council District 2 includes the CivicCenter.
During their three-hour, late afternoon visit, the teens met a wide range of BET executives, including Steven Hill, President of Music and Entertainment Programming, to learn about the music and entertainment industry. They also had VIP access to a closed-door rehearsal for the ceremony by Atlanta native and Grammy-winning hip hop artist and actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. After the rehearsal, Bridges met with the teens and shared his wisdom about growing up and setting goals in life.
“I want to thank BET for pulling out all the stops for these young people, who live just a few blocks away from the Civic Center.” said Hall. “Everywhere we went behind the scenes, we met staff members who were eager to describe their jobs and share their life stories.”
Edna Moffett, Executive Director of Operation PEACE, a nonprofit organization serving youth in the Bedford Pines community in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, praised BET for giving the teenagers exposure to “job opportunities and career paths.” “Having contact with an artist of Bridges’ caliber can inspire them to work harder in school and set higher goals for themselves,” said Moffett.
For more information about the tour, contact Councilman Hall’s office: or (404) 330-6038.
About BET Networks:
BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.