TV Streaming Service, Philo, Partners With the National Urban League to Present “The Power Lunch Series: How to Build a Brand”

NEW YORK & SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#NatUrbanLeague–Entertainment-streaming service Philo today announced their partnership with the National Urban League to present a “The Power Lunch Series: How to Build a Brand.” The three-part “Power Lunch Series” is an educational initiative to provide Black small business owners with key insights about subjects including:

• Digital Marketing
• Email Marketing and Social Media, and
• Brand Creative (to create additional visibility for their businesses)

The “Power Lunch Series” will be held once a month beginning in September as part of National Urban League’s Tech Series. The first session will feature Philo’s Head of Marketing, Nii Mantse Addy, and Philo’s Head of Customer Acquisition, Carolyn Ferreira, who will facilitate a 75-minute session on the impact of digital marketing strategies. More information and registration will be provided on NUL.org in the coming weeks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on global economics. According to a report by the National Bureau Of Economic Research, the number of active business owners in the United States has decreased by 3.3 million, or 22 percent, from February to April 2020. Black-owned firms have experienced a 41 percent drop from 1.1 million active businesses in February to 640,000 in April. Philo and the National Urban League recognize the need to close the disparity gap. “The Power Lunch Series” will serve a dual purpose, to both educate and empower business owners.

“The National Urban League is proud to partner with Philo on this initiative to both support and empower small African American business owners at such a critical time,” said National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial. “Never in history have digital marketing and branding skills been more important to building consumer awareness and loyalty. We’re confident the ‘Power Lunch Series’ will help businesses to innovate and thrive in today’s challenging environment.”

“Philo has always been committed to supporting the communities that we serve, which includes investing in diversity and equity where we have influence,” said Addy. “In our discussions with the National Urban League, it became clear that the small businesses they partner with could benefit from our core competencies as a rapidly growing digital business. Beyond monetary commitments, there is a real opportunity for us to pay forward the expertise we’ve developed. We are excited to form an alliance with the National Urban League to provide these high potential businesses with insights and tools through the ‘Power Lunch Series’. It is our hope that these sessions will accelerate their success.”

Additionally, Philo’s ethos of “TV for Everyone” includes valuing the broader community and recognizing the responsibility to help accelerate progress by actively dissolving systemic inequity across the board. Some of that will be achieved through initiatives that align with Philo’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) principles. These include:

• A partnership with the National Urban League to create a three-part “Power Lunch Series: How To Build Your Brand”
• Donating $1M worth of video ad inventory for Black-owned businesses and social initiatives to run spots on Philo free of charge
• Working with programming partners and the Ad Council to air anti-racism PSAs across our platform
• A commitment to Black-owned content, including today’s announcement regarding TV One’s addition to the platform.

About Philo

Inspired by Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of electronic television, Philo was created to build a better TV experience. The company started in the college market, offering 60+ top-rated television channels for just $20 plus premium add-on channels including EPIX and STARZ. In addition to being the first entertainment-focused streaming TV service, Philo offers live TV, unlimited DVR, on-demand, and content from top programmers all available on web browsers, iOS, iPad, FireTV, Roku, with more to come. Philo is based in San Francisco, with offices in New York and Cambridge, MA. For more information, visit try.philo.com

About the National Urban League

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 90 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.

Philo is a registered trademark of Philo, Inc. Use of this trademark by Philo and/or any approved licensees does not imply any association with, or endorsement by, any person, living or dead.

Contacts

Media Inquiries:

Syreta Oglesby,syreta@philo.com
Camille Schmidt, camille@philo.com
Alana Davis, alana@philo.com
Teresa Candori, tcandori@nul.org

Media can access Philo press site here