{"id":673,"date":"2014-09-17T16:49:44","date_gmt":"2014-09-17T20:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comgrad\/?p=673"},"modified":"2014-11-16T10:59:15","modified_gmt":"2014-11-16T15:59:15","slug":"founder-owner-ceo-of-la-entertainment-company-honored-by-bu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comgrad\/2014\/09\/17\/founder-owner-ceo-of-la-entertainment-company-honored-by-bu\/","title":{"rendered":"Founder, Owner & CEO of LA entertainment company honored by BU"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Iris Moore<\/strong><\/a>
\n MS Broadcast Journalism ’15<\/em><\/a>
\n BU College of Communication<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

At Boston University\u2019s College of Communication (COM)<\/a>, the beginning of a new semester also means the start to another year filled with exciting events for faculty and staff. Yes, it is important to get your schedule right and books bought, but it\u2019s also important you are made aware of the once-a-year, beneficial networking events happening right now.<\/p>\n

This Thursday, September 18th at 5:30 p.m., the College of Communication (COM) is hosting the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Awards at the School of Management. The event, which is free and open to the public, will honor some of COM\u2019s most accomplished alumni. Previous alumni recipients who have attended the event include: – Co-Host of Market Place Morning Report and American Public Media, Jeremy C. Hobson (\u201804) – White House Photographer, Peter J. Souza (\u201976), – Bravo\u2019s Executive Vice President of Development & Talent, Andy Cohen (\u201990). The list goes on. If you have time, check it out here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This year, you may get the opportunity to network with the BU COM alum who was the first African American to produce a CBS Schoolbreak Special<\/a><\/em>. Yup, that\u2019s right, Cleveland O\u2019Neal III<\/a> (COM \u201978) is one of the four COM alums being honored at this year\u2019s Distinguished Alumni Awards for his impressive accomplishments in the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n

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hollywoodreporter.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

O\u2019Neal began his career at a young age when he was a child actor at the Cleveland Playhouse<\/a> in Ohio, which is one of the League of Resident Theaters<\/a>. During his undergraduate studies at Boston University\u2019s College of Communication, O\u2019Neal began planning what would become his privately held company Connection III Entertainment Corp.— producer of the weekly TV series \u201cMade in Hollywood,\u201d \u201cMade in Hollywood: Teen Edition and \u201cLive, Life and Win!\u201d<\/p>\n

As Founder, President, and CEO of the company, O\u2019Neal has brought diversity across a variety of media platforms, including music, television and motion pictures. Connection III has received two Emmy nominations<\/a> and was the recipient of the \u201cArts and Entertainment Company of the Year\u201d Award from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa.<\/p>\n

Watch O\u2019Neal\u2019s interview with TVWeek reporter Andrew Krukowski to learn more about his TV series franchise, \u201cMade in Hollywood\u201d, that has a gross average audience of 5.2 million viewers.<\/p>\n