Viacom, in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, have launched Get Schooled, a five-year national education initiative. The project kicks off tonight with a documentary that follows President Barack Obama, NBA MVP LeBron James, and Kelly Clarkson, along with three of their closest colleagues. In the company's first ever programming roadblock, at 8 p.m. the program will air across all Viacom properties, including BET, MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Spike TV and Nickelodeon.
Get Schooled: You Have the Right will profile President Obama's speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, Latesha Williams, a marketing exec for LeBron James, and Kelly Clarkson's music director Jason Halbert, and show how staying in school helped lead them to their careers today.
The documentary is just one component of a five-year plan to address the challenges of public schools in the States. The initiative features several celebrity-driven PSAs and a social media component via Facebook and Twitter. @radical.media served as creative collaborator on the entire project and also designed a website that serves as a meeting point for students, parents, teachers and businesses. Kids get easily digestible info on education, scholarship and careers, including a look at various job options through the lens of the celebrities featured in the documentary.
The site also provides info for parents and teachers looking to improve their local school system and for corporations interested in sponsorship. It also allows visitors quick access to writing to their local governments about educational improvements.
