James Scott

My grandfather, owned hundreds of acres of tobacco, in South Carolina, but, when he wanted to go and buy a car, he had to send the white man to buy it for him. So, they would go and bring him back that new Buick Electra, 225, (okay, the deuce and a quarter)! I farmed some myself as a young teen during the summers, and I knew that I would be the last generation of us doing that type of thing, but I did it! So, if you look back, not too far back, you can see how much ground Black people have lost and this has been in MY lifetime! —James Scott

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arlem, NY, once called, "the spiritual home of the Negro protest movement,” is home to the “Cotton Club, and the Harlem Renaissance and to such notables as, Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. DuBois, James Baldwin, Thurgood Marshall, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Paul Roberson, Langston Hughes and soon, the visionary, James Scott. Scott, born in Harlem, grew up not far from the infamous Lenox Terrace, the backdrop for Forest Whitaker’s newest series, The Godfather of Harlem, called Harlem, home! With a list of notables of this caliber, and James’ vision, one would wonder if the ancestors themselves were the ones guiding his path.

Ambi’ance Magazine caught up with Mr. Scott to see what he has been working on these days and discovered that he now lives in Orange, New Jersey, and is the Founder/CEO of Jam Network TV. Jam Network TV streams on Roku, Firestick, Apple TV and soon, Androids with the goal of arriving on Comcast and Infinity platforms in February of 2021. Jam Network TV has everything anyone would want to see, even the channel surfers! “…for a $4.99 subscription, our subscribers really want to see everything we have. I mean, everyone doesn't like everything on their channels, but if you're flipping through the channel of Jam Network TV, you WILL find something over here, and that's for sure!”

What makes Jam Network TV spe58 cial? First and foremost, it is completely Black owned! Its platform was designed to allow you to watch and enjoy all things Black! Not just during Black History Month, but every time you tune into the station. All day, every day. For instance, there are the movies from the seventies and eighties that some of us enjoyed like, ‘Let’s Do It Again’ and ‘Gordon’s War’. There are the movies that starred Eartha Kitt, Sammy Davis, Jr., Fred Williamson, Lola Falana, and those that we don’t see too much anymore. “It’s like they’ve gone away without a channel. Lou Gossett, James Earl Jones, the list goes on and on, but we have all of these old movies on our channel as well as the new movies, too. I bought about nine hundred black and white movies that we're going through right now. Our mission is to preserve Black Hollywood.” The network even showcases some Haitian and other international films, cartoons on Saturday mornings, top pastors and ministers from all over the country, who are not just preaching, but talking about life experiences, things that made them believe more in God on Sundays. You can also find a variety of three-minute educational clips on things like the first Black heart surgeon, the first Black woman cruise ship captain or the first Black stewardess and so forth, making sure that their subscribers are not only entertained but educated as well. James’ vision for this network was born because of his love for old movies, and as we know, on most networks, we are not represented. You may catch a Sidney Poitier or someone every now and

then, but his vision was to be able to see them all the time. Also showcased are new and upcoming artists, film directors and producers along with an array of films that Mr. Scott states is “absolutely incredible!” “My mission is to have THAT channel that I thought other Black networks should have had. I feel we need to educate and continue to allow Black and white people who watch the channel see that WE have directors, producers that are relevant from the fifties and sixties, as well as present day directors like Denzel Washington and other top artists of today... and it’s Black owned!...Right now, they’ve got to let me in the atmosphere of Black Lives Matter with promoting Black owned businesses. The abuse the Black people in Black businesses have endured is still more prevalent now! I am doing a nationwide ad on Comcast with seventy-five thirty-two second spots. The first set will be promoting my basketball league and the second, beginning in October will be about the Jam Network TV. So, you see, everything that I am doing currently as the CEO of both of my companies is innovative and different from anyone else. I have the vision and I believe in my staff. It’s a passion that we need to actually show and have ownership of the things out there that reflect our ethnic backgrounds and our national challenges.”

