VCU news

By Malorie Burkett

Emmy-nominated actor, director and producer Tim Reid will lecture on minorities and the media as a visiting professor in Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Mass Communications during Black History Month.

Reid, founder of New Millennium Studios, Virginia’s first and only full-service studio complex, will lecture four times this semester in a new course called “Minorities and Mass Media.” Reid’s lectures will focus on blacks in film and television.

This is the first time VCU has offered the course, which is being taught this semester by Clarence Thomas, Ph.D., associate professor in mass communications.

“It’s an honor and a privilege for me personally and professionally to have Tim come and visit with the class and talk about a subject in which he is very passionate,” said Thomas. “It’s one thing to study and view a film, but a whole new story to actually hear from someone who has been in the business of making films for such a long time.”

The course focuses on historical and contemporary topics and issues concerning the presence and portrayal of selected minorities in U.S. mainstream mass media, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans. Women's roles and portrayals in the media also will be discussed.

Course topics include minority image representation and stereotypes; contributions of minorities to the field of mass media; and minority media workforce representation, including management and ownership.

“I hope that the students learn a lot from his visit and that they gain inside information and a better understanding of the business,” said Thomas.

Born in Norfolk, Reid graduated from Norfolk State University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business/marketing. He launched his career as a marketing representative for DuPont Corporation, but soon after set his sights on a career in the entertainment industry.

For three decades, Reid worked in television, with roles in “WKRP in Cincinnati,” “The Richard Pryor Show” and “Simon and Simon.” He received both the NAACP Image Award and the Viewers for Quality Television Award for best actor in a comedy. Reid also received two Emmy nominations for best actor in a comedy and best producer of a comedy series for his role in CBS’ “Frank’s Place.” In addition to his acting roles, he directed, produced and wrote for numerous shows.

In 1997, Reid and his wife, Daphne Maxwell Reid, who is widely recognized for her role as Aunt Viv on the NBC comedy “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” founded New Millennium Studios in Petersburg. The studio is situated on 60 acres and has produced commercials for GMC, Chevrolet and the Virginia Lottery, as well as music videos and various television specials.

For the past several years, Reid has served as a commencement speaker and guest lecturer at colleges across the country. He holds honorary doctorates from Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Medgar Evers College of City University of New York, Central State University, St. Augustine College and Bethune Cookman College. He also was inducted into the National Black College Hall of Fame.

Reid’s lectures at VCU will take place Feb. 1 and 3, and March 1 and 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. in the VCU Student Commons. Seating is limited and will be on a first-come first-serve basis. For more information, contact Malorie Janis at 827-0891.