New York, NY – January 18, 2024 – A&E will premiere the two-night documentary event “James Brown: Say It Loud” delving into the immeasurable musical and cultural impact of the entertainment icon. Directed by Deborah Riley Draper (The Legacy of Black Wall Street, Versailles ’73:  American Runway Revolution) and executive produced by legendary artist Mick Jagger, Academy Award® winner Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter, Peter Afterman, David Blackman, Victoria Pearman, Bruce Resnikoff, Shawn Gee, Zarah Zohlman, Charlie Cohen, and Mari Keiko Gonzalez, the documentary examines Brown’s incredible life that was as innovative as it was influential. The special examines Brown’s legacy through exclusive interviews, never-before-seen archival footage and his beloved music catalog. “James Brown: Say it Loud” premieres Monday, February 19 and Tuesday, February 20 at 8PM ET/PT on A&E.

Across four hours, “James Brown: Say it Loud” traces the incredible trajectory of Brown’s life and career from a 7^th grade drop-out arrested and jailed at the age of 16 for breaking into a car in the Jim Crow-era South, to an entertainment legend whose groundbreaking talent and unique perspective catapulted him to become a cultural force. His words, songs, style and moves inspired musical revolutions and molded a nation’s view of Black Pride and Black masculinity. Consistently facing obstacles and unbelievable odds, the documentary details how Brown persevered through decades of personal demons, racial injustice, and career setbacks to find redemption and become one of, if not the, most celebrated and influential artists of the 20^th century. Featuring never-before-seen archival interviews and performances of James Brown, plus interviews with friends, family, musicians and proteges including Mick Jagger, Questlove, Bootsy Collins, LL Cool J, The Rev. Al Sharpton, Chuck D, Dallas Austin, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, his children Deanna, Yamma and Larry Brown, and many more, “James Brown: Say It Loud” is a definitive look at a complicated life and a reflection on the immense impact Brown continues to have on music and culture today.

“James Brown: Say It Loud” is directed by Deborah Riley Draper and produced for A&E by Inaudible Films in association with Polygram Entertainment and GroupM Motion Entertainment, and in cooperation with the owner/custodian of the James Brown Estate, Primary Wave. Peter Afterman serves as Executive Producer for Inaudible Films along with Executive Producer Mari Keiko Gonzales and Producer Sarah Haber. Executive Producers for Jagged Entertainment are Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman. Executive Producers for Two One Five Entertainment are Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter, Shawn Gee, and Zarah Zohlman. David Blackman and Bruce Resnikoff serve as an Executive Producers with Madeline Post and Robert Komadina as co-executive producers for Polygram Entertainment. Richard Foster and Chet Fenster serve as Executive Producers for GroupM Motion Entertainment. Charlie Cohen serves as Executive Producer for Warner Music Group. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson serve as Executive Producers for A&E Network. A&E holds worldwide distribution rights to “James Brown: Say it Loud.”

Follow along at @AETV and join the conversation using #JamesBrown

Series will be available on demand and to stream on the A&E App and aetv.com

About A&E Network 

A&E leads the cultural conversation through high-quality, original programming that captivates viewers and brings them to the heart of the stories that matter. Through its distinctive brand of award-winning non-fiction and documentary programming, A&E always makes entertainment an art. For more press information and photography, please visit us at press.aenetworks.com. Website: aetv.com | Twitter: @aetv | Facebook: aetv | Instagram: @aetv | TikTok: @aetv

About Jagged Films
Emmy Nominated, Grammy Nominated and Peabody Award Winning Producers, Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman, together formed Jagged Films in 1995. Since its formation, Jagged Films has produced HBO’s Emmy nominated series VINYL (alongside Martin Scorsese), the Peabody Award Winning and Grammy Nominated HBO Documentary entitled MR. DYNAMITE: THE RISE OF JAMES BROWN (by award winning director, Alex Gibney — premiered at Tribeca Film Festival), the Universal Pictures James Brown biopic: GET ON UP (directed by Tate Taylor), HBO’s Emmy nominated documentary, CROSSFIRE HURRICANE (featuring the Rolling Stones and directed by Academy Award winner Brett Morgen), and SHINE A LIGHT, a documentary directed by Martin Scorsese in 2008 which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and was released by 20th Century Fox and Paramount. Jagged Films produced the documentary STONES IN EXILE (directed by Stephen Kijak) about the making of the iconic Rolling Stones album. The film was part of Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and distributed by Paramount and 20th Century Fox. Additionally, Jagged Films produced THE WOMEN (directed by Diane English, starring Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Jada Pinkett Smith, Eva Mendes, Bette Midler and Carrie Fisher) and ENIGMA (directed by Michael Apted and written by Academy Award winner Tom Stoppard, starring Kate Winslet). Jagged Films just completed production on TROUBLE IN MIND (directed by Ethan Coen), an A24 documentary streaming on Amazon in January 2024 about the life of Jerry Lee Lewis with Live Nation. Jagged Films is producing a number of TV and film projects and are currently in various stages of development.

