THE THREE-DAY MULTIPLATFORM experience CELEBRATES THE BEST IN CULTURE, COMMERCE, MUSIC, AND ENTERTAINMENT

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“SOUL TRAIN AWARDS” WEEKEND KICKS OFF WITH
“LEADING WITH SOUL” LUNCHEON HONORING EXECUTIVES KNOWN
FOR THEIR MEANINGFUL WORK AND LEADERSHIP

HONOREES INCLUDE Esi Egleston Bracey (Corporate Champion Award),
Louis Carr (Legacy Award), Cheryl MCKISSACK dANIEL + Deryl McKissack (Black Business Icon Award), and Jonelle Procope (Community Hero Award)

New York, NY– November 17, 2021–BET announces first-ever 2021 “Soul Train Awards” weekend, a multiplatform experience celebrating the best in culture, commerce, entertainment, music and more. The three-day event will also celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Soul Train and the premiere of the 2021 “Soul Train Awards,” taping for the first time ever at the World Famous Apollo in New York City.

“BET is proud to support the communities we serve and looks forward to providing grass-roots experiences beyond the screen that highlight the best in Black culture,” said BET PresidentScott Mills. “Our partnerships with leading sponsors, community organizations, and talent are all a testament to our ongoing commitment to the Black community.”

“We are excited to honor powerhouse leaders advancing their businesses and communities by following their purpose and soul at our inaugural Leading with Soul Luncheon,” said Kimberly Paige, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer at BET. “BET continues to use its many platforms and reach to spotlight Black excellence. It is fitting to kick off our “Soul Train Awards” weekend in celebration of executives at the forefront, doing the work that ignites positive change in our community.”

“We look forward to embracing our audience with a warm “hug” after more than a year of elevated health, financial and mental disparities,” said Staci Hallmon, General Manager, BET L!VE. “We can’t wait to kick off our first-ever “Soul Train Awards” Weekend experience with on-the-ground events specially designed to celebrate the annual tentpole event and the resiliency of NYC.”

All in-person events are free of charge and will follow strict ViacomCBS protocol guidelines. The 2021 “Soul Train Awards” Weekend will kick off Friday, November 19 in New York City. More details will be announced soon.

The list of 2021 "Soul Train Awards" weekend experience for fully vaccinated participants includes:

Friday, November 19

Leading With Soul Luncheon

Hosted by internationally recognized media personality, public speaker, style authority and creative director Tai Beauchamp, this luncheon will recognize executives known for their meaningful work and leadership. The invite-only event is sponsored by Dove.

Honorees include:

Corporate Champion AwardHonoree: Esi Egleston Bracey

This award recognizes a corporate leader who uses their executive position to champion community issues with a commitment to creating change.

Esi Egleston Bracey is a game-changing marketing executive with over 28 years of experience in building and launching stellar brands. Egleston Bracey currently leads the multi-billion-dollar personal care portfolio for Unilever North America. An energetic and dynamic leader known for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, she has leveraged her power to turn legislation into law with The Crown Act.

Legacy AwardHonoree: Louis Carr

This award recognizes a leader who has leveraged their post to demonstrate and highlight legacy building efforts creating pathways for generations to come.

A 35-year veteran of BET whose work had generated $8 billion in revenue for the company, Louis Carr is a transformative leader in sales for global brands. In 2017, he founded the Blueprint Summit, a conference for modern Black men. NAMIC named Carr one of the most influential African Americans in the cable industry.

Deryl McKissackCheryl McKissack Daniel

Black Business Icon Award Honorees: Cheryl McKissack Daniel + Deryl McKissack

This award recognizes an iconic Black business owner who has built, sustained and grown their business with broad strokes to include elevating Black & Brown people in our community, by any means necessary.

Cheryl McKissack and her twin sister Deryl McKissack are the epitome of what it means to break glass ceilings. What began as a family learned trade of making bricks has become McKissack & McKissack, America’s oldest women & minority-owned professional design and construction firm.

Community Hero AwardHonoree: Jonelle Procope

This award recognizes a leader who upholds the legacy of our most cherished community traditions and cultural nuances.

Driven by her passion for community advocacy and deep commitment to the arts, Jonelle Procope joined the Apollo Board of Trustees in 1999. As President and Chief Executive Officer, Procope has engineered the World Famous Apollo’s evolution and restoration from landmark venue to vibrant non-profit organization.

Friday, November 19- Saturday, November 20

Soul Surprises

All Aboard the Soul Bus (not train) as we deliver the epitome of surprise and delight. Our Soul Train Awards branded Sprinter rolls between Harlem, Brooklyn, and Queens, delivering cool prizes and experiences via the Soul Train 50^th Anniversary Prize Wheel featuring BET and “Soul Train Awards” swag, the famous Soul Train Scramble Board, plus gift cards to Black owned restaurants.

Sunday, November 21

Soul Train Line World Record

Let’s break the current Guinness World Record for the longest Soul Train Line. BET invites NYC to come out and join in on the Soul Train Line as we close out “Soul Train Awards” Weekend. RSVP now at BETSoulTrainLine21.com

For more information on the 2021 “Soul Train Awards” Weekend, go to BET.com/soultrainawards. Join the conversation on social media by using and following the hashtags #SoulTrainAwards and #soultrainweekend.

About The 2021 “Soul Train Awards”:

Hosted by dynamic best-friend duo Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold, the 2021“Soul Train Awards”presented by BET, will feature an exciting lineup of unforgettable performances including special moments and appearances by some of the brightest stars in Black culture and entertainment. The annual event is committed to showcasing the impact of Soul Train on music and dance from the ‘70s to today.

This year, performers will include the 2021 “Soul Train Awards” ‘Legend Award’ honoree Maxwell, ‘Lady of Soul’ honoree Ashanti, R&B super duo Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic, R&B/Soul songstress Ari Lennox, soul singer/songwriter and producer Leon Bridges, R&B singer Lucky Daye, and more. The talent participating at this year’s “Soul Train Awards” annual Soul Cypher include D-Nice, Musiq Soulchild, Jac Ross, Koryn Hawthorne, Elle Varner, and Tone Stith. Additionally, BET announced the first group of presenters who will take the stage: Tristan Mack Wilds, and the BET casts of Games People Play and Sacrifice, a BET+ Original series.

The 2021 “Soul Train Awards” presented by BET premieres Sunday, November 28 at 8 PM ET/PT on BET and BET Her. Internationally, the 2021 “Soul Train Awards” will simulcast on BET Africa at 2am CAT on November 29th and air on BET France on December 1st, at 10:30pm CET. The show will also be available to watch on My5 and Sky On-Demand in the UK beginning December 3rd.

H.E.R. leads the 2021 “Soul Train Awards” nominations with an impressive eight nods, Jazmine Sullivan and Chris Brown garnered the second most nods with six nominations each. The complete list of nominees for the 2021 “Soul Train Awards” is available here.

Connie Orlando, EVP, Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy will oversee the annual show, with Jamal Noisette VP, Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy to Co-Executive Produce for BET. Jesse Collins Entertainment’s Jesse Collins and Jeannae Rouzan–Clay will serve as Executive Producers of the 2021 “Soul Train Awards.”

ABOUT BET

BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African American audience. The primary BET channel is in 125 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET+, the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience; BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

BET

Chloe Duverge

Chloe.Duverge@bet.net

Luis Defrank

Luis.Defrank@bet.net

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