About Us
OUR MISSION
Black Public Media supports the development of visionary content creators and distributes stories about the global Black experience to inspire a more equitable and inclusive future.
Our History
For more than four decades, BPM has addressed the needs of unserved and underserved audiences. BPM continues to address historical, contemporary, and systemic challenges that traditionally impede the development and distribution of Black stories.
BPM BLOG
THE BLACK PAPER
Thank You To Our Supporters
OUR TEAM
Carol Bash
Program Coordinator
Diane Carr-Joseph
Director of Operations
Leslie Fields-Cruz
Executive Director
Denise Greene
Director of Program Initiatives
Eboni Johnson
Engagement Manager
DeLynda Lindsey
Contracts and Reports Specialist
Alisa Norris
Fund Development Manager
Lisa Osborne
Director of Emerging Media
Kat Walsh
Social Media Manager
Qiona Woffard
Special Programs Manager
Cheryl D. Fields
Director of Marketing & Engagement
Carol Bash
Program Coordinator
Diane Carr-Joseph
Director of Operations
Diane Carr-Joseph serves as the Business Manager for National Black Programming Consortium. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the organization including human resources, financial forecasting, resource allocation, fund management, accounting and control. Diane holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Baruch College New York.
Leslie Fields-Cruz
Executive Director
Leslie Fields-Cruz is the executive director of Black Public Media, the nation’s only nonprofit solely dedicated to the development of nonfiction Black content for distribution on public media. Leslie joined BPM in 2001 to manage its program development fund. She served as director of programs from 2005-2008 and as VP of programs and operations from 2008-2014 before being named BPM’s third executive director in 2014. Leslie is the creator of BPM’s award-winning anthology series, AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, now in its 14th season, which features contemporary stories from the African diaspora. Under her leadership, BPM has cultivated new partnerships, diversified revenues, and initiated vital new programs (360 Incubator+, PitchBLACK Forum & Awards, BPMplus, and the Black Media Story Summit) that support Black talent and content development. In 2021, Leslie was named to Crain’s New York’s list of Notable Black Business Leaders. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley (BA) and NYU (MA), she is a board member of New Era Creative Space, and in September 2022, was named board president of New York Women in Film and Television.
Denise Greene
Director of Program Initiatives
Denise A. Greene is an Emmy and Peabody award-winner with producing and directing credits on a range of projects such a tribute video for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in honor of esteemed filmmaker, Charles Burnett, NY Times-Op Doc: When Music Turns Deadly (Orlando Bagwell, dir), Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (Shola Lynch, dir) and Pioneers of Thirteen, Blackside series, I’ll Make Me A World , and Blackside’s Malcolm X: Make it Plain. Alongside her independent film projects, Denise joined Black Public Media (then known as NBPC) as the Director of the New Media Institute, an extensive program training professional filmmakers in the latest digital technologies. Preceding her documentary career, Denise started in children’s programming working in Casting and as a Senior Researcher for Sesame Street. Her most recent recognition in children’s programming includes a Parents’ Choice Award for her Nick Jr. Black History Month interstitial. Denise is thrilled to return to Black Public Media to direct funding and training initiatives such as 360 Incubator+
Eboni Johnson
Engagement Manager
Eboni Johnson comes to BPM having served as director of education and outreach for the Denton Black Film Festival, where she helped launch the DBFF Institute, which offers interactive workshops, seminars and other educational programs. In that position, she worked closely with BPM staff to co-produce our Technically Brilliant Show, a DBFF and BPM collaboration.
Eboni holds a master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from the University of North Texas. Her filmmaking credits include having worked as director/producer on two short films, Songs Remembered and Unrequited Dreams; as director of photography/editor for The Last March; as sound recordist for The Straight Race and Somewhere In Between; and as producer/sound editor on Good Soil, Good Souls: The Story of Bonton Farms.
