See Us Unite for Change - Hosted by Ken Jeong, First-of-Its-Kind Global Event to Celebrate

And Pay Tribute to the Asian American Experience

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

NEWS PROVIDED BY
MTV

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a coalition of partners including the Ford and MacArthur Foundations have partnered with MTV Entertainment Studios to produce See Us Unite for Change, a first-of-its-kind special hosted by Ken Jeong and featuring notable AAPI celebrities and allies.

The event will air on Friday, May 21st at 8PM EDT and will be simulcast nationally and worldwide across the platforms of the MTV Entertainment portfolio (MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network,Smithsonian Channel, Pop TV, VH1, CMT, TV Land and Logo) as well as BET and Nickelodeon and stream exclusively on Facebook Watch.

Through music and comedy performances, short film packages and speakers, the special aims to inspire and educate viewers about the impact that the AAPI community has had in America, as well as how to move forward and further support on-the-ground efforts to build solidarity against hate. The Executive Producers of this historic event are Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Founder of Care.com, and Jesse Collins, Kimmie Kim and Carol Donovan of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

"This event comes at an important time for our AAPI community, as we unite with our allies to celebrate the breadth and diversity of the Asian American experience," said Sheila Lirio Marcelo, See Us Unite for Change Executive Producer and Founder of Care.com. "There is more work to be done in raising awareness of the contributions of our AAPI community and we're honored to have the support of our partners as we work to build solidarity in service of a more equal and just society in America."

"We are outraged and deeply saddened by the escalation of hate crimes against AAPI communities and stand with them in the fight against xenophobia and bigotry," said Chris McCarthy, President, MTV Entertainment Group. "Hate against one of us is hate against all of us and by working together on a global scale, we can help end this senseless violence."

"I am honored to be a part of an event that will highlight the rich history of the Asian community," said Jesse Collins, Executive Producer and Founder & CEO, Jesse Collins Entertainment. "Asian Pacific Americans have played an important role in shaping our country and bringing visibility to this broad community is something I am truly honored to do."

"We are in solidarity with the Asian and Pacific Islander community in the face of bigotry, racism and violence," said Mina Leferve, Head of Programming and Development, Facebook Watch. "We see what the community is enduring, and we're honored to help raise awareness and to help spotlight the rich and beautiful history of Asian and Pacific Islanders in America."

See Us Unite for Change is part of a broader advocacy campaign, See Us Unite, that is designed to accelerate impact and expand support for the AAPI community through the amplification of voices and education about the Asian American experience.

About

About See Us Unite

See Us Unite is a cultural campaign designed to accelerate impact and expand support for the AAPI community through solidarity and education. Our ambition is to amplify voices as we unite to change people's perception about what it means to be an American. We will do this by bringing allies and partners together to use our resources and networks to support the on-the-ground work of community organizers raising awareness, building understanding and broadening educational efforts about the Asian American experience. See Us Unite was created by a coalition of nonprofits including the Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation in service of solidarity with the AAPI Community. In partnership with the Asian Pacific Fund, See Us Unite will direct support to Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), Stop AAPI Hate, National Asian Pacific Women's Forum (NAPAWF), The Asian American Education Project (AAEdu), Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), and other AAPI organizations.

About MTV Entertainment Studios

MTV Entertainment Studios leverages the iconic brands of the MTV Entertainment portfolio (MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Paramount TV, Smithsonian Channel, CMT, Pop TV, TVLand and Logo) to produce content for its thriving linear, streaming, digital, social, live events and audio platforms.

About Jesse Collins Entertainment

Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company and has played an integral role in producing many of television's most memorable moments in music entertainment. JCE has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks. On the theatrical film side, the company also has a first look on JCE's film development projects which could include Viacom's film entities such as Paramount Players. The award-winning and critically acclaimed television that JCE has produced includes miniseries - The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story; scripted series - American Soul and Real Husbands of Hollywood; children's series - Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices; award shows - BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF's An Evening of Stars, BET Hip Hop Awards, ABFF Honors and Soul Train Awards; specials - John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, Stand Up for Heroes, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales I Be Knowin', Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine; as well as competition/game shows - Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares, Nashville Squares and Rhythm & Flow. Jesse Collins, founder and CEO of the company, is the executive producer of all programming. He is also a co-executive producer for the iconic Grammy Awards. Most recently, he was executive producer of The 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show and produced The 2021 Academy Awards. Go to jessecollinsent.com for more information on the company.

About Facebook Watch:

Facebook Watch is a place to discover and enjoy video on Facebook. Home to a wide range of video - from Facebook Watch Originals like the award-winning Red Table Talk to gaming, sports, music, news and live content - Facebook Watch is a global destination where content, community and conversation come together. This is a personalized viewing experience, where you can discover new content based on what your friends are watching, and catch up on the shows you follow. F

Source MTV