Like at all HBCUs, leadership has been able to make great things happen for their students and great things keep happening for the HBCU located in Marshall, Texas, Jarvis Christian College (JCC).
Whether it’s bringing people of note like the late journalist George E. Curry, or commencement speaker Jamie Foxx; President Lester Newman is opening up the world to his students and the presence of Grammy Award-Winning Executive Amir Windom is just par for the course.
Mr. Windom has been teaching courses at Jarvis for the past two years and he is now partnering with JCC to bring his experience, a network of business leaders, and high-profile creatives to the campus to reach more students interested in the various fields of entertainment.
In addition to exposing students and executives, Mr. Windom will teach a master class, and also help in the creation of an Arts and Entertainment Institute at Jarvis.
“My partnership with Dr. Lester Newman and Jarvis will help build the Jarvis brand,” he said. “And my motivation is in our campaign slogan, Don’t Forget About Us, which means we have to help the smaller HBCUs with the needed resources to help students build careers.”
During a recent visit to Dallas, Mr. Windom talked about the wonderful experience he has had teaching at JCC and the respect he has for the work that Dr. Newman is putting into the growth of the school, students, faculty, and staff. The two have a mutual respect that is evident when they discuss the school and one another.
“We are excited about expanding our partnership with Mr. Windom. It is great to have someone of his caliber to interact with and teach our students the entertainment business, conduct the Master Classes for students and community members who are interested in the entertainment industry, and help lay the foundation for an Arts and Entertainment Institute at JCC,” said Dr. Newman. “A concerted effort is being made to enhance our academic offerings to make the college more appealing to students”
There will also be Masterclasses in Sports Marketing and Cybersecurity in addition to the Entertainment Master Class.
A native of Atlanta, Mr. Windom is perfect for teaching the Entertainment Master Classes, having worked with some of today’s biggest stars including Bruno Mars, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Lupe Fiasco, and Trey Songz; to name a few.
He is currently a television and film music supervisor, producing and playing music, creating original scores, and designing creative strategies for major film companies such as Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Lionsgate Films.
His projects include feature films including Despicable Me 2, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, Why Did I Get Married 2, and television shows Bigger and Being Mary Jane to name a few. His love for marketing has allowed him to assist in creating marketing campaigns for Coca-Cola, Puma, and ESPN.
Last year, Mr. Windom made history as part of a collective that launched Black News Channel, the first major television network that airs 24-hour news and original programming that specifically catered to the African American audience. The network is viewed in over 80 million homes and devices through Direct TV, Comcast, Dish, Charter/ Spectrum, Roku, Amazon Prime, and others.
No stranger to HBCUs, Windom is a graduate of Florida A&M University and was honored with their prestigious “40/40” award which is presented to alumni under the age of 40 who have made outstanding achievements in their careers. He was named one of Black Enterprise Magazine’s 50 Top Business and Modern Man and was penned as a Top 40 under 40 music executive by Billboard.
He is a featured speaker around the globe and on numerous colleges and universities including Harvard University, University of Southern California, Howard University, New York University, South Africa Music and Entertainment Symposium, and the Grammy Foundation.
