OZY Media, the daily information source for important stories told nowhere else, today announced their fourth primetime television show, Take On America, a groundbreaking series of televised town halls confronting the country’s most pressing issues through the lens of race. The series premieres on Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 8PM ET/ 7PM CT on PBS Stations, Facebook, YouTube and OZY.com.
There will also be a special Take On America podcast, with editorial highlights and commentary from each episode available in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hosted by Emmy-award winning journalist and OZY co-founder and CEO Carlos Watson, Take On America will uncover the different perspectives among groups who are often stereotyped for voting as a bloc, and reveal surprising views and diverse values.
Featuring a panel of celebrities and political leaders, each town hall will tackle critical political and cultural questions in front of a live studio audience comprised of one hundred people of each featured demographic group. The first four episodes will feature the voices of:
- Black Men in Baltimore (Airing October 18, 2018)
- White Women in Nashville (Airing October 25, 2018)
- Latino Families in New York City (Airing November 1, 2018)
- Asian-American Millennials in San Francisco (Airing November 8, 2018)
Each episode will provide an inside look into the daily conversations these communities are really having, helping to forge paths for progressive dialogue and forward movement as one nation in the lead-up to the midterms and beyond. The series aims to foster dialogue that unites American people, and fosters a greater insight and understanding at a critical time.
“I feel passionately that we are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history,” said series host Carlos Watson. “We are living in one of the most racially charged eras since the Civil Rights Movement, and the world is simultaneously more connected technologically, and disconnected interpersonally, than it’s ever been before. We hope that Take on America will create a forum for substantive dialogue and ultimately inform and inspire action.”
The announcement of OZY’s fourth primetime television show, Take On America comes on the heels of a number of recent major announcements for the company. In August, OZY announced the creation of an in-house production studio, OZY Studios, doubling the size of their video team in order to drive the company’s rapid growth in TV and digital video series. OZY also recently signed with premiere Hollywood talent agency, United Talent Agency (UTA) to accelerate the company’s growth in television, podcasts, and live events.
Take On America is supported by the Charles Koch Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
“Conversations that surface our differences take courage,” said Charles Koch Foundation director of free expression Sarah Ruger. “We’re proud to support OZY’s national townhall series as it invites communities to join the forward-looking dialogue that’s built on respect for each other’s dignity, instead of divisiveness.” The Foundation supports partners who are working to understand the roots of intolerance and finding creative ways to increase engagement across divides in areas such as criminal justice reform, free expression, foreign policy, economic opportunity and innovation.
About OZY Media
With 40 million monthly unique users and 4 million subscribers, OZY brings readers “the new and the next,” offering 100 percent original content with a focus on the future, via unique OZY News, OZY Magazine, OZY TV and OZY Events products. Called “the new media magnet for the news hungry” by Fortune magazine, OZY’s in-depth and high-quality journalism has attracted a number of high-profile media partners including The New York Times, NPR, PBS NewsHour, TED, The Financial Times, The Huffington Post and many more, as well as guest editors including Bill Gates, President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Founded in 2013 by Emmy Award–winning journalist Carlos Watson and co-founder Samir Rao, the OZY team is based in Mountain View, California, and backed by leading Silicon Valley investors including Laurene Powell Jobs, Ron Conway, David Drummond, Larry Sonsini and Dan Rosensweig and a significant investment from publishing giant Axel Springer.
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