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NBC UNIVERSAL CELEBRATES DIVERSE COMEDIC VOICES
NBC UNIVERSAL CELEBRATES DIVERSE COMEDIC VOICES
WITH INNOVATIVE INITIATIVES
Talent Diversity Initiative Re-Energized with Original On-Air Spots,
Expanded www.DiversecityNBC.com Functions,
And Comedy Short Cuts Film Festival
Burbank, CA � July 18, 2006 - Understanding the entertainment industry's responsibility to accurately reflect and express the multitude of cultures within the television-viewing audience, NBC Universal will be joining forces with like-minded partners to activate this initiative to its fullest potential, it was announced today by Damona Resnick, Producer NBC Universal Talent Diversity Initiative.
"With both live and multi-media components, this initiative will not only set a precedent within the entertainment industry but also send a crucial message regarding the ever-evolving face of our world," said Resnick.
In mid July, a series of television spots with NBC Universal talent (Nadine Velazquez - "My Name is Earl", John Cho - "The Singles Table", James Lesure - "Las Vegas" and Masi Oka "Hereos") plus a spot with NBC Entertainment President, Kevin Reilly, will air on NBC affiliates nationwide. Plus, an online viral marketing campaign will begin airing to raise awareness for this initiative using the wide array of diverse talent within the NBC Universal family.
This past April, NBC Universal created an online community at www.DiverseCityNBC.com to serve as the hub for diversity across all aspects of the entertainment industry. New functions have been added since the site's launch such as; videos on featured artists, member questions answered by an NBC executive, event listings nationwide, blogs, and separate web pages for writers, actors, directors and comedians. A photo archive is currently under construction.
The live portion of this launch will be a unique showcase of short, comedic films involving a diverse cast, director, writer, producer or theme. The submission window opened on June 6, 2006 at www.ComedyShortCutsNBC.com and the finalists will be unveiled with bi-coastal launch events celebrating NBC Universal's Diversity Initiative on August 29, 2006 in New York City and on September 20, 2006 in Los Angeles. Some of the prizes attached to the festival include a pitch meeting with NBC development executives as well as meetings with Rogue Pictures and Focus Features. Additional prizes will be announced in coming weeks.
Comedy Short Cuts was created by New York Comedian Wil Sylvince who has appeared on BET's Comic View, The Apollo Comedy Hour, and Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam. Sylvince currently tours with Damon Wayans and works alongside Wayans on the new Showtime series "Damon Wayans' The Underground."
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