ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT what’s next


In his new BET post, Holmes’s infl uence on the coverage of current events, politics and pop culture will be vast. His decision to come to BET was based on his growth as a media professional and his desire to impact the community


stage, Holmes spent what he describes as a “blessed” childhood in West Memphis, AR. “I had the upbringing that I wish so many other kids could have,” says Holmes. “Mom and dad [were] college educated. They were educators who didn’t give me an option but to go to college, be home on time and know the right thing to do.” Surprisingly, Holmes had a “glorious” high


school experience, even though his father was his principal. “I’d been around the school growing up, so I knew the system well and how to manipulate it,” he says. “I knew how to get away with any- thing I needed to get away with. But this ain’t the interview I’m about to reveal all that in.” Okay, so he didn’t always do exactly the


right thing. Who doesn’t have a few high school moments that they don’t want showing up on Facebook? The fact that Holmes is only human is endearing. He’s not claiming to be perfect. And he’s sincere in his appreciation of his parents’ devotion to his upbringing, their efforts to expose him to a variety of experiences, and their lessons about living with integrity. Holmes also takes pride in his parents’ 45-


year marriage. Having been married for a little more than two years himself, he is clear that


40


jumping the broom for the second time had much more to do with choice than fate. Holmes describes his wife — the former


Marilee Fiebig — as “a perfect match in a lot of ways. She was someone that I never wanted to let go.” The pair has embraced each other’s cultures. Marilee met administrators and at- tended football games at Holmes’s alma mater, the University of Arkansas, where the football enthusiast is a member of the Chancellor’s Board of Advisors. And Holmes has learned to speak Kikongo, a tribal language of the Demo- cratic Republic of the Congo, where immigration attorney Marilee was born when it was still known as Zaire. “It’s easy to learn when you live with some-


body that speaks the language,” he says. “And it is a gold mine when we’re out in public because you can talk about people and they don’t know you’re talking about them,” he adds with a mischievous smile. Holmes did a signifi cant amount of talking in


his fi ve years at CNN. And he’s proud of the im- pact he made anchoring news such as Saddam Hussein’s execution and the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, as well as reporting


from breaking news events like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in New Orleans, and the fi rst presidential debate between Senator John Mc- Cain and then-Senator Barack Obama. “The coolest thing is when older African


Americans come up to me and they just say, ‘Proud of you.’ They don’t know you from a man on the moon. They’re just happy to see your face on that network. Period,” he says. With his new BET post, Holmes will be more


than a face. His infl uence on the coverage of current events, politics and pop culture across the brand will be vast. His decision to come to the network was based on his growth as a media pro- fessional and his desire to impact his community. “As I’ve become more experienced, I see


what is being underreported,” he says. “I want to take more of a leadership role in conversations about issues like education. This opportunity to direct the conversation to where it needs to be is very important to me.” When Don’t Sleep! airs this fall, Holmes not


only will have the microphone, he’ll be wielding it with the power, the passion and the platform to move the crowd — and a welcome new agenda — forward.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44