In October 2022, independent film company Hidden Empire Films announced that they will produce a new docuseries about professional boxer Floyd Mayweather. Titled The GOAT, the series will follow Mayweather’s journey from the beginning of his career all the way up to his 15 world championship titles.
The film’s production is being spearheaded by Hidden Empire Films Co-Founders Deon Taylor and Roxanne Avent-Taylor, along with philanthropist and Vista Equity Partners CEO Robert F. Smith, who serves as Executive Producer. “Watching Floyd Mayweather control his own destiny to become one of the greatest fighters of all time and, more importantly, one of the most brilliant minds in the business of pro boxing has been amazing to watch,” said Smith in a press release announcing his role in producing the series. “Inspiration, passion, and willingness to overcome are all traits of this icon and we are extremely honored to be a small part in telling Floyd’s incredible life story for all the world to see. ‘The G.O.A.T project will be timeless!”
Now 15 years old, Hidden Empire Films was created by Taylor, Avent-Taylor and Smith to help develop, produce and distribute “high concept, commercially viable content” that engages multicultural audiences. For decades, the filmmaking industry has suffered from a lack of diverse representation among actors, directors and production staff. A 2018 report by a team of multidisciplinary researchers at the University of California Los Angeles found that white actors and actresses filled 78% of onscreen roles in the top 200 theatrical releases in 2016. Even more, only 12.6% of these films were directed by people of color.
In response to the lack of representation, Black filmmakers started launching their own independent film companies to increase the number of minority-led and staffed films. “Hidden Empire wasn’t Hidden Empire. It was forced into our zeitgeist because of us pounding on doors trying to make a way for ourselves with our first film, ’7eventy 5ive,’ and not being given the opportunities that everyone else would have,” Avent-Taylor told Forbes last year.
Smith’s Efforts to Educate and Entertain Black Audiences
As an advocate for racial justice and historic preservation, Smith is listed as an Executive Producer for multiple initiatives that educate and entertain audiences about issues affecting Black Americans. Increasing the number of Black-led filmmaking projects is one of many ways Smith works to commemorate the contributions of Black people to American history and culture, an issue that Smith is passionate about.
Hidden Empire Films isn’t the only project that Smith is currently working on with Taylor and Avent-Taylor. In 2018, the group launched Be Woke.Vote, an initiative and creative platform dedicated to encouraging people of color and other marginalized groups to engage in the electoral process. To mobilize voters of color around the 2020 presidential election, Be Woke.Vote launched a 10-city tour across battleground states that included live DJs, free food and opportunities to register to vote. In addition to this past initiative, Be Woke.Vote continues to produce a video and podcast series aimed at educating and entertaining young voters of color. Smith is an Executive Producer for Be Woke.Vote, which won a Webby Award in 2022 for News & Politics (Series & Campaigns). This award is given to the best social media campaigns that focus on sharing news and political information.
Smith is also an Executive Producer for “Black History in Two Minutes (or so),” a three-time Webby Award winning video podcast that spotlights influential Black historical figures and activists. The podcast helps audiences of all ages learn more about the people who shaped both U.S. and Black culture. The podcast is hosted by professor Henry Louis Gates and has over 80 total episodes. The series won a Webby Award in 2022 for Social Education & Discovery (Video), which is awarded to videos that best exemplify advocacy, education, learning and discovery.
Learn more about Smith’s work to support Black culture in the U.S.
