October 2023

Atlanta Life Insurance Our Golden Future V.I.P. Reception

Atlanta Life Insurance Company, the lone remaining Black-founded and owned insurance company, is reemerging under new leadership with a fresh vision that pays homage to the brand’s rich history and legacy. For more than 100 years, Atlanta Life has provided insurance to help policyholders build wealth for their families. 

Ryan Smith, EVP of Atlanta Life Insurance Company & Earvin “Magic” Johnson

The company was recently acquired by Atlanta Life Holdings, a minority-owned insurance holding company that is committed to restoring the heritage of the brand, reimagining the power of its insurance business, and providing financial security and protection for underserved and underrepresented communities. Atlanta Life has also entered into an agreement with Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, a life insurance and annuities carrier with $26 billion of total assets, to broaden its offerings and reach.

Todd, Kandi, & Magic

“The decision to extend our support and resources to Atlanta Life Insurance Company stems from my passion for championing entrepreneurship and Black businesses and my life-long investment in the Black community,” said Earvin “Magic” Johnson. “We have a new vision and a new direction for Atlanta Life that honors the guiding principles upon which it was founded while reimagining it’s future”

Originally founded by Alonzo Herndon, a former enslaved man and savvy entrepreneur who became Atlanta’s first African-American millionaire, Atlanta Life has protected many at-risk citizens while advancing social and economic equity for all, which included holding the life insurance policy of the late, great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Like The Herndons, we believe that businesses, if run the right way, can be a transformative force for social good. Our aim with Atlanta Life is to uphold the Herndon family values in all we do, while taking the company to new heights and maximizing our impact in helping Black families and businesses thrive” said Eric Holoman, President and CEO, Atlanta Life Insurance Company. “We aim to serve as guardians of the community’s legacy and stewards of its future.” 

To celebrate this new beginning, Atlanta Life is hosting “A Day of Impact”, a community event on Saturday, October 14 to empower Atlanta Youth with an educational program centered on financial literacy and entrepreneurship. This community event aims to cultivate entrepreneurial spirits, foster financial literacy, and encourage collaboration within the community to invest in youth—the future leaders of business.

THE BURIAL – Now streaming on Prime Video

Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner

Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award® winner

Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy

Award® winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.

Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Jamie Foxx, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, with Bill Camp, and Alan Ruck Directed by Maggie Betts Story by Doug Wright

Screenplay by Doug Wright and Maggie Betts

Based on The New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr Produced by Celine Rattray, p.g.a., Trudie Styler, p.g.a., Jamie Foxx, p.g.a., Datari Turner, p.g.a., Jenette Kahn, p.g.a., Adam Richman, p.g.a., Bobby Shriver, p.g.a.

The Color Purple | Official Trailer 2

Warner Bros. Pictures invites you to experience the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share one unbreakable bond in “The Color Purple.” This bold new take on the beloved classic is directed by Blitz Bazawule (“Black Is King,” “The Burial of Kojo”) and produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones.

“The Color Purple” stars Taraji P. Henson (“What Men Want,” “Hidden Figures”), Danielle Brooks (“Peacemaker,” “Orange Is the New Black”), Colman Domingo (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Fear the Walking Dead”), Corey Hawkins (“In the Heights,” “BlacKkKlansman”), H.E.R. (“Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration”), Halle Bailey (“The Little Mermaid,” “Grown-ish”), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“King Richard,” “If Beale Street Could Talk”), and Fantasia Barrino (in her major motion picture debut).

The screenplay is by Marcus Gardley (“Maid,” “The Chi”), based on the novel by Alice Walker and based on the musical stage play, book (of the musical stage play) by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. The executive producers Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Carla Gardini, Mara Jacobs, Adam Fell, Courtenay Valenti, Sheila Walcott and Michael Beugg.

Joining director Bazawule behind the camera are director of photography Dan Laustsen (“John Wick: Chapter 4,” “The Shape of Water”), production designer Paul Denham Austerberry (“The Flash,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”) and editor Jon Poll (“Bombshell,” “The Greatest Showman”). The choreographer is Fatima Robinson (“Coming 2 America,” “Dreamgirls”) and the costumes are designed by Francine Jamison-Tanchuck (“Emancipation,” “One Night in Miami…”). The music supervisors are Jordan Carroll (“The Greatest Showman,” “Godfather of Harlem”) and Morgan Rhodes (“Space Jam: A New Legacy,” “Selma”); the music is by Kris Bowers (“King Richard,” “Green Book”); and the executive music producers are Nick Baxter (“Babylon,” “CODA”), Stephen Bray (“Respect,” “Juanita”) and Blitz Bazawule.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Harpo Films Production, an Amblin Entertainment Production, a Scott Sanders Production/a QJP Production, “The Color Purple.” It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to open in theaters in North America on December 25, 2023 and internationally beginning 18 January 2024.

MR. CHOW – HBO Original documentary film

A Vibrant Portrait Of Legendary Multi-Hyphenate Artist, Actor, And Famed Restaurateur Michael Chow

Synopsis: AKA MR. CHOW details the vibrant and varied life of Michael Chow. Born Zhou Yinghua in 1930s Shanghai, he would use creativity to triumph over childhood trauma, personal loss, and systemic prejudice, growing up to become the actor and artist before inventing a new identity, Mr. Chow, when he opens the first of his iconic restaurants. Having found fame and fortune in the West, Mr. Chow celebrates his Chinese roots and finds catharsis by returning to painting, reemerging as the artist M.

In an intimate, spirited, and no-holds-barred interview, Michael Chow unveils the irrepressible spirit and personal philosophy that led him to counter the hardships of his early life. By single-handedly building a business empire in the 1960s and 1970s with his restaurants, he showcased the richness and opulence of Chinese food and culture and by capturing the cultural zeitgeist, they became dazzling hubs for the most celebrated artists, film stars, musicians, designers, and models of the times.

The film takes us back to his deeply personal journey, as the son of a renowned Beijing Opera grand master grappling with the profound sense of loss emanating from the early separation from his parents and home as he is sent to England at the age of 13. This familial and cultural longing informs everything from his work and personal life to his insatiable desire for success. With clips from his past work, colorful archival footage, expansive animation, and photographs of the bold-faced names who would frequent his dining spots, AKA MR. CHOW reveals a man of extreme creativity and vitality, a champion of artists whose portraits blanket his walls, and a true showman once again redefining himself in the self-titled “fifth act” of his life.

The HBO Original documentary film aka MR. CHOW debuts SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.