The show will feature newsmaking guests — including Trevor Noah, Jameela Jamil, Alan Yang, Dascha Polanco and Killer Mike — sharing their views on topics including inclusion, racial politics, gender and body positivity.
The Hollywood Reporter will premiere a new video conversation series, Emerging Hollywood, that will feature on-the-rise voices in entertainment sharing their views on topics including inclusion, racial politics, gender and body positivity with TV and radio personality Charlamagne tha God. The series will premiere May 2 with The Daily Show host Trevor Noah and continue weekly on Thursdays exclusively on THR.com, YouTube and other digital partners.
Each episode of Emerging Hollywood will consist of three stand-alone chapters with the following themes: “Where I Came From,” “What I’m About” and “Where I’m Going.” Each chapter will be five to seven minutes in length, detailing how the guest’s life experience shaped his or her views, current activism and vision for what’s next.
The series was announced Tuesday by The Hollywood Reporter editorial director Matthew Belloni in conjunction with THR’s Empowerment in Entertainment Gala honoring Oprah Winfrey and celebrating individuals who have created opportunities for people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ community and other emerging, underrepresented voices in the industry.
“THR is dedicated to amplifying the voices of the industry’s agents of change,” said Belloni. “Charlamagne, Trevor Noah and the other Hollywood leaders joining Emerging Hollywood work daily to ignite meaningful conversations and provide opportunities for a diverse new generation. We’re thrilled that they’re joining us for this series and hopeful that THR’s readers will be impacted by their perspectives.”
Following Noah, Charlamagne and THR will host The Good Place star and outspoken body-positivity activist Jameela Jamil; Emmy-winning Master of None and Forever creator Alan Yang, who has been a vocal advocate for Asian-American representation onscreen and has tackled issues of racism on his series; Orange Is the New Black’s Dascha Polanco, who has spoken publicly about the pressure to hide her Afro-Latina heritage to secure roles; and rapper, actor and activist Killer Mike, who uses his platform to call attention to police brutality and racism.
“I don’t do interviews. I do conversations,” said Charlamagne. “I love conversations because through conversation, you hear people’s stories, and through people’s stories, you get information and inspiration. That’s all I want people to get out of these conversations is information and inspiration.”
Emerging Hollywood’s premiere is set two days after the reveal of THR‘s first-ever Empowerment in Entertainment “Agents of Change” list, as well as the launch of the publication’s Hollywood inclusion initiative, the Young Executives Fellowship. Aided by launch sponsors WME and Amazon Studios, the fellowship aims to create a pipeline for future leaders in film and television. Each year, 25 high school juniors will be chosen on a highly competitive basis for a two-year program that will include curriculum and mentoring; all will be selected from underserved schools in Los Angeles, Compton and Inglewood.
The Fellowship aims to complement and inspire similar efforts across the entertainment industry and will be overseen by a stellar advisory board that includes Endeavor CEO Ariel Emanuel, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, former Paramount Pictures chairman Sherry Lansing, King Center CEO Martin Luther King III and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Emerging Hollywood, produced in-house by THR, is executive produced by Shira Brown, Matthew Belloni, Jennifer Laski, Lenard “CThaGod” McKelvey and Karen Kinney and is produced by Victoria McKillop and Francine Nazario from The Hollywood Reporter.
Charlamagne tha God is represented by ICM Partners, Loan Dang of Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano and KK Entertainment.