DeLynda Lindsey
Contracts and Reports Specialist
DeLynda Lindsey joined BPM as Contracts and Reports Specialist in 2022. She brings years of professional experience as a grant writer and grant manager, having worked since 2005 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s rich foundation and nonprofit communities. Her professional aim is to advance the missions of nonprofits for the betterment of society and humanity through fundraising. Her passion for storytelling is informed by her experiences in human services, working directly with those in need and raising funds on their behalf. DeLynda has spent most of the last decade fundraising for nonprofit public media by securing foundation, government and corporate grants on local, regional and national levels.
DeLynda currently resides in Pittsburgh, where she was born and raised. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and human services administration from Chatham College (now University), and her master’s in social work with a concentration in social administration from the University of Pittsburgh.
Alisa Norris
Fund Development Manager
Alisa is the fund development manager for Black Public Media. With a background in corporate outreach and sponsorship, she is strengthening the foundation of the department and maintaining relationships with funders, foundations, and private industry. Alisa is a native of the Washington, D.C. metro area and an alumnus of Virginia Commonwealth University (B.S. Mass Communications).
Lisa Osborne
Director of Emerging Media
Lisa Osborne believes that storytelling is a powerful change agent—for individuals, groups, and entire cultures. As Black Public Media’s Director of Emerging Media Initiatives, she introduces independent filmmakers to the storytelling potential of virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and similar technology. Her current priority is increasing Black creative participation in the VR industry. Early in her career, Lisa helped Turner launch its first online magazine, ran adidas.com while based in Germany and The Netherlands, and supervised productions at the American Film Institute’s incubator, working with ABC, NBC, MTV, ITVS, Cartoon Network, and PBS (Independent Lens, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Design:e2) to create interactive prototypes. After AFI, she worked independently for film and TV clients, plus created and taught a digital marketing class for Carnegie Mellon University. She earned a journalism degree from Northwestern University and has a strong interest in developing family, YA, science fiction, and fantasy content.
Kat Walsh
Social Media Manager
Kat Walsh (they/them) is the social media manager for Black Public Media. The 2019 graduate of Ithaca College holds a B.F.A in film, photography, and visual arts. They also minored in international politics.
As BPM’s social media manager, Kat works with marketing, communications and engagement partners Cheryl D. Fields and Eboni Johnson, and leads the planning, implementation and monitoring BPM’s social media strategy, which aims to increase brand awareness and audience engagement, and to improve BPM’s marketing and sales efforts.
Kat’s work as a filmmaker focuses on the discrepancies young people face regarding race, gender and sexuality. Their most recent film, Chick Flicks (where they worked as director of photography) is a documentary about the misogyny and sexism apparent in film school and how it translates into the entertainment industry.
Qiona Woffard
Special Programs Manager
Qiona Woffard is BPM’s manager of special programs. She joined Black Public Media in January 2020 as a program associate, working with Denise Greene, director of program initiatives. In that role she supported BPM’s Open Call, AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, and the 360 Incubator+ Program, among other projects.
In 2021, Qiona was instrumental in securing a partnership for BPM with the National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity (NNICE). NNICE is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of their National Partnering for Vaccine Equity Initiative. BPM’s focus within the initiative is to host Black Media Story Summits to facilitate the creation of media stories that inspire increased vaccination rates within Black communities. As BPM’s team leader on the NNICE Initiative, Qiona works with Eboni Johnson, BPMs engagement manager, and members of NNICE to support Black creatives and communities in the fight against COVID-19.
Cheryl D. Fields
Director of Marketing & Engagement
Chery’s storytelling career began as a journalist, where her work covering business and education appeared the Washington Post, Los Angeles Business Journal, Los Angeles Weekly, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education, among other publications. After years serving as Diverse’s executive editor, she left the newsroom to join the Washington-D.C. based Langhum Mitchell Communications, where her clients have included Black Public Media, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Education Trust, and think tanks at Harvard University, UCLA, Morehouse College, Clemson University, and the University of Southern California, among others.
An early entry into the world of podcasting led Cheryl to produce and host CLE OnAir for the Kellogg Foundation’s Leadership for Community Change initiative. She later served as producer and co-host of WOLB’s award-winning Lunch with Labor in Baltimore.
