Connie Orlando is marching BET into the future.
Connie Orlando, head of programming at BET, is photographed at the network's Los Angeles office on June 18, 2019.
When Orlando was appointed executive vice president and head of original programming at BET in 2017, her vision was for the network to become “a vehicle” for storytelling around the black experience. As a network, BET continues to be a preeminent destination for black television viewers. For 17 years straight, the network has ranked No. 1 in the core demo of black adults 18-49 and has seen year-to-year growth in ratings and social engagement, according to Nielsen.
Orlando, however, credits BET’s commitment to applauding black entertainers and humanitarians as the stimulus behind its continued relevance. They went all in that first year. Beyoncé headlined opening night. There was a film festival, celebrity panels, wellness seminars, exhibits, a truncated version of the popular South L.A. food festival Taste of Soul and a celebrity basketball game in addition to music performances at multiple venues.
Recent BETX lineups have failed to deliver the buzz of earlier years when Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar topped the bill, and its viability seemed in question when the partnership between BET and AEG ended . And the festival has yet to figure out a way to bring audiences into the onstage action beyond a few live streams, which organizers worked to rectify for this year’s event.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Evelyn Lozada Addresses Flirty Tweets With 'Nice Guy' Rob KardashianEvelyn Lozada is clearing things up about her flirty tweets to Rob Kardashian.
Read more »
https://ew.com/Entertainment Weekly has all the latest news about TV shows, movies, and music, as well as exclusive behind the scenes content from the entertainment industry.
Read more »
BET Developing Female Biker Drama ‘Black Mambas’ From ‘Rebel’ CreatorEXCLUSIVE: BET Networks has put into development Black Mambas a one-hour drama from Rebel creator Amani Walker. Black Mambas is the journey of four powerful women who are bikers and grow tired of t…
Read more »
Tyler Perry Sets White House Drama ‘The Oval’ at BETTyler Perry has scored a straight-to-series order at BET for a drama set at the White House, Variety has confirmed. The series, titled “The Oval,” will introduce viewers to the new firs…
Read more »
Tyler Perry Sets First of Four BET Series: White House Soap 'The Oval' (Exclusive)The multihyphenate, fresh out of his pact with OWN, will be responsible for 75 hours of original content — including a live holiday production — between October and September 2020.
Read more »
H.E.R. Opens Up About Her BET Awards NominationsEntertainment Tonight (ET) is the authoritative source on entertainment and celebrity news with unprecedented access to Hollywood's biggest stars, upcoming movies, and TV shows.
Read more »