Topper Carew: Hollywood Film Director & M.I.T. MEDIA LAB SCIENTIST

The Department of Communications will host Hollywood Film Director and M.I.T. MEDIA LAB SCIENTIST Topper Carew as part of  the university-wide Black History Month programs. Known for executive producing the iconic '90s sitcom, "Martin" and classic movie, "DC Cab" among others, Carew will discuss his illustrious career with our students. 

All faculty, students, and staff are invited to attend.

Topper Carew's Biography

Film director Topper Carew, born on July 16, 1943, in Boston, Massachusetts, holds degrees in architecture and environmental design from Howard University and Yale University, respectively. He later earned a Ph.D. in communications.

In 1966, Carew founded The New Thing Art and Architecture Center, focusing on teaching inner-city youth. Transitioning to film in 1972, he worked at WGBH in Boston and co-founded the non-profit Rainbow Television Workshop in 1974 with his late wife, Alyce S. Carew.

His notable works include directing "Breakin’ N’ Enterin’" (1983), producing "Be Somebody or Be Somebody’s Fool" (1984), and serving as the executive producer of "Martin" (1992-1997).

Carew's academic contributions include being a research scholar at MIT Media Lab and launching the Techquity Research Group. In 2018, he became a faculty fellow at Spelman College's Innovation Lab.

His honors include the "National Media Hero Award," a 2013 MIT Martin Luther King Leadership Award, and over 40 film and television awards, including four NAACP Image Awards and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award.