In her current role as director of BPM’s marketing, communications and engagement team, Cheryl spearheads efforts to broaden the organization’s reach, influence and visibility on the public media landscape, while also strengthening relationships with the Black media storytellers it serves as well as its funding and programming partners.
A Bryn Mawr College grad, Cheryl also holds a master’s in print journalism from USC, is a former media management fellow of the Poynter Institute of Media Studies, and an alumna of BPM’s New Media Institute. The proud mom of two teens serves her community as a county youth commissioner and a Girl Scout leader. She also is active in the music and dance ministries at her church, where she is a member of the parish board.
OUR BOARD
Guy-Max Delphin
Darryl Ford Williams
Chair
Deniese Davis
Valerie Williams-Sanchez
Antonia Carew-Watts
Eva-Marie Malone
Samantha Abrams
Allison Simmons
Janis Smith-Gomez
Guy-Max Delphin
After over twelve years of investment experience, Guy-Max Delphin opened Delphin Investments. Currently, he is the Senior Portfolio Manager heading Fundamental Research and Macro/Top-Down overlay. Mr. Delphin’s extensive experience includes the Yale-New Haven Health System as a leading Investment Strategist, Senior Analyst at Fortis Investments, and Senior Associate of Equity Research in the Small-Cap Industrials group, a division of Jefferies & Company, Inc. Mr. Delphin also held an Associate Analyst position within the Prudential Equity Group, LLC. Early in his career, Guy-Max functioned as a quantitative analyst in the Investment Product Design and Risk Management Group divisions of OppenheimerFunds, Inc. In 2012, he joined the NYC Special Education Collaborative, an organization working with charter schools advocating sustainable, high-quality special education programs. Mr. Delphin is on the Stony Brook Foundation Board of Trustees and serves as Chair of the College of Business Advisory Board. His philanthropic activities focus on education and healthcare. Mr. Delphin received a M.S. in Financial Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, in addition to B.S. degrees in both Applied Mathematics and Economics from Stony Brook University.
Darryl Ford Williams
Chair
Darryl Ford Williams is the Vice President of Content for WQED Multimedia in Pittsburgh. In her current role at WQED, Ms. Ford Williams oversees the creation, development, production and delivery of all new and existing local, national, international and syndicated television, radio, interactive and educational programming for WQED Multimedia. She led the effort for the PBS series American Masters, August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand serving as Executive Producer for this highly acclaimed documentary. Under her leadership, productions have taken WQED documentary teams across the country and abroad to Kenya, Poland, Vietnam and Austria for productions distributed to the PBS system. She also launched an informational television station for the Government of Bermuda.
Prior to her work with WQED, she was the sole proprietor of the Ford-Williams Agency, one of the first companies in the nation to focus on minority recruiting for major market television stations. Throughout her career, Ms. Ford Williams led content and program development for broadcast groups across the country. Her background as a television news producer and news manager is extensive. The following are just a few examples of that work: managing site producer for CBS News in its coverage of September 11—focusing on the Pennsylvania crash site of United Flight 93; coordinating producer for ABC-TV’sGood Morning America; executive producer at WJLA-TV in Washington, DC; news producer at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh and WBAL in Baltimore.
Ms. Ford Williams’ work has been recognized with many awards, including several Emmy Awards in addition to numerous Emmy nominations. She has been honored by the Easter Seals Society, International Association of Business Communicators, and has won multiple awards from Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters.
Deniese Davis
Deniese Davis got her start in entertainment by producing indie low-budget projects including music videos, short films and digital content. In the web-series realm she is best known for producing Issa Rae’s award-winning web series “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. She is currently a Producer on the HBO comedy series INSECURE and an Executive Producer on the upcoming HBO limited series THE DOLLS while continuing to produce and oversee content for Issa Rae Productions. She also serves as COO of ColorCreative, which provides access and opportunities for diverse and emerging writers and recently sold their first feature film LOVE IN AMERICA to Universal. Originally from Las Vegas NV, Deniese is an alum of CUNY-Brooklyn College and the American Film Institute Conservatory.
