This week The Philadelphia Citizen is announcing Citizen Speaks powered by Comcast NBCUniversal and Fitler Club, a yearlong speaker series about strengthening American democracy in the city where it was born. This partnership creates original content that addresses the most pressing issues and most exciting opportunities facing our city and our country.
Featuring speakers from the vanguard of their respective industries, the event series highlights Philadelphia’s thought leadership and solutions-based ideation. Events will be both in-person and virtual, hosted by the Fitler Club. As a production partner, Comcast NBCUniversal is sponsoring a series of sessions to lift up the intersection of the opportunities and challenges presented as cities recover from the pandemic.
“We provide elevated conversations with a solutions-minded hypothesis,” said Larry Platt, Co-Founder/Co-Executive Director of The Philadelphia Citizen. “We convene the brightest minds and most innovative problem solvers to share ideas that can spark change, inspire our audience, and encourage action through thoughtful response. It is an honor and privilege to have Comcast NBCUniversal to amplify our content. Fitler Club is our home, and we love the opportunity to showcase these events in the backdrop of their impressive space. The community of attendees through the membership of the Club, the membership of the Citizen and Comcast’s employees is surely the smartest event audience we’ve ever assembled.”
This week’s official launch features “Innovation in Education” on Wednesday, July 14, a discussion about new models for classroom and out-of-classroom learning success, featuring Carlos Moreno, executive director of Big Picture Learning, a student-centered learning model in 150 schools, including two in Philadelphia; Sylvester Mobley, founder of Philly’s Coded By Kids; and Heidi Ramirez, former Philly Schools reform commissioner and chief academic officer of Milwaukee Public Schools, moderated by Platt. In the coming months, other topics will include corporate social responsibility; diversity, equity and inclusion; leadership and character; public safety; arts, culture and the creative economy; real estate development and thoughtful city planning; the future of work; youth empowerment; healthcare and more.
“We partnered with The Philadelphia Citizen to bring an ‘Aspen Institute’-type center of thought leadership with a Philadelphia bent to it,” said Michael Forman, co-founder of Fitler Club. “We have had events with politicians, authors, change-makers and international business leaders. We are thrilled to host these important conversations, allowing us to provide our membership with access to meaningful content and serve our mission as a socially conscious, forward-thinking club.”
Most events will be free and open to the public, and Fitler Club will serve as the official home for Citizen Speaks in-person events. Attendees will enjoy meet-and-greets with speakers, book signings, photo opportunities and dining options at the members-only Fitler Club. Later this fall, the Comcast Technology Center’s Town Hall will join the Fitler Club as a co-location for the series.
“We are proud to partner with The Philadelphia Citizen to convene conversations that generate momentum and impact for our region,” said Bret Perkins, Senior Vice President of External and Government Affairs at Comcast Corporation, which is supporting select Citizen Speaks events. “This series highlights important topics, with perspectives and voices that we hope will spur fresh thinking as we embark on our region’s recovery.”
UPCOMING EVENT DETAILS
Innovation in Education
An in-person and virtually streamed discussion on new models for classroom and out-of-classroom learning success, featuring Carlos Moreno, executive director of Big Picture Learning, a student-centered learning model in 150 schools, including two in Philadelphia; Sylvester Mobley, founder of Philly’s Coded By Kids; and Heidi Ramirez, former Philly Schools reform commissioner and chief academic officer of Milwaukee Public Schools. The Philadelphia Citizen’s co-founder Larry Platt will moderate. Register here. Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 6pm, Fitler Club Ballroom, 1 24 S. 24th Street.
ABOUT THE PHILADELPHIA CITIZEN
The Philadelphia Citizen is a non-profit, non-partisan civic-minded media outlet with a dual mission: To provide deeply reported journalism that emphasizes solutions that can move the Philadelphia region forward, and to actively reignite citizenship in and around Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Citizen seeks to identify our innovators, call out those who stand in the way of progress and shine a light on the next generation of Philly leadership—all while giving Philadelphians the interactive tools they need to become more involved, engaged citizens.
ABOUT COMCAST CORPORATION
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest high-speed internet, video, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content, and has exclusive content rights. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
ABOUT FITLER CLUB
Fitler Club, the first private club of its kind to combine world-class entertainment, engagement, wellness and business offerings under one roof, creates an atmosphere unlike any other with its exceptional location, high-end design, and museum-worthy art collection (officially debuted in Philadelphia in June 2019). A game-changing “work/stay/play” destination for a diverse community of socially conscious, forward-thinking Philadelphians — in a city rich with educators, innovators, entrepreneurs and creatives — Fitler Club is the hub where they gather to learn, adapt and collaborate. Fitler Club puts Community First — building partnerships with artists, nonprofits and civic leaders to create a 21st-century cosmopolitan city while developing interesting and exciting programming for members. The Club’s 135,000-square-foot campus includes a world-class gym (The Field House), a 14-room boutique hotel (The Rooms at Fitler Club), collaborative workspace and private offices (Offsite at Fitler Club), Dining (The Dining Room, The Back Bar and The Garden), a movie theater (The Screening Room), a game room and bowling lanes (The Trophy Room) and event space (The Ballroom).