Jesse Collins Will Be The First Black Person To Produce The Super Bowl Halftime Show

The upcoming #Super Bowl halftime show will feature a Black producer for the very first time.

According to Yahoo! Sports, RocNation, Pepsi, and the NFL have dubbed Jesse Collins, the founder and chief executive of Jesse Collins Entertainment, the executive producer the Super Bowl halftime show. This makes Collins the first Black person to ever executive produce the show in the event’s entire 55-year history.

Just a little bit about Collins’ background: He is an Emmy-nominated producer who has worked on the Grammy Awards, BET Awards, as well as the CBS special “John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero,” which aired back in August in honor of the late congressman. In a statement regarding his new title, Collins wrote, “It is an honor to be part of such an iconic show at such an important time in our history. I am grateful to Jay-Z, [Roc Nation chief operating officer] Desiree Perez, the entire Roc Nation family, and the NFL for granting me this opportunity.”

This move comes after Roc Nation, and the NFL became business partners in which Jay

Z was named co-producer of the event. Jay-Z said Collins is a multifaceted artist. “Jesse Collins is innovative, creative, and one of the only executive producers that speak fluent ‘artist vision,’” said Jay to Sports Business. “He’s a true artist. Jesse’s insight and understanding create extraordinary shows and true cultural moments. After working with Jesse for so many years, I look forward to all there is come.”

With Roc Nation and the NFL’s deal, Jay-Z is now in charge of managing entertainment for the NFL, and he also creates social justice endeavors for the league, the outlet reports. Last year #JenniferLopez and #Shakira headlined the halftime show, making them the first Latina women to ever headline the event. Next year’s Super Bowl will take place at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 7. There are no details on who will perform this year; however, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said they “expect to do a full Super Bowl” with fans physically in the stadium.

Congrats to Jesse Collins!