Valerie Williams-Sanchez
Valerie is a certified project management professional with a long career in the overlapping fields of communications, journalism and literacy. In addition to authoring three children’s books and being doctoral candidate (literacy), she has more than 20 years’ experience in marketing and communications, and has worked with private clients and for major corporate brands including Volvo, Disney and Deloitte.
In healthcare and medical communications and marketing, Valerie most recently worked at Columbia University Medical Center in the department of ophthalmology, where she also served on the CUMC Strategic Communications Task Force. Earlier in her career, Valerie served as a healthcare writer and marketing communications manager for Medial Data International.
In addition to her work in the healthcare and medical space, Valerie served as an educator and marketing communications consultant through her company Valorena Online, L.L.C. An off-shoot of this work, Valerie has led workshops on marketing communications and digital marketing, and published peer-reviewed articles and children’s books aimed at building literacy. Her Cocoa Kids Collection of books includes: Isaiah and the Chocolate Mountain, Eddie and the Hot Cocoa Hot Rod, and Lorena and the Magic Mocha Mirror. She also is the blogger behind Valerie’s Vignettes.
Valerie has written and contributed to articles and essays in Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, Orange County Business Journal, and More magazine, online in the U.S. and in Spain. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Antonia Carew-Watts
Antonia Carew-Watts is General Counsel for WLIW21 and a senior attorney for WNET. WNET is America’s flagship PBS station, which operates New York’s channel THIRTEEN, Long Island’s WLIW21, and New Jersey’s NJTV. Ms. Carew-Watts advises WLIW21 on issues relating to production, intellectual property and new media, underwriting, and labor and employment, among other matters. In addition, she is counsel for THIRTEEN’s long-running award-winning biography series, American Masters.
Ms. Carew-Watts joined the WNET family in 2013 and was appointed General Counsel for WLIW21 in January 2016. Prior to joining WNET, she was an associate in the intellectual property practice group at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.
She received her B.A. from Yale University in 1991 and her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2009. Prior to law school, she enjoyed a long career in entertainment and arts, working in development for non-profit performance space The Kitchen, and non-profit production company Rainbow Television Workshop, as well as serving on the design teams for numerous television series and features, and theme-parks for Walt Disney Imagineering. Ms. Carew-Watts is a former Director of the Association of Black Women Attorneys.
Eva-Marie Malone
As the Opportunity Agenda’s senior coordinator for capacity building, Eva-Marie develops a comprehensive and strategically sequenced set of tools and resources to promote organization’s internal and external capacity building. Utilizing skills and expertise in organizational development, strategic communications, and technology, Eva-Marie creates innovative training programs.
Eva-Marie has extensive experience developing communications systems and strategic communications at nationally-known legal organizations and publications such as the Pro Bono Institute, New Jersey Lawyer, and American Immigration Lawyers Association. Eva-Marie has a B.A. from Wheaton College and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Samantha Abrams
Samantha Abrams is a corporate and nonprofit business leader with more than 20 years working and impacting across sectors. Ms. Abrams recently served as Chief Strategy Officer for Halcyon, a global nonprofit incubator supporting early-stage impact companies.
As CEO & Managing Director for Walker’s Legacy, her thought leadership and experience will support a global growth strategy that includes a diverse suite of partners, enhanced programming and board development as the organization focuses on serving more multicultural women entrepreneurs. Ms. Abrams is a champion for entrepreneurs and has deep knowledge and lived experiences as a veteran business owner.
Previously she served at the March on Washington Film Festival as executive director. Ms. Abrams also served at GEICO Insurance Companies for 12 years where she held several leadership roles in Public Affairs and Marketing. Additionally, she led the execution of the company’s social responsibility and diversity business verticals.
