The Rise to Prominence series looks to inspire the next generation of history makers
The series entitled, “The Rise to Prominence,” will feature nine one-minute interviews of local history makers.
Throughout Black History Month Kelsher Entertainment will be running a series of shorts on cable television that will acknowledge and honor Black citizens in Winston-Salem whose life’s work has made an impact on the city.
The series entitled, “The Rise to Prominence,” was first launched in 2021 as an hour-long program and was broadcast every weekend in February on the CW Network. It quickly became popular with viewers across the Triad. It featured local icons such as Dr. Virginia Newell, Dr. Larry Little, Ms. Mütter Evans, Mr. Jim Shaw, and others.
This year the series will feature nine one-minute interviews where prominent figures like William “Bill” Hayes, Wesley Curtis Jr., Denise “DD” Adams, Malishai Woodbury, Celeste Beatty, Richard Davis, and Denise Hartsfield, will sit down with retired WXII News anchor Margaret Johnson to discuss their journey. The shorts will air on various Spectrum Cable Television networks.
JP Beaty, founder of Kelsher Entertainment, said the goal for the series is to preserve the history of Black people and communities in Winston-Salem. Beaty, who is a native of Winston-Salem, said he got the idea for the series after he moved away and found himself telling people about his hometown all the time. “I live in Atlanta but don’t get it twisted, Winston-Salem is home,” said Beaty during a recent interview with The Chronicle.
“As I started telling people about my experience growing up in Winston-Salem over and over again and I thought about how God has blessed me to do video work, I decided it was time to tell these stories. My thing is, we have to tell our own story; that way we get the inside track and we know that we know what we’re talking about,” Beaty said.
While preserving history, Beaty said he also wants The Rise to Prominence to serve as a learning tool for younger generations. He mentioned that he is willing to share the 2021 and 2022 series with any school or local youth organizations that are interested, free of charge.
“One of my primary goals is to inspire young people so that they can be more than be a ball player, or a rapper, or a singer,” Beaty said. “I will donate copies to any organization, the school system, or the city. We want young people to see these stories and be inspired.”
For more information on The Rise to Prominence series, visit https://triadculturalarts.org and click on the “Black History Month” link. To view the series, visit therisetoprominence.com.
