From Hollywood to Home: Black Voices in Entertainment
- Drove affiliate sales at BET from 4 percent to 57 percent, creating opportunity for sale to Viacom.
- Served as Executive VP of Affiliate Distribution and Marketing at BET (1988-2001); led BET on Jazz, BET Action Pay Per View, BET International.
- Prior experience at ESPN as director of affiliate marketing and system manager at Continental Cablevision.
- Committed mentor and youth coach; assistant basketball coach at Paul VI High School and former COO of the Washington Mystics.
- Recipient of honors: Clyde Award, Walter Bremond, NCTA Vanguard, Cable Fax 100, Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame (2022), HBCU Honors Vanguard (2023).
By Staff
Curtis Symonds, an esteemed member of the “Cable TV Pioneers”, is an innovative and charismatic cable television distribution and marketing pioneer. He is currently Co-Founder and President of HBCU GO, a free streaming digital platform and the leading media provider dedicated to providing sports, entertainment, and educational programming to the nation’s 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Symonds is a former President of the T. Howard Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting women and people of color in the satellite and telecommunications industry. He also has a passion for mentorship with a focus on engaging and improving the lives of socially and economically disadvantaged youth. Symonds is dedicated to creating a safe haven for youth to learn and excel through sports activities and currently serves as an assistant basketball coach and consultant at a top five catholic high school Paul VI in Northern Virginia. He is also the former COO of the Washington Mystics WNBA Basketball franchise.
Symonds served as the Executive Vice President of Affiliate Distribution and Marketing for BET Holdings, Inc. from 1988-2001. During his tenure at BET, he also served as Executive Vice President of BET on Jazz from 1996-2001; President and COO of BET Action Pay Per View from 1992-2001; and President and COO BET International from 1992-2001.
Symonds’ arrival at BET in 1988 facilitated the successful growth of sales revenue, from 4 percent at the beginning of his career to 57 percent, creating the opportunity for the sale of BET to Viacom.
Prior to joining BET, Symonds spent five years (1983-88) at ESPN, Inc., working in the network’s Chicago office. He began as ESPN’s local advertising sales consultant, and within a year he was promoted to director of affiliate marketing for the Midwest region. In addition, Symonds has also served as system manager for Continental Cablevision of Ohio, Inc.
In addition, he is a board member of the Cable Advertising Bureau and the Cable Academy, he also spent 10 years (1983-1993) on the board of directors for the National Association of Minorities in Communications (NAMIC). In
1997, Symonds was presented with The Clyde Award for Marketing Excellence from Marketing Opportunities in Black Entertainment, and the Black United Fund’s prestigious “Walter Bremond” – Achieving Against the Odds Award. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the cable industry in 1998 by Cable Fax Magazine.
Symonds is also a recipient of the 1998 National Cable Television Association (NCTA) Vanguard Award for marketing excellence, the highest award for marketing in the cable industry. Most recently, Symonds was inducted in the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame (2022) and was awarded the Vanguard Award at the inaugural HBCU Honors Awards (2023).
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