Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation Partners with VELOCITY World Media for Memorial Concert Series to Benefit Creative Arts Education

NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- VELOCITY World Media^®, the largest global, private experiential television network, has teamed up with the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation (TASF) to produce a live experiential concert event that will celebrate Tupac's influence on arts and culture, and raise money for TASF and the programs of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts.  Featuring today's most influential recording artists, the concert series is part of VELOCITY's FIRST SPIN experience and will be broadcast live in high definition with cinema surround sound to clubs, restaurants and theaters from coast to coast.      

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"Tupac was and continues to be hugely influential in the music industry and with youth across the country.  He followed his own path and always seemed to be a step ahead of the cultural curve," said Vernal Cambridge, executive director of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation.  "We like to honor his style by defying convention in our own way.  That's why we're offering fans a way to support the foundation's charitable work and celebrate Tupac's memory through an up-close-and-personal experience with some of today's brightest artists."

For over a decade, the foundation's programs have served youth of all social and economic backgrounds, giving countless young people the courage to get off the streets, express themselves in a positive way, and learn vital life skills.  TASF believes that early arts education can offer invaluable life lessons, improve school grades, and build self-esteem and confidence.

"We're honored to provide a powerful media platform for the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to celebrate Tupac's impact on music while raising money to support creative arts and early education programs that serve as a true resource for children and families," said Philip Elias, president and CEO of VELOCITY World Media.  "This series is the first of its kind and will serve as a benchmark for the power of fundraising via live, experiential television."

FIRST SPIN is a private broadcast launch pad for top recording artists, record labels and fashion houses. The live events provide a behind-the-scenes, all-access first look at new releases, artist debuts, fashion forecasts, experimental visions, and the sights and sounds that will dominate culture in the months ahead.  With digital high-definition clarity and cinema surround sound, FIRST SPIN is broadcast exclusively to an audience of fans, followers and VIPs in cutting-edge venues across the country. 

For more about the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, visit www.tasf.org.  To learn more about VELOCITY World Media, visit www.VELOCITYWorldMedia.com. 

About the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation 
The Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, founded in 1997, is home to the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts, just outside of Atlanta in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The center is dedicated to providing youth and the community with educational programs in the arts. It is a fact that early arts education improves school grades, as well as offers invaluable life lessons while building self esteem and confidence. The center's programs serve youth of all social and economic backgrounds, giving countless young people the courage to get off the streets and learn vital skills that have the potential to positively impact their communities. The center is open to the public and hosts several noteworthy events throughout the year. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.tasf.org.

About VELOCITY World Media  
VELOCITY World Media, the largest global, private experiential television network, specializes in producing custom High-Definition television programming live via EchoStar satellite to invitation-only audiences at VELOCITY HD Digital Suites located in private clubs, restaurants and hotels in the top 200 markets across the world.  Since 2005, VELOCITY has produced powerful HD broadcasts that have reached more than 300,000 key decision-makers with critical information across a wide range of topics while eliminating more than half of a billion pounds of climate-changing gases caused by air travel.  For more information, visit www.VELOCITYWorldMedia.com. 

SOURCE VELOCITY World Media