Former BBC Executive Recalls His Journey In Entertainment Industry
Former BBC Executive Recalls His Journey In Entertainment Industry
By Tia Carol Jones
Terry Jervis likes to say that he can make people’s dreams come true. He says it is his superpower. He said that nobody carved a pathway for him, he made a path for himself.
Jervis remembers growing up in Britain and listening to Sam Cooke. On Saturday, his mother would play Cooke’s soul records and on Sunday, she would play his Gospel music. He made his mother a promise that he would bring Cooke back to life by putting him on television. He bought a movie camera and interviewed people who worked with Cooke. The film he made got the attention of the BBC while at the time, he wasn’t old enough to work for them. When he was old enough to work for them, he did, joining the BBC after he graduated from college.
Jervis has been an executive in the entertainment industry for more than 35 years. He worked as a BBC executive and producer. He greenlit shows that featured African American artists in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including shows with Ice-T and interviews with Queen Latifah, Will Smith and LL Cool J. In 1999, he established Jervis Entertainment Media. In 2003, he was the producer and director of Raising Tennis Aces: The Williams Story about Venus and Serena Williams.
Jervis said his gift to America was producing shows that highlighted African Americans because America had given him so much, starting with hearing Sam Cooke’s music as a young boy. He said there wasn’t a day when he wasn’t doing something for Black America. He said he came to America to do that work because he wanted to shine a light on people who were doing good.
“Black American culture is a fusion of a lot of Black culture … Black Americans draws from a lot of Black culture everywhere, but it’s forged here in America,” he said. He said it is people like him who take it out to the rest of the world.
Jervis said that his experience as a Black Brit has been similar to Black Americans, so he doesn’t think of himself as a separate from Black Americans. He has covered everything from news and current affairs as a journalist – war, famine, science, history, entertainment and lifestyle. Jervis was honored by the British Film Institute in 2024 for his career and legacy.
Spirit of the Pharoah is a graphic novel inspired by a 1995 animated film that was co-produced by Jervis and the BBC. The novel follows a Royal Air Force pilot who goes to Egypt and discovers a world of Egyptian gods and goddesses. It was also turned into a virtual reality game that was in Virgin Megastores in the UK.Jervis was inspired to create Spirit of the Pharoah after a visit to Egypt and going into the tombs and great pyramids.
Jervis connected with Reginald Maynor, Director of International Division at Luster Products, in 2019. They were working on a collaboration between Spirit of the Pharoah and Luster. The result is a friendship and partnership and upcoming ventures.
Jervis during his career has showcased Black excellence. Through his work, Jervis said he wanted to show that Black people are not a homogenous group but are diverse.
“All I wanted to do was show Black power in its truest sense,” he said. He said that mission is what has kept him going.
For more information about Terry Jervis and Jervis Media, visit www.jervismedia.com.
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