Black & Iconic: Style Gods will debut on BET on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at 9pm ET. Billy Porter, Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor/singer, will host a new pioneering documentary film series on BET. Lynne Robinson directed the series, produced by Stanley Nelson and Firelight Productions as part of the social impact campaign “Content For Change” created to commemorate Black History Month. Black & Iconic: Gods of Style will look at how racism and high fashion have affected people of color colored at a systemic level, and how those consequences persist over time.
Black & Iconic: Style Gods, according to the BET network, will be a four-part, eight-hour documentary series honoring black cultural pioneers, idols and activists, and their contributions to fashion, music, cinema and dance.
According to the BET network’s official description of the docu-series:
“Black + Iconic: Style Gods” weaves dazzling archival footage and original interviews with legendary models, fashion designers and black style icons to explore the many ways Black people have overcome racism to ultimately leave an undeniable mark from the streets to the runways high fashion exclusive.”
Billy Porter is the host of Black & Iconic: Style Gods.
Billy Porter, award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated actor, director, producer, musician and activist, will host and executive produce the new BET documentary series Black & Iconic: Style Gods. The series will look at past achievements of the Black community in various sectors, as well as the impact of Black cultural innovators. 53-year-old Billy Porter was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 21, 1969. Billy has been on American Horror Story and Law & Order, but he is best known for his Emmy-nominated performance as Pray Tell on FX’s Pose. Porter is also a well-known stage actor, having won a Tony Award for his performance in Kinky Boots.
The Black & Iconic: Style Gods presenter began her theater career in Miss Saigon in 1991. In the 1994 revival of Grease, she portrayed a Teenage Angel. When he returned to New York City in 2010, he was cast as Belize in New York’s Signature Theater Company’s 20th anniversary production of Tony Kushner’s two-part epic, Angels of America. Shuffle Along, in which he starred alongside Audra McDonald, was released in 2016.
Porter married Native co-owner Ken Adam Smith on January 14, 2017, after a brief engagement. The couple married in a simple ceremony at a friend’s Manhattan penthouse apartment. In 2009, they met at a dinner party by mutual friends. They dated for a year before breaking up and reuniting in 2015.
The Black & Iconic: Style Gods presenter made his directorial debut in July 2022 with the drama Anything’s Possible, written by Ximena Garcia Lecuona. Porter also wrote his first book, Unprotected, which was released by Abrams Press in October 2021. Stranger Things, Porter’s latest, is available through his record deals with Island Records (UK) and Republic Records (US). Presenter of The Black &Iconic: Style Gods earned his second Tony Award for “Best Musical” in 2022, as producer of A Strange Loop.
On February 18, 2023, BET Network will air Black & Iconic: Style Gods.
BET Network’s Black & Iconic: Style Gods will premiere on Saturday, February 18, 2023, in conjunction with Black History Month. The video highlights the past achievements of people of color in various fields, as well as the impact of black cultural contributions. Black & Iconic: Style Gods was developed for BET by executive producers Connie Orlando and Jason Samuels, with senior supervising producer Steven Ramey.
Stanley Nelson, co-founder of Firelight Films and Executive Producer of the Black + Iconic series, commented on the scope of the documentary series:
“We are excited to partner with BET again following the success of our first film together, Through the Fire: Barack Obama’s Legacy. I can’t think of a better place for this series that pays tribute to Black legends through the many genres where Black creatives have left a lasting impact on society.”
BET Executive Connie Orlando, VP, Specials, Music Programming, Music Strategy and News, also stated:
“With this comprehensive and unique documentary series, we hope to give some of the extraordinary Black figures who have created and continue to impact popular culture the recognition they deserve. We are delighted to once again collaborate with Firelight Films and Stanley Nelson, a cornerstone in the creative and documentary industries, on this pioneering project.”
Orlando went on to say:
“We had a blast when Billy Porter performed at the BET Awards last year, and we’re honored to have him narrate ‘Style Gods’. He is one of the most famous artists, a pioneering figure, and a style legend in his own right. We believe that ‘Black + Iconic’ inspires our audience while also highlighting how Black people are the source and driving force behind what’s interesting and next in culture.”
Black & Iconic: Style Gods debuts on BET, BET Her, BET+ and VH1 on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at 9pm ET/PT.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