How did the grandson of a tobacco farmer from South Carolina, who because of the color of his skin had to send a white man to purchase his car come to own a television network? GMB (Global Mixed-Gender Basketball). Yes, basketball! This visionary stepped out on the belief that he could develop and sell the idea of a co-ed basketball league! He visualized a league with teams made up of men and women playing together on the court. The teams would honor the true meaning of gender equality, equal pay for equal

My mission is to have THAT channel that I thought other Black networks should have had. I feel we need to educate and continue to allow Black and white people who watch the channel see that WE have directors, producers that are relevant from the fifties and sixties, as well as present day directors like Denzel Washington and other top artists of today...and it’s Black owned!...

play. The floor would be made up of three women and two men teams playing during the first quarter and then alternate to two women and three men the next quarter, repeating these orders after each quarter. There are women dunking on men as well as men dunking on women! There are WNBA, NBA players and some unknowns on these teams that are fantastic! “We now have eighteen teams, with Master P as the President and me, the CEO. Master P has a team called the New Orleans Gators. Tiny Harris of Atlanta bought in and her team is the Atlanta Heirs. In Miami, Trick Daddy and Trina’s team are the Miami Ballers. In New York, there’s Ice-T and Mick Benzo with their NY Knights, Anwon Glover has the Washington Fusions, Mo’Nique and husband Sidney, own the Houston Equalizers, and there’s Nephew Tommy with his Dallas team just to name a few…I’ve added celebrities to bring a halftime entertainment to our games. So, not only will you get to witness men and women playing together on the court, you can bring your wife, your children, making it a family affair. This is a first. No one has ever seen men and women play together until now and it’s exciting, it’s entertaining and it’s Black owned! Having the league for a few years, we were building the momentum and beginning to pack the arenas from top to bottom. As we were preparing for the 2021 season, COVID-19 hit everyone hard. However, the pandemic has been in our favor because we were actually able to pick up more players. Today we have a roster of 350 players, including players from the NBA and WNBA and you can watch the games on www.globalextendedbasketball.com! You’ll be amazed at how many women can play ball with the men.”

Soon, Scott was approached by an ‘unnamed’ company who wanted to put the games on their channel. Scott, who didn’t come from generational wealth, felt that this would be a good financial move with gaining 59

the publicity that would be required to promote the leagues. However, before he signed on the dotted line, he had another epiphany. To everyone’s surprise, Scott wanted his OWN channel along with the original deal! Jam Network TV was created! With the new channel, Scott had to learn the industry from the bottom up. “…We were with some other people and they weren’t treating us properly, so we left them. Guess you can call it going through college because we had never done a channel before. When I did this with them, my channel was the channel that they designated me and it became better than any channel they had on their entire program list.! So, now I am the OWNER of Jam Network TV. I have the Global Mixed-Gender Basketball, and complete Black ownership and it should finally be the right time for equality, not just with the safety and security of our lives, but as business owners too, with the welcoming of an opened door and a seat at the white table! Let me in, okay, so that we too, can have a slice of the pie!”

Ambi’ance is honored to bring the visions of our friend and colleague to our audience as we unite in solidarity and support. At Ambi’ance, we love basketball, male and female leagues. However, to see them both on the same team, owned by celebrities with fun and entertainment for the price of one ticket? Well, that’s priceless, and we look forward to joining you on the courts! Now to add to this package a network channel featuring every genre of television one could ask for is equally exciting and we are honored to be on the second floor as the ground floor has been completed through the voices of the ancestors. To find and support these venues check out James Scott at www.jamnetworktv.com, www.globalmixedgenderbasketball.com, or Google: James Scott GMTV Basketball.

“I want people to know that there's a Black owned co-ed basketball league for the first time in history. I want people to know that we have Jam Network TV that's black owned, has Black content and movies that you haven't seen for years along with the history of our heritage. We have actors like Cicely Tyson, Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones in their breakout roles. We want to show the brilliance of our people. This cheers me up. Just talking about it plain and simple. It’s ours, owned and operated and that’s what I’ll leave you with.”

Well said, my friend and we’ll see you at the MOVIES!!!!

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