Clear your calendar - It's going down! Schedule Blocks kicks off on May 20th, and you're invited to take part in the festivities. Splash HQ (122 W 26th St) is our meeting spot for a night of fun and excitement. Come one, come all, bring a guest, and hang loose. This is going to be epic!
Clear your calendar - It's going down! The Emancipation Day festivities will take place on Saturday, April 13 and the parade will start at 2:00 PM at 10th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The concert kicks off at 3:00 PM and will feature an all-star lineup of some of the best artists in the game! The concert at Freedom Plaza will also feature many of DC's own homegrown talent. Stay tuned for more updates and visit the "Save the Dates Section" for more information!
Welcome to Women’s History Month, an opportunity for the collective recognition, celebration, and honoring of women, of all generations and backgrounds, across the globe. The District is home to many women who work tirelessly on behalf of their community. Check out some of the many women throughout the District of Columbia who bring positive change to the world. We've highlighted a few in this eNewsletter, on DC Radio 96.3HD4 and across our social media platforms.
A huge shoutout goes to all the women who serve in the Mayor's Cabinet and throughout District government. We salute the historic work of our fearless leader, Mayor Muriel Bowser and her unwavering support of the District's creative community. The 202Creates Residency Program provides DC creative & artistic entrepreneurs with the resources and support to start and scale their businesses. We are excited to launch the next Mayor Muriel Bowser Presents Residency Cohort this Spring and invite District residents to submit their application by 11:59 pm on March 18, 2021.
Follow us on social media to keep up with our creative community.
Facebook: Entertain DC, DCRadioHD
Instagram: Entertain_DC, 202Creates, DCRadioHD, CreativeAffairsDC
Twitter: Entertain_DC
Angie M. Gates
Director
DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment
The DC COVID Alert Notice (DC CAN) is the official COVID-19 exposure notification system for DC. Using Bluetooth technology, the system lets you know if you’ve come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. To learn more, visit coronavirus.dc.gov/dccan.
Muriel Bower is the Mayor of Washington DC. As DC’s Mayor, she is its chief executive and also functions as governor and county executive. Mayor Bowser became the first female two term mayor of Washington, DC and the first mayor to earn a second term in 16 years. Since taking office, the Mayor has taken bold steps to reset DC’s global and national competitiveness, speed up affordable housing production, diversify the DC economy, increase satisfaction in city services, and invest in programs and policies that allow more families to live and thrive in DC. Mayor Bowser has been a strong advocate of DC becoming the 51st State and its residents having full access to “our” nations democracy.
Dr. Nesbitt currently serves as the Director of the DC Department of Health. Dr. Nesbitt is a board-certified family physician with over a decade of experience leading population health initiatives in governmental public health agencies. Under Mayor Bowser she is leading the District’s charge on crushing COVID -19 and keeping DC residents healthy. As a physician leader, Dr. Nesbitt mobilizes organizations and communities to implement innovative solutions that promote health and wellness, and achieve health equity. In addition to her role as Health Director, Dr. Nesbitt is a published author and served as an executive editor of Population Health: Management, Policy, and Technology.
Angie M. Gates serves as the Director of the DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment. In her role, she also serves as the DC Film Commissioner and leads the DC Creative Affairs Office. Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer Gates, made history when the District of Columbia Government won its first Emmy Award at the 60th Emmy Awards. She also led the efforts in the historic launch of DC Radio 96.3HD4. Gates plays a pivotal role in Mayor Muriel Bowser Presents 202Creates initiative which highlights, educates and promotes the diverse and vibrant creative community in the District of Columbia.
Cathy Hughes is the Founder and Chairperson of Urban One, Inc. (formerly known as Radio One, Inc), the largest African-American owned and operated, broadcast company in the nation, Cathy Hughes’ unprecedented career has spawned a multi-media conglomerate that generates original content across the spectrums of radio, television and digital media. Her humble beginnings in Omaha, Nebraska, were not a deterrent to her success but rather part of the catalyst that fueled her ambition to empower African Americans with information and to tell stories from their perspective.
The nation’s capitol has a hometown hero that spins, scratches and blends music while staunchly staying true to her roots. Known as the DJ for the Wizards and world-champion Mystics, this sonic savant went from working as a Mystics ball girl to entertaining the crowd at Capital One Arena 20 years after her first gig. She is also the creator of “The Rap Up Show” podcast and “My First Album” web series, all whilst promoting her new single “City Girls’” featuring Styme & Reece P.
Andrene is using visual storytelling to decolonize the African continent and liberate the diaspora. She says, "Africa and its diaspora, has had its story told for it. And, while there have been many advancements for the culture, and more Black visual storytellers are telling Black stories, there is still need for more." Currently, Andrene is working on a project in partnership with Kenyatta University, where she designed a hybrid online and in-person platform on creativity. The aim is to provide creatives with the space and time to hone their creative skills.
With more than 25 years of community engagement experience in museums and higher education, Melanie Adams is dedicated to bringing stakeholders together to address relevant community issues. After the museum shut its doors in March 2020, she worked with staff to create virtual programs and opportunities for people to share their experiences through the digital initiative Moments of Resilience. The museum staff quickly pivoted to place exhibits outside of its walls. The first exhibit, Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets, opened in the Deanwood community on February 1st to kick off Black History month. The second exhibit will open on the museum’s plaza in early April and focuses on food insecurity in the DC region.
In honor of Women’s History Month, the #EntertainDC Office would like to give thanks to all of the women in our agency! Here are the women from our Programming and Production team who have been on-call and in the office since the onset of the pandemic in March of last year to the present. Their courage, conviction, commitment and service are deserving of our applause and gratitude.
Celebrate Women's History Month with DC Radio by listening to programming created for women, by women, making history today.
