FUSION To Broadcast The All Def Movie Awards As Part Of A Multi-Year Partnership With All Def Digital

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Feb 22, 2016, 03:22 ET

CULVER CITY, Calif., Feb. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- All Def Digital (ADD) and FUSION have agreed to a multi-year strategic partnership to broadcast the All Def Movie Awards. FUSION will be the exclusive broadcast partner and will partner with ADD to build the new awards season franchise. FUSION's cable network will air a special one-hour broadcast of the All Def Movie Awards on Sunday, February 28 at 7:00 PM and re-air it throughout the night. FUSION and ADD will also feature content from the event across their respective digital and social platforms, including FUSION's Snapchat Discover channel. The announcement was made by Russell Simmons, founder and Chairman of ADD, and Isaac Lee, CEO of FUSION and Chief News and Digital Officer of Univision.

"We are thrilled to have a like-minded network partner helping us build what will be an explosive media property and franchise in the All Def Movie Awards," said Simmons.

"Elevating underrepresented voices is core to FUSION's mission and we are thrilled that the All Def Movie Awards will be an event for us to celebrate the diversity that makes our culture so rich," said FUSION CEO Isaac Lee. "Last year, FUSION partnered with All Def Digital as we sparked a dialogue about our country's broken juvenile justice system and now we are excited to build on the success of that partnership to provoke another important conversation."

"The All Def Movie Awards are meant to fill a generational and cultural void -- just as the MTV Movie Awards did," said Sanjay Sharma, President and CEO of ADD. "FUSION is the perfect partner to celebrate the uncelebrated, and use comedy to encourage honest dialogue and action."

The All Def Movie Awards celebrate the year's best films in categories that are both traditional and light-hearted. Members of the public are currently voting in two categories, which includes Best Picture contenders BEASTS OF NO NATION, CHI-RAQ, CONCUSSION, CREED, DOPE and STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON. Votes can be accepted now online at http://bit.ly/AllDefMA through midnight on February 23rd.

Other awards during the show will honor Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director as well as Best Bad Muh F**ka and other often overlooked categories, such as Best Helpful White Person and Best Black Survivor in a Movie. Legendary actor and recording artist Will Smith will be recognized with the ADMA's first Lifetime Achievement Award, and writer, producer, director and social activist Norman Lear will receive the Vanguard Award for his enduring contributions to entertainment that helped foster an essential dialogue about race and race relations. Tony Rock hosts the special which features celebrity guests including Tyrese Gibson, Nick Cannon, Terry Crews, Marlon Wayans, Vivica A. Fox, King Bach, Sannaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Robert Townsend, Bill Duke, Gary Owen, and Jerrod Carmichael, among others to be announced.

The All Def Movie Awards was partly inspired by the success of ADD's All Def Comedy Live, the hottest live weekly comedy showcase in stand-up today. HBO is currently developing a series around that weekly event, which routinely draws celebrities and the best new, emerging and established artists working America's comedy stages.

ABOUT ALL DEF DIGITAL
All Def Digital (ADD) is the leading multi-platform media company for millennials focusing on urban youth culture through premium video programming across comedy, music, lifestyle and topical and timely social commentary. The company nurtures new, emerging and established artists and produces and incubates a broad spectrum of original content through an efficient and transformative media model leveraged across social video platforms, traditional and premium television and motion-picture development, live events, and its own record label in partnership with Universal Music Group. ADD also includes a curated, invite-only network of talent—from social video stars to traditional writers and stand-up comics, from poets to hip hop recording artists. The company partners with global brands to create immersive and authentic social content experiences with unique talent voices. ADD is among the most subscribed-to and watched digital networks for urban comedy and music. The company is based in Los Angeles, California, with offices in New York. Its investors include Nu Horizons, Greycroft Partners, e.ventures and Advancit Capital.

ABOUT FUSION
FUSION is a multi-platform media company that serves a young, diverse, and inclusive millennial generation across its television and digital platforms . FUSION delivers a unique mix of news, pop culture, and comedy content that is both smart and irreverent . FUSION's cable network was launched as a joint venture between Univision Communications Inc. and the Disney/ABC Television Network on October 28, 2013; FUSION launched a new website in February 2015. FUSION has agreements with several major distributors to carry the cable network including DirecTV, Dish, Cablevision, Charter, Cox, AT&T U-Verse, Verizon FiOS and Google Fiber as well as OTT providers including Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Roku, PlayStation, Sling, Android TV, Spotify, Vessel, iPad , Sony IPTV, and Flipps.@ThisIsFusion | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Snapchat | Instagram | Google+ | Tumblr