“The Tea with Ms. Tina Knowles-Lawson” Fireside Chat, Filmed at Newark Symphony Hall, to Premiere on NWK-TV on February 28
The special broadcast presentation features Tina Knowles-Lawson and Essence Editor at Large Mikki Taylor discussing challenges and opportunities for Black women leading arts organizations
NEWARK, N.J. – February 15, 2022 — Newark Symphony Hall (NSH), New Jersey’s largest Black-led arts and entertainment venue, announced today the exclusive fireside chat with Tina Knowles-Lawson it hosted in September is broadcasting on NWK-TV on February 28 at 9 p.m. Watch Knowles-Lawson, designer, philanthropist as well as co-founder and artistic director of WACO Theater Center in Los Angeles, Cal., sit down with Mikki Taylor, Essence magazine editor, Newark native and author of the recently released Audible original “Force of Beauty: A Newark Family Memoir,” to discuss Black women in arts leadership.
The event was conceived by NSH President and CEO Taneshia Nash Laird, who is the sole Black woman leading a performing arts center in New Jersey.
“Being able to host this event at Newark Symphony Hall is a testament to not only the importance of Black history, but Black culture and storytelling in the arts,” said Laird. “Through the interview with Ms. Tina, we were able to emphasize the value of support and camaraderie in the Black community between women and encourage individuals to connect to their roots and express their stories as it pertains to their personal history.”
Filmed at NSH in September 2021, “The Tea with Ms. Tina Knowles-Lawson” was an invite-only, hour-long event with over 100 attendees. Prudential Financial served as the event’s presenting sponsor, and United Airlines and H&M were supporting sponsors.
J+D Legacy Consulting, LLC produced the show from footage that was filmed during the event in September and provided by NSH.
“It was an honor to produce an event in partnership with Taneshia that focuses on Black women in arts, and transform footage originally from an in-person, live streamed event into a special broadcast presentation,” said Sonji Joyner, founder and principal of J+D Legacy Consulting, LLC.
On top of this event, NSH is partnering with WACO on a production titled “Black Terror” that will premiere in Spring 2022.
About Newark Symphony Hall
Born in 1925, Newark Symphony Hall (NSH) has been home to nearly a century of arts and culture in what is one of New Jersey’s oldest and largest arts and entertainment venues. NSH remains as committed as ever to providing an artistically rich experience for art lovers of all ages, while creating career pathways for people of color from around the world and bettering both its community and Greater Newark. For more information, visit: NewarkSymphonyHall.org.
About WACO Theater Center
Located in the burgeoning North Hollywood Arts District of Los Angeles, WACO Theater Center is one of the few Los Angeles cultural institutions dedicated to contemporary performing and visual art of the African Diaspora. Driven by the mantra, “Where Art Can Occur,” WACO is dedicated to the empowerment of artists within a diversified pool of its L.A. communities and beyond. WACO centers around giving emerging and established artists of African descent a platform and a voice to use their creativity, in order to connect and inspire individuals and communities throughout the African Diaspora. For more information, visit: wacotheatercenter.com.
About J+D Legacy Consulting
J+D Legacy Consulting, LLC was conceived by two sisters-in-laws, Sonji R. Joyner and Alicia C. Doney, to create legacies for their family and community through authentic storytelling. Their mission is to produce compelling, legacy-worthy communication campaigns from ideation to execution. J+D Legacy has more than 20 years of experience in development, implementation, and execution of award-winning television programs, strategic planning, and marketing in consumer goods, private mortgage companies and media, including Viacom’s BET Networks.
