Charlie Villanueva tells the story of Michael Jordan, who by acclamation, is the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. He played fifteen seasons, winning six championships and five MVP awards. He turned the basketball court into his kingdom and was hailed by all as His Airness. His legacy is marked by one of the most iconic shoe brands — a testament to his soaring and leaping style of play, which was unlike anything the league had seen before.
Brandon Allen tells the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat – a Brooklyn-born painter who was one of the most acclaimed contemporary artists of his generation. His graffiti-inspired style was evidence of his intelligence and a testament to poetic justice. Despite his lack of formal training, his art contained immense depth. His complex painting style, teeming with bursts of colorful imagery and controversial writings, entranced the New York art scene.
The lovely Lexi Taciak joins us in this episode of History Matters. She discusses Frederick Douglass who escaped from slavery and became a leader of the abolitionist movement. His writings are highly acclaimed worldwide. Lexi tells us about his life, his achievements, and his legacy today.
Douglass wrote three autobiographies in throughout his life: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Bondage and My Freedom, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, where he details his experiences as a slave and his life thereafter.
Joshua Miller, the CEO of C&I Studios, tells the life of Shawn Carter – an American rapper turned entrepreneur who single-handledly created a new culture through his music and business pursuits.
Katy Seymour, photographer and video editor at C&I Studios, tells the story of Matthew Henson – an African American explorer who is credited with exploring the North Pole. His geographical exploits helped map a new world, allowing for a new era in cartography and worldly discoveries.
Marc Joseph, the lead Web Developer at C&I Studios, tells the life and legacy of Elijah Cummings – a lifelong political activist and respected member of the U.S. House of Representatives. His dedication to equality and justice helped steer our country in a brighter direction.
Mark Samuels, the Director of Digital Distribution at C&I Studios, tells the life of Malcolm X – a radical civil activist who disrupted the political landscape in his pursuit of equality and justice for black Americans.
Kelci Acree, a barista at Brew Urban Cafe, tells the story of Helen Keller – a remarkable young woman who defied the odds by learning to read and write despite suffering from being blind and deaf.
JT Niemeyer, the lead Video Editor at C&I Studios, tells the history of Ruth Bader Ginsburg – a Supreme Court Justice who dedicated her entire life to the shaping of justice in America.
Chris Hedlund, founder of Chris Headshots, tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen – a heroic band of brothers who fought both racial segregation and Nazi oppression to aid America, and the world, in our greatest hour.
Jonathan Jones, the lead Graphic Designer at C&I Studios, shares the life of George Washington Carver – an American agricultural scientis who discovered and shared innovated farming technique to help lift American farmers out of poverty.
Matthew Bordy, the Co-Founder of Prototype House, tells the story of Dave Chappelle — one of the rare comic geniuses of America who has challenged the comedic circuit with racially charged jokes that have forced deeper discussion into modern-day issues, such as colorism, identity and equality.
Deanna Kahn tells the story of Albert Einstein – a German-born theoretical physicist who reshaped the thinking of the brightest minds in the 20th century and beyond. His mathematical discoveries guided scientists to unexplored frontiers and urged philosophers to ponder a new age of ethics and existentialism. He is most known for developing the theory of relativity — one of the two pillars of modern physics — and dubbed the worlds most famous mathematical equation.
Consuelo Pezet tells the story of William Shakespeare, who is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s greatest dramatist. His works have made a lasting impression on theatre and literature, particularly in the expansion of the dramatic potential of characterization, plot, language, and genre. Unlike his predecessors, he used literary mechanics to actively explore his characters’ minds, providing his audiences with authentic depictions of life, love, envy, courage, and tragedy.
In this episode of History Matters, we’re sharing the story of Trayvon Martin, a young African American who was wrongfully gundowned because of the color of his skin. His tragic death sparked the Black Lives Movement, a modern Civil Rights crusade aimed at providing justice and ending the plight of inequality in America.
Elle Livoti, the Director of Rentals at C&I Studios, tells the story of Amelia Earhart – a courageous young woman with a stout adventurous spirit who revolutionized aviation with dazzling feats that no one before her thought possible.
Cymonda Wilson tells the story or Ray Charles – an African American musician whose genre-bending style flowered the genre of soul music and gave rise to enhanced musical expression in country music, rhythm and blues, and pop music throughout the 1960s and beyond.
Victoria Ranger of Ranger Technical Resources narrates this episode of History Matters about Phillis Wheatley, the first ever published African-American female poet. At the age of seven, Wheatley was taken from her home in West Africa and sold into North American Slavery.
After being purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston, they taught her to read, write, and later encouraged her to pursue her writing and poetry. She was emancipated after her master’s death, marrying soon after.
Yvette tells the story of Mary Mcleod – a champion of education who made it her sole pursuit in life to provide opportunities for black youth in the early 1900s. With just six quarters, she started the Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in Daytona Beach, Florida. About 25 years later, it merged with a boys school to form a well-respected 4 year university, which propelled thousands of young people to success.
