Black culture drives conversation, sets trends and gives the internet much of its personality. But when media companies consolidate, newsrooms shrink, and algorithms change the rules overnight, our voices are often the first to be threatened. Now that artificial intelligence is learning from our images, words and creativity—sometimes without our permission or participation—having control over how we are represented is more crucial than ever.
That’s why these leaders are taking action. Charles D. King, Byron Allen and Tip “T.I.” Harris are making strategic moves across streaming, digital publishing and AI. Their approaches are different, but the message is the same: It is no longer enough for us to make the culture. We need ownership of the platforms and technology that profit from it.
Charles D. King Brings ALLBLK Into the MACRO Family
Your holiday watchlist may feel a little different in the future.
On September 16, MACRO, King’s multi-platform entertainment company, announced it acquired ALLBLK from AMC Global Media. The deal marks MACRO’s first move into direct-to-consumer streaming and gives the company something extremely valuable: a direct relationship with the audience watching its content.
MACRO already develops, finances and produces film and television while operating businesses in talent management, branding and venture capital. Its impressive résumé includes Judas and the Black Messiah, Mudbound, They Cloned Tyrone and One of Them Days.
MACRO now has its own streaming home, which will allow it to create projects for its platform. The company plans to invest in new original programming, creative collaborations and ALLBLK’s audience growth. The service will continue operating independently, and current subscribers should not experience any disruption.
For a streaming service founded by BET visionary Robert L. Johnson—originally as the Urban Movie Channel—its return to Black ownership under King’s CEO leadership is a beautiful full-circle moment.
Byron Allen Gets to Work at BuzzFeed
Allen officially acquired a 52 percent controlling stake in BuzzFeed through Allen Family Digital on May 27. The $120 million investment made him chairman and CEO and added BuzzFeed and HuffPost to a media empire that already includes The Weather Channel, television stations and cable networks.
Allen is already making changes. On August 4, he announced that BuzzFeed had entered into a sales agreement with Allen Media Group. The partnership allows Allen’s sales team to sell campaigns across BuzzFeed’s digital brands, television, streaming and local broadcasting—essentially connecting his new digital acquisition to the much larger media machine he has spent decades building.
He is also restructuring the BuzzFeed model toward a broader platform built around creators, community and AI-supported tools and taking on the uncomfortable task of cutting costs. Through these efforts, BuzzFeed’s next act could be its greatest.
T.I. Wants Us in AI’s Driver’s Seat
Harris has invested in Newark-based pocstock, which licenses culturally informed, rights-cleared images and datasets representing communities of color. That matters as AI companies increasingly use existing content to teach their systems what our people and culture look like.
The company’s goal is for creators to maintain control of their work, receive fair compensation and share in the value being created from it. “Authenticity cannot be faked, and our stories cannot be told properly without us in the driver’s seat,” Harris said.
At a moment when our voices could easily be diminished, duplicated or pushed aside, these three are making sure we have platforms to be heard loud and clear.