After a 24-year career as a Peabody Award-winning talk show host, Marc Steiner is stepping away from the microphone of his daily show to devote more attention to other creative pursuits and to build his non-profit production company, Center for Emerging Media. The final day of his daily show on WEAA 88.9-FM is scheduled for July 31.
“The Center for Emerging Media (CEM) board began a strategic planning process in the summer of 2015, looking to the future and considering how best to use different forms of media to enhance our work of featuring original stories and new – often otherwise unheard – voices,” said Steiner. “We built our offices and recording studio that summer and began focusing on special projects. Now it’s time to make the move we’ve been planning.”
Steiner continued, “We are so grateful to have worked with WEAA over the past nine years. They have truly become family. They are consummate professionals and do an amazing job at representing the multi-cultural aspects of the Baltimore community. They really are ‘The Voice of the Community,’ and I encourage people to continue their support of WEAA’s programming.”
Steiner and the CEM staff and board are enthusiastic about the future of the organization. A number of new projects are in process, including production of a documentary film based on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s personal barber, Nelson Malden, who is 83 and living in Montgomery, Alabama. In April, Steiner and a small crew – including videographer Hans Charles, who filmed director Ava DuVernay’s Academy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning documentary “13th” – traveled to Montgomery to work on the production. This project is supported in part by Eddie and Sylvia Brown.
Other projects in the works include a podcast series in partnership with PBS host Tavis Smiley based on the work of the late author and political theorist Benjamin Barber who hypothesized that cities are the antidote to the worldwide rise in populism.
Steiner looks forward to finding creative ways to pursue in more depth some of the issues for which he has developed a passion over the years. “At 71, I’m excited to be learning a new skill: producing and directing film. It’s also a perfect time for me to focus on topics I love, such as American history through the lenses of traditionally underrepresented groups including African Americans, Native Americans, women, and LGBTQ individuals.”
He also sees this shift as a way to take to the next level his lifelong commitment to mentoring young thinkers and showcasing new voices. “I’ve always been a teacher. Our CEM studios provide a base where we can partner with different organizations and individuals, to tell their stories in their own ways. I look forward to serving as an advisor and executive producer, instead of always being up front. There is a lot of talent out there, and we hope to tap into and help catalyze some of that creative energy in our studios.”
For questions or to schedule an interview, contact CEM Executive Director Valerie Williams, 443-804-1252 or Valerie@steinershow.org. You can keep up with the latest shows and projects at www.steinershow.org or on The Marc Steiner Show Facebook page.
