Connected: What it Means to Be Me (2020)

In the midst of the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020, Connected: What it Means to Be Me, reveals dense, nuanced dialogue about the Black experience in America across a range of topics: equality, education, parenting, allyship and mental health. In this hour-long documentary, you will hear from five Black CBS Sports professionals across multiple departments engage in honest dialogue with some of sports decorated announcers, reporters and former athletes such as, Grant Hill, Lisa Leslie, Swin Cash, Nate Burleson, Brandon Marshall, Tracy Wolfson, Ian Eagle, Amy Trask and Amanda Balionis about systemic racism and the toll it takes on our lives. This show is an expansion from the "8:46" campaign in which eight Black sports professionals from CBS (James Brown, Clark Kellogg, Nate Burleson, Lisa Leslie, Swin Cash, Brandon Marshall, Brian Jones and Charles Davis) spoke on their experiences with systemic racism in response to the untimely deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. The "8:46" campaign was created, executed and produced by Ellis Williams, Jelani Rooks, Mark Grant along with Creative Director Pete Radovich, and Executive Producer and Senior Vice President, Production Harold Bryant following a brainstorming session on how CBS Sports can use its platform to push for progress and support the Black Community. Connected: What it Means to Be Me, sought to advance this conversation by shedding light on lived experiences and reveals how a community can change the narrative and move closer towards substantive change.