Media mogul to deliver Annenberg commencement speech cement speaker


Photo courtesy of LRMR Ventures

Entrepreneur and media mogul Maverick Carter will deliver the keynote address at the 2019 Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism commencement ceremony on May 10, according to an Annenberg news release.

Carter co-founded media production company SpringHill Entertainment with longtime business partner LeBron James. Under Carter, the CEO of SpringHill Entertainment, the company has produced shows like NBC’s “The Wall” and YouTube Red’s “Best Shot.” It has also produced docu-series like HBO’s “Student Athlete” and STARZ’s “Warriors of Liberty City.”

The news release said Carter’s digital media company projects have reached cross-cultural and diverse audiences because his stories impact not just athletes but musicians, actors and professionals of all fields. His platform led him to create a cultural movement titled “I am more than an athlete.”

Carter also co-founded UNINTERRUPTED, a multimedia content website. According to its website, UNINTERRUPTED is an all-digital sports network that launched in 2014. Carter has also collaborated with companies like Facebook and Warner Bros. Entertainment to globally distribute his content.

Carter’s upcoming projects include “What’s My Name,” a documentary about Muhammad Ali on HBO, and a series starring Octavia Spencer who will play entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker.

“I am looking forward to hearing his commencement address to USC Annenberg grads,” wrote Annenberg Dean Willow Bay in a statement to the Daily Trojan. “He’s an innovator, thinking about ways to enable all people — not just world-famous athletes —  to own their stories and elevate their voices.”

Past Annenberg commencement speakers include philanthropist and media leader Oprah Winfrey, former First Lady of California and journalist Maria Shriver and television writer and producer Norman Lear.

In a statement to USC News, Bay said that she hopes Carter’s storytelling ability will inspire Annenberg graduates to venture on creative journeys and pursue their own respective careers.

Annenberg will honor nearly 900 students with bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in the fields of communication, journalism, public relations and public diplomacy during commencement, following USC’s general commencement ceremony.