Entrepreneur Reginald Lewis: The Deal That Broke History

Discover the life of business pioneer and philanthropist Reginald F. Lewis, whose legacy includes a record-breaking corporate finance deal. With that single investment, Reginald F. Lewis became one of the wealthiest men in America in the 1980s. A Harvard Law School graduate, Lewis rose to prominence as a Wall Street lawyer, entrepreneur, and leader of the global food company TLC Beatrice International. Lewis was the first African American ever to close an overseas billion dollar leveraged buyout deal, when he acquired an unprecedented global conglomerate of 64 companies in 31 countries. Lewis represented civil rights cases, donated generously to universities and to Jesse Jackson’s presidential bid, and paved the way for future entrepreneurs and Black leaders until his untimely death in 1993 at age 50. This documentary features interviews with his family and leaders such as Rev. Benjamin Chavis, Ken Chenault, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Henry Kravis and Michael Milken. This is a WLIW LCC production, with film narration by Norm Lewis. Executive Producer: Geraldine Moriba. Director: Ann Benjamin. Diane Masciale is vice president and general manager of WLIW. Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed: http://bit.ly/1JQmx88 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thirteenwnet/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thirteenwnet/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thirteenwnet/ ----------------- THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.