For Immediate Release
July 11, 2017
Point Park’s Talkback Series welcomes Jasiri X, Christopher Ruddy
and John Clayton to the Pittsburgh Playhouse
PITTSBURGH, PA – Point Park University’s Talkback Series is offering the public a chance to hear from and interact with three unique speakers with ties to the Pittsburgh region.
Jasiri X, a Pittsburgh-based hip-hop artist and activist, will kick off the series on Sept. 19, followed by Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy, a former reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, on Nov. 8, and NFL writer and commentator John Clayton, a native of Braddock, on March 19. The series is a joint production from the Pittsburgh Playhouse and the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University.
“We are taking the ‘talkback’ element of the engagements very seriously,” said Andrew Conte, director of the Center for Media Innovation. “All three of the speakers are interested in far more than just lecturing from the stage. They are looking to engage with the audience and create a dialogue.”
All three events will be held at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, 222 Craft Ave. in Oakland. Tickets for the shows are on sale now. Subscribers can purchase a three-speaker package for $150, a two-speaker package for $125, or the Herbein + Company VIP Lounge package, which includes a ticket within the first three rows for each show, preshow food and drinks, plus a meet-and-greet with the speakers, for $250. Only 30 of the VIP packages are available.
Jasiri X is one of the founders of 1Hood, a Pittsburgh-based antiviolence group, which works at a community level to organize and incite change by reaching youth of color. He also founded 1Hood Media, a collective of socially conscious hip-hop artists and activists, and has been acknowledged by Harry Belafonte, Angela Davis and Chuck D for his work on social change.
In 1998, Christopher Ruddy founded Newsmax Media, a multimedia company covering news, politics, health, lifestyles and finance. Newsmax TV is emerging as the fastest-growing news channel, with its digital properties reaching 50 million Americans monthly. Ruddy will be speaking on the one-year anniversary of the election of Donald Trump, a longtime friend. After a short presentation, Conte will moderate an extended Q&A with the audience.
John Clayton, a graduate of Churchill High School and Duquesne University, began his sportswriting career with the Pittsburgh Press, covering the Steelers and the NFL from 1976 to 1986. He spent more than 20 years at ESPN, where he built a career as both a writer and popular on-air personality. In 2007, he was inducted into the writers’ wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Clayton will discuss the ever-changing role of media in sports, and the evolution of the Super Bowl from just a championship game into a two-week media frenzy. Bob Pompeani, KDKA-TV sports anchor and Point Park alum, will moderate the event.
The Point Park University Talkback Series is sponsored by TribLive, Herbein + Company, Talk Radio 1320 WJAS and the McGinnis Endowment. Tickets for all three shows are on sale now. Go to www.pittsburghplayhouse.com or call 412-392-8000 for more information or to purchase tickets.
Contact: Lou Corsaro
Point Park University
412.392.6190
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Founded in 1960, Point Park University, recently named a College of Distinction, is a dynamic, urban university with a strong liberal arts tradition. Located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Point Park enrolls more than 4,000 full- and part-time students in more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs offered through the School of Arts and Sciences, Rowland School of Business, School of Communication and Conservatory of Performing Arts. Visit PointPark.edu to learn more.