Congratulations Curtis Symonds, President & CEO of HBCU Go
Inclusive Leader Award Winner for Media & Arts
Curtis Symonds is an innovative and charismatic cable television distribution and marketing pioneer who was recently inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall Of Fame. He is Co-Founder and CEO of HBCUGO.tv, a 24-hour streaming network that covers the 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country, which was now part of Byron Allen's Allen Media Group. HBCU Television creates a true destination to celebrate and share the legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities through positive sports, entertainment and educational programming. Curtis: "HBCUs have been apart of my life for more than 40 years. My mother and father not only were graduates of an HBCU but were educators at Central State University in Xenia, Ohio. It took me until my early adulthood to appreciate the rich heritage, legacies and the impact these great American institutions have had socially, politically and financially."
Curtis is also known by his peers and business community for giving his time and resources to engage and improve the lives of socially economic disadvantaged youth a safe haven to learn and excel through sports activities. He serves as an assistant basketball coach and consultant at a top five catholic high school Paul VI in Northern Virginia and created Hoop Magic Basketball Academy as the premier sports and entertainment venue to serve the North Virginia community.
Curtis was named one of the most 100 influential people in the cable industry in 1998 by Cable Fax Magazine. Symonds served as the Executive Vice President of Affiliate Distribution and Marketing for BET Holdings, Inc. from 1988-2001. During his tenure at BET, Symonds also served as Executive Vice President of BET on Jazz, President and COO of BET Action Pay Per View and President and COO BET International.
A board member of the Cable Advertising Bureau and the Cable Academy, he spent 10 years (1983-1993) on the board of directors for the National Association of Minorities in Communications (NAMIC). Symonds is a recipient of the 1998 National Cable Television Association (NCTA) Vanguard Award for marketing excellence, the highest award for marketing in the cable industry. In 1997, Symonds was presented 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.
A native of Bermuda, West Indies, Symonds is a Central State University (Ohio) graduate. He resides in Fairfax, Virginia, with his wife Pat. They have three children.
"All of us have to be dreamers. When you close your eyes, be thankful for what you've been given and visualize how to take your blessing to the next level." -Curtis Symonds
You can meet Curtis at the Inclusive Leader Awards and GlobalMindED Conference June 22-24
