ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith and his Mr. SAS Productions have teamed with Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens’ Propagte and Confidential Films for “Black Excellence, a documentary series examining the legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Confluential Films’ Codie Elaine Oliver will direct “Black Excellence,” which will explore HBCUs’ impact across American politics, business, culture, sports and entertainment. With a mix of original interviews, archival footage and media, the series will look at prominent figures such as Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Stacey Abrams, Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Taraji P. Henson, Anthony Anderson and many more who attended HBCUs. Depicting how their experiences at HBCUs shaped their careers, the series will spotlight moments in culture where these colleges set the tone, and will highlight HBCUs representation in 2020’s historic elections. In addition, the series will examine the recent uptick in donations and attention on HBCUs from celebrities such as Michael B. Jordan, Deion Sanders, Chris Paul and MacKenzie Scott, and how the donations will impact these institutions.
