(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) Photo Courtesy of Ralph McDaniels
Legendary Music Video Director Continues to Inspire Generations to Launch Grassroots Programming
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, March 17, 2023 /einpresswire.com / -- Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) launched its new state of the art, multimedia facility in Midtown at 509 West 38th Street this past week with much anticipation and notable fanfare. Mayor Eric Adams, his Chief Advisor and Chaplain Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Borough President Mark Levine, Council Members Shaun Abreu and Erik Bottcher all attended the ribbon cutting ceremony amongst other key stakeholders in one of the latest Hudson Yards development projects. The organization showcased two new floors dedicated to its current and future emerging media programming.
Mayor Adams praised his administrative team members, Brinda Ganguly, EVP of the NYCEDC and Lewis-Martin for understanding the importance of this development, removing the 'bottlenecking' and for taking this project 'across the finish line'.
Adams also recalled his early beginnings when his show aired on public access television and asserted how necessary it is for communities to have fair and unbiased communication.“This is the product that will produce THE product. I know how important local media is. And your task has changed. You have evolved to a different place now and are communicating with people on the ground,” Adams stated addressing MNN staff and its fellow supporters.
MNN has long served as a multimedia learning, production, and distribution hub that promotes creative expression, independent voices and community engagement. The center partnered with Kostow Greenwood Architects to build out 23,651 square feet located in Henry Hall, a mixed-use building, which is also home to one of the city's latest dining hot spots, Legacy Records Restaurant.
The public access channel was located for decades on West 59th Street, which is slated to be high-quality transitional housing for working women experiencing homelessness. This exchange with the Department of Homeless Services and Project Renewal proved to be another clever example of how this current mayoral administration is finding ways of creating affordable housing.
MNN specializes in Manhattan public access television, offers state-of-the art equipment open to all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, faiths and religions, abilities, and regardless of socio-economic status.
During a month-long launch of celebration, MNN plans to honor another one of New York City's most revered public access television's trailblazers, Ralph McDaniels during a private event to be held on March 22nd. The evening will be produced by Bee Season Events.
McDaniels is well- known as an award-winning Music, Television and Film Director whose career has spanned four decades who proudly recounts his early days as a renegade who was determined to become the first host of a concept called Video Music Box (VMB).
In 1982, McDaniels approached a local TV station with an idea to host the music-video show. The station was not entirely enthusiastic about his idea at first, because the show concept did not exist. The station took a chance and after a year, viewership really began to grow. It was not long thereafter that the 60-minute program began airing six-days a week, becoming number two (2) in its time slot, second to Oprah in New York City.
Since then, VMB has launched the countless careers of many artists in music and television. The show has been recognized and received numerous awards and even aired hip-hop concerts.
McDaniels also launched his own production company, Classic Concepts. The company is responsible for producing over 300 music videos, commercials, films, and documentaries. Most notably, it was instrumental in producing videos for such greats as Public Enemy, the Notorious B.I.G, Big Daddy Kane, Nas, SWV and Wu-Tang Clan.
In 1996, McDaniels also added fashion to his repertoire with the creation of a New York Urban Fashion show called“The Phat Fashion”, which would feature the urban clothing lines of designers such as FUBU, Sean John, Adidas and Karl Kani.
Today, VMBs library consists of over 20,000 hours of historic video footage and is consistently accessed by other major programmers such as CNN, MTV, BET, TV One and VH1 whenever and wherever music stories are told. His content is seen on all social networks around the world.
MNN's President and CEO Dan Coughlin is hopeful that the new facility will continue to assist in the creation future media pioneers such as McDaniels. He knows that the affordable and accessible programming makes it easier for talented New Yorkers to have a true shot at success.“Every time a new filmmaker, producer or director shows up in our facility with the desire to create create something, anything, we welcome them with open arms. MNN has been a home for decades to some of the best and brightest and for that we are truly grateful,” says Coughlin.“We can't wait to see what the future brings.”
For more information about MNN, contact Emily Miller at .Theresa ONeal
Global Spectrum Group LLC
+1 917-445-7495
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