Actress Susan Sarandon, MLB's Wendy Lewis, Fox Sports' Pam Oliver,
USTA's D.A. Abrams, National Book Award winner, Jacqueline Woodson,
and RLJ Enterprises' Traci Otey Blunt are Among the Top 10

BROOKLYN, NY; December 31, 2014 - What's The 411TV, a Brooklyn-based media company, today released its list of 25 Most Interesting People of 2014, and NFL Hall of Famer and media personality, Michael Strahan tops the list.

What's The 411TV's 25 Most Interesting People of 2014 was developed from interviews conducted by What's The 411TV reporters between January 1, 2014 through December 12, 2014. The list consists of celebrated personalities to artists seeking to break through to ordinary people doing extraordinary things to New Yorkers rallying for the return of the more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram. Many people on the list are local to the New York City metro area, while others are national or global figures.

"Once again, What's The 411TV reporters have selected so many amazing and interesting people for What's The 411TV's list of 25 Most Interesting People of 2014," said Ruth J. Morrison, CEO and Founder, What's The 411 Networks. "This is our way to say thank you to those on the list, to congratulate them and to celebrate their accomplishments. Similar to last year, it was not an easy task for our reporters and producers to narrow down the list to 25 and since we couldn't, we also have a list of three honorable mentions."

Below is a list of What's The 411TV's 25 Most Interesting People of 2014 falling into the categories of sports; film; literature; music; television; fashion and style; and business and entrepreneurship.

1. Michael Strahan – Pro Football Hall of Famer (NFL) and media personality; on his way to becoming "King of All Media" – Interviewed by: Andrew Rosario

2. Wendy Lewis - MLB Senior Vice President, Diversity & Strategic Alliances; for being able to play with the boys - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

3. Traci Otey Blunt – Corporate Executive Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, RLJ Enterprises – leveraged political communications to transition to corporate communications, marketing, public relations and investor relations, as well as the promotion of the Urban Movie Channel. Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam using a Samsung S4

4. Kyle Donovan – Inventor; Founder, NV Magazine; entrepreneur motivating others to make a difference - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

5. D.A. Abrams - Chief Diversity Officer USTA; helping to make diversity a reality within tennis - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

6. Pam Oliver – NFL and NBA sportscaster; for treading where few women have gone in sports and for taking the high road during a public demotion – Interviewed by: Andrew Rosario

7. Jacqueline Woodson – National Book Award-winning author; gracious after a fellow author muddied her introduction as the winner of the National Book Award for Young Adult Literature for her book, BROWN GIRL DREAMING – Interviewed by: Luvon Roberson

8. Bring Back Our Girls Movement (NY) – rallying cry to rescue over 200 girls kidnapped in Nigeria by Boko Haram; lesson learned: sustaining a movement is hard work, particularly when it seems that no one else cares– Interviewed by: Kizzy Cox

9. Susan Sarandon – Academy Award and BAFTA award-winning actress; committed to human rights causes; worked with Amnesty International – Interviewed by: Bianca Peart

10. Melanie Few-Harrison - Founder of Super Bowl Gospel Celebration; creator of the first and only gospel event sanctioned by the NFL for Super Bowl Weekend– Interviewed by: Cristina Twitty

11. Remembering Ruby Dee - Memorial Service; friends and family celebrate the life of award-winning actress, Ruby Dee– Interviews by: Kizzy Cox and Rita Obi

12. Frank Savage - former investment banker and author of THE SAVAGE WAY: Successfully Navigating the Waves of Business and Life; a highly accomplished Global Wall Street Financier with a distinguished career in international banking, corporate finance, and global investment management - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

13. Melba Moore – singer and actress; her faith keeps her going - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

14. Jamal Joseph - artist, poet, director, producer, educator, and founder of Impact Repertory Theatre; developing leaders– Interviewed by: Christopher Graham

15. Lionel Hollins - Head Coach, Brooklyn Nets; a real standup guy, deeply connected to family and community - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

16. Brian Smith - NY Yankees SVP Corporate/Community Relations; merges baseball and community development - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

17. Daisy Llewellyn – Stylist, reality television star of Bravo's Blood, Sweat & Heels; and author of Never Pay Retail Again: Shop Smart, Spend Less, & Look Your Best Ever; She is the Queen of Effortless Chic - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

18. Richard Sherman – cornerback for Seattle Seahawks (NFL); Did we say, FEARLESS! – Interviewed by: Andrew Rosario

19. Teddy Bridgewater - NFL Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings; made it to the big stage; still grounded and fulfills promise to family - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

20. Mark Jaffe - President/CEO Greater NY Chamber of Commerce; a business leader who supports raising the minimum wage - Interviewed by Glenn Gilliam

21. Khary Lazarre White - Founder and Executive Director, Brotherhood Sister Sol; creating the next generation of leaders - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

22. Claudia Rankine – poet and National Book Award Finalist for Poetry for Citizen: An American Lyric ; her images show the violence of American racism's "micro" assaults – Interviewed by: Luvon Roberson

23. Michelle Miller - CBS Correspondent; proud advocate of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam using a Samsung S4

24. Ericka Pittman - VP Brand Strategy, Blue Flame Agency; a leader in business and personal branding - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

25. Christopher Chaney, Publisher of NV Magazine; creator of NV Magazine's Movers and Shakers Awards - Interviewed by Glenn Gilliam

Honorable Mentions

Yamina Collins – first time novelist, author of sci-fi romance novel, THE LAST KING; bringing episodic novels back into vogue - Interviewed by Luvon Roberson

Skoolie Escobar – Alabama rapper and entrepreneur trying to bring consciousness back to hip hop through the use of thought provoking visuals in his music video that accompanies his new single, Check Out My Watch – Interviewed by: Rita Obi

Tren'Ness Woods Black - President and Chief Strategist of Tren'ness Woods-Black, LLC; one of the keepers of the flame of Sylvia Woods' legacy. Sylvia Woods was the founder of Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem - Interviewed by: Glenn Gilliam

Previous personalities on What's The 411TV's list of Most Interesting People include: the late Maya Angelou; Motown Founder, Berry Gordy; Brooklyn Nets principal owner Mikhail Prokhorov; Willis Reed; Jeremy Lin; Mike Tyson and more.

