Living Out Loud: A Night with Bill Bellamy

Oh, what a night! On April 27, 2023, Riverchild Media, with its newly minted partnership with Newark Symphony Hall, brought comedian, actor, and now author Bill Bellamy back to his childhood home of Newark to celebrate the launch of his memoir, Top Billin’: Stories of Laugher, Lessons and Triumph. In his opening remarks to the audience, he mentioned that one of his earliest performances was at Newark Symphony Hall, so it was befitting that he launch his book tour with us!

The evening was filled with magical moments where Bill and I talked about his early days at the iconic Peppermint Lounge and the hustle, drive, and ability to manifest his vision of being a successful comedian. He also shared his experiences working as an MTV VJ, interviewing some of the top music acts of the 1990s and early 2000s and the valuable life lessons he has learned throughout his career. Notable members of the audience included Councilman Dupre Miller, aka “Do It All” from the rap group Lords of the Underground, his first acting coach, Ms. Richardson and his mentor, the great Bob Sumner who is considered the “Godfather” of upcoming comedians. His name is linked to many of the most successful comedians to emerge in the last 3 decades—Bernie Mac, my soror Sheryl Underwood, Dave Chappelle and Steve Harvey just to name a few.

The evening was full of nostalgia and love for Bill and I was honored to be a part of his new journey as an author. Special shout out to Marva Allen, of HueMan bookstore who is our official bookseller for LOL events.