Wit & Reason with Dr. Alexis Moreno airs weekdays at 11:30am. The podcast provides smart and practical explanations for human behavior. Dr. Moreno interviews diverse health experts regarding today’s ever-evolving life and culture and asks questions on anything from love to hardships. Listen in and bring a little bit of positive mental health to your day.
OPC Radio Connect airs weekdays at 7am and is hosted by Sandra Mattavous-Frye, Director of the Office of the People’s Counsel. The show tells listeners about the services and programs of the Office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia, the independent DC government agency that represents the interests of electric, natural gas, water and local phone consumers.
Putumayo World Music Hour airs weekdays at 10pm and is hosted by Rosalie Howarth. The show takes listeners on a journey through the music of many different cultures. Shows include well-known names like Bob Marley, Sting, Loreena McKennitt, and Santana, along with exceptional, underexposed international artists.
Suffrage. Race. Power. (S.R.P.) airs weekdays at 7:30am. This show is an initiative launched by Black women that uniquely seeks to redefine suffrage beyond the singular act of voting. It aims to elevate Black and Brown women as a force for democratic change before, during and after Election Day. The first season is hosted by Denise Rolark Barnes.
The #EntertainDC Office is pleased to recognize Andrea Kalin as our Filmmaker of the Month!
Andrea Kalin is a celebrated documentary filmmaker and the founder of Spark Media, a production company dedicated to producing programs with a social conscience. She has worked in 25 countries, from disaster zones to remote tropical rain forests, crafting gripping human stories for the screen. Andrea’s storytelling gifts have earned her more than 100 industry awards and accolades, including a Prime Time Emmy, and Golden Globe and WGA nominations.
“It’s humbling to be recognized as an OCTFME filmmaker of the month and
to be connected to such an inspiring and talented group of peers all vested in the shared goal of making our world a more welcoming place," Andrea said. "The collaborative process of filmmaking is a key part of what drives and motivates me. I’ve been able to forge connections in DC that have sustained me and my work for decades. From other indies to independent production companies and professional groups like WIFV, PGA or TIVA-DC, this is a community that collectively rises up with a spirit of solidarity. Here’s to statehood in 2021.”
To learn more, please visit SparkMedia.org Congratulations Andrea!
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) is administered by The Small Business Administration (SBA) and provides $15 billion in GRANTS. The grants will be available to live performance venues, promoters, theatrical producers, or live performing arts organization operators, museum operators, motion picture theatre operators, and talent representatives.
For more information sign up on CAO's SVOG page and visit the SBA website.
The DC Creative Affairs Office has launched Care for Creatives Community Conversations, a webinar series that highlights mental wellness within the District's creative community. Visit CreativeAffairsDC.com/partnerships to watch the conversations on-demand.
The Care for Creatives program is available to help all creatives, artists and entrepreneurs! This partnership between the DC Creative Affairs Office and the George Washington University, Community Counseling Services Center (CCSC) provides pay-what-you-can mental health services to area creatives.
To receive care, email CCSCFoggyBottom@gwu.edu and the Care for Creatives team will follow up with more information. You will be asked a couple of questions and then paired with a clinician for support.
The 202Creates Residency Program provides DC creative & artistic entrepreneurs with the resources and support to start and scale their businesses. Applications are currently being accepted until 11:59 pm on March 18, 2021.
Visit 202Creates.com to apply, learn more about the Residency Program and meet our residency classes.
Join us for a new Mayor Muriel Bowser Presents 202Creates Masterclass. This month, we are excited to announce Britt Waters as our new host of the 202Creates Masterclass series. Britt's debut Masterclass conversation is with Amber Nichols, General Manager (GM) of the Capital City Go-Go's Basketball Team and the 2nd woman GM in the NBA G League History. The conversation will be available on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday, March 18 at 12 noon.
Subscribe to @Entertain_DC on YouTube to receive alerts and check out the rest of the Masterclass series.
OCTFME continues to highlight the achievements of District of Columbia residents who exemplify excellence in the area of creativity, education, creative entrepreneurship, economic revitalization of creative businesses, social justice, or racial equity.
OCTFME is delighted to recognize Princess Mhoon as the newest OCTFME Star. Princess Mhoon is the Founder and CEO of The Princess Mhoon Dance Institute, an acclaimed dance institute located in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Having served thousands of families through in-studio and off-site programs, PMDI’s mission is to educate, unite, transform and heal our community through the power of dance.
Congratulations Princess Mhoon!
The Wammie Awards is The MusicianShip's 33-year-old awards show aimed at recognizing DC, MD & VA area artists and musicians for their artistic works and impact across the metropolitan region each year.
The 2021 Virtual Wammie Awards will feature a Pre-Show, Red Carpet (Sponsored by OCTFME), Awards Show, and After Party! Hosted by WKYS' Chey Parker & DJ Mim, you'll catch interviews with the 2021 Finalists, 2021 Award Winners and musical performances throughout the night!
Visit WammiesDC.org for more information.
The Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment is the regulatory agency that protects and advances the cable service-related interests of the District. At the #EntertainDC Office, our dedicated team is proud to consistently deliver world-class customer service in all aspects of our work. We readily supply information to meet the diverse needs of each constituent and make every effort to educate as well as inform. If you are a cable television customer, you have rights concerning billing practices, late charges, rate increases, disconnection or interruption of service and dispute resolution procedures, the #EntertainDC Office is here to assist.
Any questions? Ask MARCELLA!
Our mission is to produce and broadcast programming for the District of Columbia’s public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable channels and digital radio station; regulate the District of Columbia’s cable television service providers; provide customer service for cable subscribers; and support a sustainable creative economy and labor market the District of Columbia.