About What's The 411TV

Based in Brooklyn, New York, What's The 411TV is a division of What's The 411 Networks, a media/news, marketing, and events company. What's The 411TV connects sophisticated multi-cultural audiences with its content through its distribution platforms of television, online, mobile, and social media.

What's The 411TV produces two weekly television shows, What's The 411, an award-winning entertainment and lifestyle television show and What's The 411Sports, a sports news and commentary television show.

What's The 411TV's celebrity portfolio consists of interviews with Magic Johnson, Beyonce, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Hudson, and many, many more.

About Ruth J. Morrison

Ruth J. Morrison is the CEO and Founder of What’s The 411 Networks, an integrated media, marketing, and events company, which produces the award-winning weekly news and information television show, What’s The 411 and What’s The 411Sports. The company covers the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, New York Giants, US OPEN, and other sports events. A video streaming pioneer, she developed and launched from conception the City of New York's multi-channel cable television network and served as a Communications Director and Legislative Advisor to a New York Member of the U.S. Congress. She is the first African-American independent television producer to have a weekly television show on WNYC-TV and for three years, she worked in Brasil as an entertainment and television licensing consultant for an American company. Ms. Morrison earned a master's degree in Interactive Telecommunications from the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and she was a Communications Fellow at the Annenberg Washington Program of Northwestern University. She taught courses in telecommunications at Fordham University and she completed her coursework towards a Ph.D. in Political Science at Columbia University.

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As the Co-Host with Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees were instrumental in bringing the 3rd Annual Major League Baseball Diversity Summit to New York and their Senior Vice President Corporate/Community Relations, Brian Smith, tells me how it came together.

Check out the video interview with Brian Smith

To see our videos when they are posted, subscribe to our YouTube channels: WhatsThe411TV and 411SportsTV

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Brian Smith: Good to see you, we're honored to be here today, this is an amazing event as you can see the turnout, tons of people here, jobseekers and vendors and we're looking forward to be a productive two days here at this summit.

Glenn Gilliam: Were you guys instrumental at all in making sure it came to New York this year?

Brian Smith: We had some conversations in house and we went back and forth with MLB and we decided that this is something we're committed to on a day in, day out basis and it would be a great thing to bring it here to NY. We were excited to partner with MLB, Wendy and her team to make it happen.

Glenn Gilliam: Are the Yankees involved in outreach to other diverse pockets like RBI?

Brian Smith: Across the board there's a push to promote and sustain an inclusive environment and when we mean that, it's not only for the job seekers, for the vendors, it's for our neighbors. We have to provide access and if you don't you're not a productive neighbor and we're committed to being a productive member of our community. We do that by hosting events at the Stadium, I was talking to some teachers a couple of weeks ago and they said the most exciting classroom in New York City is Yankee Stadium, where we host diversity business initiative, where we engage local youth to expose them to careers in the professional sports field.

In addition, through our program such as Healthy Home Plate, where we take young people in from our community who are recognized, you know unfortunately our community is recognized for a number of areas where we're in first place where you're not excited about. For example there's Juvenile Diabetes, Stage 2 Diabetes in Youth, obesity and asthma. We came up with this Healthy Home Plate initiative where we turn Yankee Stadium into a classroom, to educate these young people on healthy lifestyle initiatives, where we bring them in on a consistent basis. So these types of programs and that ongoing commitment by the organization and that push from the ownership down to be a productive member and a cordial and cooperative neighbor, that's our day to day focus.

Glenn Gilliam: Are you a native New Yorker?

Brian Smith: I am from NY, I grew up in Mt. Vernon, NY and because of our organization providing access, a young African American male that grew up on the south side of Mt. Vernon has the opportunity to talk to you today as the Senior Vice President Corporate & Community Relations for the NY Yankees.

Glenn Gilliam: Are you friends with fellow Mt. Vernon, Yankee fan, Denzel Washington?

Brian Smith: No, he's a little older, more around my sister's age, but I know he is a big Yankees fan and we appreciate it and I've seen him around with the NY on his hat and we thank him for that.

Glenn Gilliam: Where did you go to school?

Brian Smith: I'm a graduate of Mt. Vernon HS and I went to undergrad and grad school at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma.

Glenn Gilliam: What took you out to Oklahoma?

Brian Smith: I was fortunate as a student-athlete I excelled playing and did decently in the classroom and excelled as an athlete on the football field and I was provided the opportunity to get a full football scholarship to the University of Tulsa and I was recruited by a number of other schools and I said I'm going to get away. And the young kid from New York went to Oklahoma and it all worked out well.

Glenn Gilliam: Where were you before coming to the Yankees?

Brian Smith: When I finished grad school I was briefly with SoBRO, South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, I was a case manager and a teacher but I knew I wanted to get into the sports industry. I still had that drive to work and be involved with sports and I was able to make some contacts and got in front of some Yankee personnel and got my foot in the door as an intern.

Glenn Gilliam: What do you expect from this summit and where do you hope it goes for future years?

Brian Smith: As far as this summit, I wish everybody in attendance a productive two days, I want to see people coming out of here with not only securing jobs opportunities and vendors securing opportunities, I want people to come out of here saying this is amazing, how can I continue this push and this drive and just to be a part of that is incredible. We want to see this grow not only today but on an annual basis.