Viacom and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have teamed up to present Get Schooled: You Have the Right, a 30 minute television special featuring some of pop culture’s biggest stars and the professional colleagues who assist them.
The program, which will air September 8 at 8pm, will be broadcast concurrently on all of Viacom’s 22 networks including Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, BET, and Spike TV.
Get Schooled will feature first season American Idol champion Kelly Clarkson and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James and document the important role that education has played in their growth into becoming so successful. In addition to that, the show will also chronicle how education assisted both stars’ colleagues through flashbacks that relive the educational moments that prepared them for their careers as well.
“We believe that improving our educational performance is a national priority. The Get Schooled partnership is committed to elevating the national consciousness about this issue and helping to bring about positive change in our schools. Working together with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we’ve developed a television event that represents a truly unprecedented programming commitment by Viacom, and an important step in an effort that demands our attention,” said Philippe Dauman, President and CEO of Viacom.
The airing of the television program will kick off a brand new five-year national initiative between Viacom and the foundation called “Get Schooled.” The goal of the program will be to create opportunities for both corporate and community stakeholders to “address the challenges facing America’s public schools,” according to a press release.
“Through the creativity of Viacom’s team and the strong connections its networks cultivate with their audiences, we have a unique ability to reach young people and their families on this critical issue,” added Allan Golston, the president of the U.S. program at the foundation.