About Two One Five Entertainment 

Founded by Academy® Award winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Two One Five (TOF) has produced for media partners such as Amazon, Disney, Netflix, AMC, BET, CNN, Showtime, YouTube, and Twitch. The company’s work includes a wide breadth of projects ranging from feature films and television specials to documentaries, animated series, podcasts, and digital programming. TOF’s executive produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning historical documentary Descendant, which was acquired by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground. TOF also executive produced Sam Pollard’s The League, a documentary on the journey of Negro league baseball, which has been nominated for three Critics Choice Awards. Most recently, TOF executive produced Rise Up, Sing Out, a collection of animated musical shorts for Disney Junior (which earned a NAACP Image Awards nomination for “Outstanding Short Form Series”) and is currently in production on an A&E series on James Brown (alongside Mick Jagger). TOF also produced Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom, a music variety show which aired on CNN to highlight African American advocates, trailblazers and creators. In 2024, the company will executive produce a documentary on the legendary musician and producer Sly Stone which Onyx/Disney will distribute.

About Inaudible Films

Inaudible Productions, founded in 1986 by multiple Grammy Award winning Peter Afterman is a full service music supervision and content production media company.  Inaudible Films produced the award winning music documentary IT MIGHT GET LOUD, which featured three generations of guitar players, Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White discussing their creative process (directed by Davis Guggenheim).  It also produced along with Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman the Peabody Award Winning and Grammy Nominated HBO Documentary entitled MR. DYNAMITE: THE RISE OF JAMES BROWN (directed by Alex Gibney), the Joan Jett documentary BAD REPUTATION which was released by Magnolia Pictures and garnered two Critic’s Choice nominations, and the Tom Petty documentary TOM PETTY, SOMEWHERE YOU FEEL FREE that won the Audience Award at SXSW and for which Afterman was nominated for a PGA Award.  Afterman was also a producer on the Universal Pictures James Brown biopic GET ON UP, the Greenwich/CNN documentary JIMMY CARTER; ROCK AND ROLL PRESIDENT, a documentary about avant-garde jazz music called FIRE MUSIC, the Nat Geo/Fox 21 Aretha Franklin scripted series ARETHA: GENIUS starring Emmy Nominated Cynthia Erivo, and the Ethan Coen directed A24 Jerry Lee Lewis documentary TROUBLE IN MIND (produced with Mick Jagger, Victoria Pearman, Steve Bing, and T Bone Burnett).  Current Inaudible Films include a documentary on the life of Curtis Mayfield, an animated documentary on Thelonious Monk’s song “Round Midnight”(which is considered to be the most famous jazz composition in the history of jazz), a documentary on the life of Stevie Ray Vaughan , a documentary on the lives of Gamble and Huff, and a documentary on the life and career of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

About Polygram Entertainment

Polygram Entertainment is the film and television arm of Universal Music Group, the world leader in music-based entertainment. Built on the foundation of the world’s most comprehensive and storied music catalog, Polygram Entertainment develops, produces, and finances music-driven content that inspires and engages fans of all ages around the world. From premium documentaries to original scripted features and scripted and unscripted television, Polygram Entertainment productions explore the ways in which music shapes culture, informs our worldview, and brings us closer together. Polygram Entertainment’s acclaimed, award-winning projects include Love to Love You, Donna Summer, directed by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano; Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues from director Sacha Jenkins; Todd Haynes’ The Velvet Underground; Frank Marshall’s The Bee Gees:  How Can You Mend a Broken Heart; Beastie Boys Story from director Spike Jonze; Alison Ellwood’s The Go-Go’s; Pavarotti from director Ron Howard; Roger Ross Williams’ The Apollo; the Emmy Award-winning series “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” and the subsequent telefilm “Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas.” Upcoming projects include Academy Award-winner Morgan Neville’s Man on the Run, a feature documentary that explores Paul McCartney following the breakup of The Beatles and the formation of Wings with Linda McCartney; the docuseries James Brown: Say It Loud; scripted features about KISS and The Osbournes; and a docuseries about the legendary Memphis-based record label STAX.

About GroupM Motion Entertainment

GroupM Motion Entertainment funds, develops, produces, and distributes premium television and digital content around the globe. In partnership with the world’s leading producers, talent, networks, and platforms, the company has co-produced over 1,800 series, equating to over 26,000 hours of television. Motion works across all programming genres and creates innovative business models to serve the creative and strategic needs of its partners. The company operates in 44 countries, with global headquarters in London and Los Angeles. Motion is part of GroupM, the world’s leading full-service media investment management operation, a WPP company.

PRESS CONTACT:

Ellen Wray, [email protected], 212-351-0422

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