LIQUID SOUL PARTNERS WITH BLAZE UNLIMITED TO DEBUT “The TBL” A Black TV & FILM CONFERENCE
LIQUID SOUL, a leading full-service multicultural marketing agency, today announced a partnership with Blaze Unlimited, an innovative Creative music Agency that specializes in Sync Licensing and music supervision, to launch a first-of-its-kind pipeline to bring African American creative talent to the entertainment industry. The inaugural The TBL (Table) TV & FILM CONFERENCE will be held in Los Angeles, CA in July 2021 and in Atlanta, GA July 2022.
The TBL, the brainchild of Blaze Unlimited co-founder Emoni Matthews, is part of a recent movement to amplify Black voices in the entertainment industry. “For too long we haven’t had a seat at the table,” says Matthews. “While we’ve seen talent like Ava Duvernay, Issa Rae, Shonda Rhimes, and recently Jordan Peele write their own rules, open doors to careers in the television and film industry are still elusive. Many industry executives still ask, ‘Where can we find the next’…or state that the qualified black candidate pool is too small. We are the solution to fix that narrative and our goal is to encourage immediate and tangible diversity that actually has longevity. The TBL opens the door, pulls out a chair, and provides training, mentorship, and job opportunities to Black creators so that they can claim their seat at The Table.”
The conference, modeled after the popular SXSW, is a welcome solution to the nation’s entertainment industry as it seeks new ways to find and attract diverse talent. The four-day event will feature Masterclasses, Keynote Speakers, and Networking Mixers.
Tirrell Whittley, CEO and founder of LIQUID SOUL and Executive Producer of films including the acclaimed Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace, Brian Banks, and the upcoming RESPECT featuring Jennifer Hudson says the initiative is already breaking barriers.
“It’s a beginning,” said Whittley. “It’s a fresh pipeline to new talent and raw storytelling that the entertainment industry has been seeking for years. The TBL provides training, mentorship, internships, and more importantly, the opportunity for youth to see themselves in careers to which they’ve never been exposed. Our mission is to link the TV & Film industry to the black creative community for original content, creative ideas and talent planning, and pipeline development.”
An inaugural class of 540 students ranging from high school, college, and post-grads to professionals will explore careers in acting, screenwriting, directing, producing, wardrobe & custom design, director of photography, editors, Music Synchronization, marketing & PR, and business operations. Participants will be separated by areas of interest and will participate in small breakout sessions for immersive learning. All will be interviewed and matched to select internships, mentorships and jobs in TV & Film during the conference.
In addition to LIQUID SOUL, Allied Protection Services, 247 Artist, Inc. and the BRIC Foundation have joined as initial partners. More to be announced.
For information about The TBL and The TBL Conference, visit Thetbl.info or join the social conversation on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook with @thetblconference
ABOUT The TBL
Founded in 2020, The TBL is an organization dedicated to identifying and qualifying top black creative talent for the American TV & Film industry. They are the qualified solution in the LA and ATL markets to provide education and introduce the industry to Black candidates. The TBL’s mission is to create tangible employment opportunities for Black creatives; to educate Black students in high school, college, and postgraduate programs about diverse career paths. The organization seeks to exposethe industry to the Black creative community for new content, creative ideas and talent planning, and pipeline development.
About Blaze Unlimited
Founded in 2020, Blaze Unlimited facilitates excellence in all creative arts by specializing in innovative and cutting-edge campaigns specifically related to music. Blaze strives to curate the most exciting IP from artists that are truly shaping the culture. Utilizing over a decade of experience the two co-founders, Emoni Matthews and Grammy Award-winning Engineer and producer Jake Vicious united to penetrate convoluted waters to make the industry journey manageable for any brand, partner or artist. Blaze offers a range of services that helps our partner brands elevate to Industry Standard by providing hi-fidelity creative and integrated synchronization services including Audio Engineering Artist Development, Creative Rollouts, Creative Licensing, Music Supervision and much more. Blaze has successfully provided music solutions for clients such as SHOWTIME, STARZ, THE NFL NETWORKS, TBS, CONDE NAST, NETFLIX, and numerous others.
ABOUT LIQUID SOUL
Launched in 2001 and headquartered in Atlanta, GA, LIQUID SOUL Media is a culturally driven full-service agency creating marketing programs, branded content, community outreach, live experiences, influencer engagement, digital and social media campaigns for its clients. The agency’s creative engagement strategies for mainstream and multicultural brands have catapulted results for over thirty #1 box office films and more than 150 films generating over $3 Billion at the box office.
LIQUID SOUL counts among its successful campaigns the critically acclaimed film and Box Office hits Black Panther, Disney’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, Warner Bros.’ 42, 20th Century Fox’s War of the Planet of the Apes, HBO’s Game of Thrones, Lionsgate’s Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Universal’s Fast & Furious 6, ABC’s Black-ish, NBC’s The Voice, FOX’s Empire, the STARZ hit Power, and numerous others.