We asked JT Thomas III of the New York Giants to help us out with this episode of History Matters. Langston Hughes was one of this nation’s most influential people ever. We wanted to pay homage and highlight his life by including him in our significant African-Americans list as part of our Black History Month installment of History Matters.
Our goal this year is to remember the people we find to be the most influential in molding our societies and cultures around the world.
BJ Johnson outlines the life and achievements of Jessie Owens in this installment of History Matters. Jessie Owens is often regarded as quite possibly the best athlete ever to participate in track and field.
In 1935, Owens broke three world records in less than an hour. A year later he won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. It was here that he single-handedly silenced Adolf Hitler‘s theories of Aryan supremacy.
Amber Fox tells the story of Tyler Perry – an American writer and producer who channeled the horrors of his upbringing to create outstanding theatrical performances that have since shed light on issues such as child abuse, Christianity, and family responsibility.
Angelica Givens of Roots2Royals Hair and Makeup Salon, tells the story of Spike Lee – an American film writer and director who founded his own production studio to create original films capable of challenging systemic racism in America.
Ian Francia, artist and musical composer, tells the story of Louis Armstrong – an American trumpeter from New Orleans whose musical presence transcended skin color in a racially divided America, ultimately paving the way to fame and fortune for other artists of color.
Dorlene Pierre, the Executive Assistant at C&I Studios, tells the story of Nipsey Hussle – an American rapper and gang member turned entrepreneur and social activist. He dedicated his energy to the betterment of his community and, ultimately, paid for it with his life.
Joseph Plumadore tells the life of Steve Jobs – a man’s whose genius completely revolutionzed digital technologies, improving the way people communicate and leading to the creation of the most widely used technology in existence: the personal computer.
James Carras tells the story of Michelle Obama – an American lawyer who graduated to the highest role of public service upon her husband’s inauguration as the 44th President of the United States. Her tenure as First Lady is defined through the progressive work she led to uplift American veterans, further education and inspire young women to achieve the impossible.
Beth Bryant, the Vice President of Sales at C&I Studios, tells the life of Anne Frank – an inspiring young woman who retained her endearing outlook on the world despite living in persecution during the Nazi rule of Europe in World War 2.
Amy Miller, Producer at C&I Studios, shares the life of Susan B. Anthony – an American anti-slavery advocate who helped launch the women’s suffrage movement while fighting for equality on all fronts.
J. David Armstrong Jr., President Emeritus of Broward College, tells the story of Bayard Rustin – a pivotal figure in the American Civil Rights Movement and an outstanding proponent for the rights of the working class and unemployed African Americans. His legacy shows why History Matters.
Bobby Brainard DuBose is a Democratic politician who currently serves as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 94th District, which includes most of Fort Lauderdale in central Broward County, since 2014. It was only right that he would be the one to tell the story of Ralph David Abernathy, a close friend to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During the civil rights movement, he too ran for the position of U.S. House of Representatives. Etched on his tombstone are the words “I tried.” Yes, he tried, he made a difference, and we carry forth the spirit of his efforts today.
On this episode of History Matters, we’re sharing the story of Arthur Ashe – an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam titles. He was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.
On this episode of History Matters, Victoria Ranger shares the story of Angela Brown – an African American soprano singer who is particularly admired for her portrayal of Verdi heroines.
 In this episode of History Matters, we follow along with our Black History Month theme with one of the greatest figures of the 20th century. Joey Wright, of Joey Wright Photography, gives us a little background on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one heck of a man with courage like a lion and a heart of gold. He is revered for his nonviolent approach against segregation. He spearheaded a movement that shook the world and ended the Civil Rights Movement, ultimately bringing justice and equality to blacks in America.
History Matters is a series of shorts that briefly tell the stories of influential people in history.
We want to bring you stories about the people that changed our hearts, minds, and history books. This episode is about Booker T. Washington and is narrated by Laurie Menekou from Conceptual Communications.
Erica Diaz tells the story of Benjamin Banneker – a free African-American almanac author, surveyor, naturalist, and farmer who corresponded with Thomas Jefferson on the topics of slavery and racial equality.
Black History Month marked the first episodes of our new mini-series History Matters. In this episode, our good friend Lucianne Ungerbuehler of F2F Studios recounts the story behind the famous African-American writer Alex Haley.
Alex Haley’s book Roots is one of the most well-known books in American history. We felt that Alex Haley is an extremely significant figure who caused a cultural sensation throughout the United States. His legacy holds some of the most important works of U.S. history.
Otis Miller means more to C&I Studios than you can imagine. His influence reigns high all around us. We thought there was no better person to narrate this episode of History Matters – our mini series that looks to pay homage to those influential people from history.
Eric Garner is part of the reverence we want to pay Black History Month and we thought Otis would do so better than anyone else. Without a past, there is no future. Without mistakes, there is no progress. We want to exalt the people that have changed our lives forever.