Comcast on Feb. 9 announced a pair of documentaries it has produced to premiere during Black History Month, both highlighting the stories of underrepresented entrepreneurs. Both documentaries feature the stories of diverse business founders from around the country at different stages, from startups to small businesses, discussing their personal journeys to becoming entrepreneurs, and what it takes to succeed as a business founder of color in America today.
On February 16, the second season of the docuseries “Founding in Color,” presented by Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs, was released to audiences nationwide on the company's Peacock and Black Experience on Xfinity channels.
Created by Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs and REVOLT’s creative agency #000000, “Founding in Color” is a three-part series, currently in its second season, that dives into the entrepreneurial journeys of 11 Black and Latino business founders. These entrepreneurs get candid about the challenges they face and how they’ve had to dig deep to navigate race, identity, and other complexities to survive as founders in America today. As stated in a press release, Season Two of “Founding in Color” was produced by Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs’ Aize Asowata, senior marketing manager, and Jeanette Pierce, senior director of marketing communications; in addition to REVOLT’s Andre Woolery, SVP of branded content, and Bree Balogun, VP of account management.
Meanwhile, a documentary film entitled “The Road to RISE” also premiered on February 16. Shown on the Comcast RISE destination on X1 on Xfinity, the documentary follows the lives of four small business owners, all on a journey to achieve big dreams. From Chicago to Philly, the film stops in four different cities to see how underrepresented entrepreneurs find success.
In November 2020, the operator launched the Comcast RISE program, a national effort to strengthen and empower local small businesses hardest hit by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing initially on small business owners of color, recognizing that these entrepreneurs were among the hardest hit. Through the program, Comcast provided over $110 million in monetary, marketing, and technology grants to small businesses owned by people of color and women and met its goal of supporting 13,000 small businesses nationwide by the end of 2022.
As stated in a press release, the premiere of the new documentaries is "part of Comcast’s commitment to championing, advancing, and empowering diverse voices."
Loren Hudson, SVP and chief diversity officer, Comcast Cable, commented:
“At Comcast, we are committed to amplifying the voices of diverse founders – during Black History Month and throughout the year – through various avenues. We are proud of the work that our teams have done to produce both 'Founding in Color' and 'The Road to RISE.' We are excited to share these unique and important stories with viewers across the country and inspire the next wave of game-changing entrepreneurs.”