She is on the Advisory Board for the University of Guyana Foundation, including being an advisor for the Guyana Economic Development Trust and several early-stage impact Companies globally. Ms. Abrams is a member of CHIEF, a private network for women executives; sits on the Board of Directors for Black Public Media and Six Degrees and is a Founding Board member of the Social Justice School.
Ms. Abrams resides in Prince George’s County, MD with her husband Howard and children Zoie and Zion. She is the proud co-owner of her local family Caribbean restaurant.
Allison Simmons
Allison Simmons is an award-winning television executive with more than thirty years of experience in the industry. Currently, she is Senior Director of Programming, Production and Development for TV ONE, where she oversees the network’s signature crime series (Fatal Attraction, Sins of the City and ATL Homicide). Previously, she was the Head of Development for startup TV company OZY Media. Allison spent three years as VP of Development for Releve Entertainment, a minority owned-production company known for its music and faith-based content including the Preachers of LA franchise and The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel movie for Lifetime. Allison’s always had a passion for telling stories about people of color. Over the years, she has developed shows for Amazon, Own and Lifetime including Black=Beauty Executive-Produced by Queen Latifah. As Senior Director of Unscripted Programming at BET, she launched Queen Boss, a business competition show for African-American women. She also worked as a segment producer on the popular daytime talk show Dr. Phil. Allison got her start in television at ABC NEWS when she worked as a desk assistant for Peter Jennings. Allison is a graduate of Princeton University. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, she now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Chris, a senior story analyst for Warner Bros. Discovery and their two college-aged sons.
Janis Smith-Gomez
Janis Smith-Gomez is an experienced commercial leader of Fortune 50 companies and iconic brands, positioning global enterprises for competitive advantage and market leadership. Over 30 years, Janis leveraged key areas of expertise to succeed as an accomplished innovator, talent champion and value creator at Johnson & Johnson, Mars, Kraft and PepsiCo. She is a visionary marketing strategist and people leader driving transformation at the intersection of company purpose, go-to-market strategy and culture to deliver positive outcomes as well as accelerate sales and share growth. She is a passionate storyteller and uses her ethical leadership and DEI&A advocacy to develop meaningful narratives and curate content to strengthen brand reputation, inspire and empower others and increase engagement for all stakeholders in a digital-first and ESG-principled world.
Janis has a long history of non-profit board service. She currently is on the Board of Trustees of The New York Academy of Medicine (Nominating Committee Chair, Development Committee, Retirement Plan Committee) and is a member of the Vanderbilt University Parents and Friends Association Board.
Janis is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and a Brand 50 Advisor, part of the World 50 community.
Janis is a graduate of the University of Chicago with an MBA in Marketing and Business Policy and a BA in Professional Option: Business.
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OUR HISTORY
Founded in 1979 as the National Black Programming Consortium, Black Public Media (BPM), began because there was a need to encourage the development of films and television programs about the Black experience that involved creative risks and addressed the needs of unserved and underserved audiences.
Dedicated to creating a pathway for funding and distribution for Black storytellers, BPM provided seed money for projects along with opportunities for distribution through PBS. For many now acclaimed filmmakers, including Spike Lee, Julie Dash, Stanley Nelson, Shola Lynch, and Byron Hurt, BPM became a beacon of support at the earliest stages of their careers. Inspired by a spirit of excellence in stories about the Black experience, BPM’s thoughtful and compelling approach to selecting projects has resulted in supporting a host of award-winning and nominated films. With an expansion of funding support to include content exclusively for the web (e.g., Black Folk Don’t, Evoking the Mulatto, and Ask A Muslim), BPM is regularly engaging the public in necessary conversations about race, history, and social issues through short narratives and online properties.
Today, after more than four decades of historic work, BPM continues to leverage its expertise by investing in innovative content creators, and bringing dynamic programs about the Black experience that provoke, educate, and entertain on and off the screen.
Please join our regular mailing list here for updates on BPM funding initiatives and projects. Join our social media conversations on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
From Julie Dash's Daughters of the Dust (1991)
CONTACT US:
Email: info@blackpublicmedia.org
Tel: (212) 234-8200