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by Stephen BrownOctober 20, 2013

THE VIRAL REVOLUTION OF MEDIA: PART ONE… DIGITAL AFRO & ITS CREATOR STEPHEN BROWN. ‘MEDIA ENVIRONMENTS’: CHANGING THE FUTURE OF VIDEO, TV & FILM

Steve Brown Digital Afro Founder Lead Editor

Steve Brown Digital Afro Founder. Tech Entrepreneur, Innovator

If once a upon a time the only way that you could see video content was via analog television… I am now ready to blow your mind! You can now have an IMAX experience right on your computer screen, thanks to inventor Stephen Brown, also known as the Digital Afro. You will find out that Stephen Brown is not just a techie – or a novice like myself, but much more – he is an absolutely brilliant person, with a serious passion for getting real information to the people.

I am a huge advocate of information distribution, so I wanted everyone to learn what I know about this genius, Stephen Brown.

1980, in our nation’s capital of Washington, District of Columbia, Ivy Brown gave birth to birth to a baby boy, Stephen Brown. She was not only a promoter of academic excellence, but she herself earned a Doctorate in Education. After the passing of his father at age two, Mrs. Brown, an assistant school principal, focused heavily on the intelligently stimulating her children. Academia was always of major importance to Stephen Brown. Attending St. John’s High School, he went on to graduate from the University of Maryland majoring in Computer Science. From there, he went on to work in the Production department at Black Entertainment Television (BET) where he connected with some of the top names in the entertainment industry. Not only a techie in the truest form, Stephen is an exceptionally talented musician, singer and songwriter himself, playing multiple instruments. ” I was meeting so many people every day, some celebs were even coming in asking for me, all of the connections I was making said you should move to Atlanta… so I did.”

“When I got to Georgia I didnt know anyone, I had a cousin here, but he moved when he and his wife separated…I was just determined to make it.” ” I was going to class, working , doing music at night, that was just my life.” “I started getting video work down here as a creative director, doing treatments for videos, assistant directing… the industry was all good when I got here.”

As a Creative Art Director and Producer, he worked with the entertainment industry’s top names, doing everything from video production, to writing songs for groups such as Jagged Edge and several artists from Disney.

Question: When did you start making the transition into technology?

– Around 2005 I noticed that downloads were really shifting the paradigm. I started looking at my music as more of a hobby and less of a career. Watching companies like Google, Facebook, iTunes, & MySpace setting up platforms for millions of people to interact socially,I started to change my vision to my original training – technology. ” “All the artists & labels who were calling me for video work were now calling asking who I knew that could build websites and apps… I was like me! “

Brilliant is the man that can see a need and find the solution, during this transition time for the industry, Brown shifted to creating and developing high-tech products.

Question: How did you get started with IDBiometrics and the Facial Recognition Software?

-I entered into a competition for technology entrepreneurs at the suggestion of my old boss, Cliff Oxford. At the competition I met a start up group called IDBiometrics, a company that was in the process of making a stellar facial recognition software product. Being from DC, I had a ton of government connections, alot of kids I went to school with, or their parents worked in the Gov’t.” “I asked them if they wanted to get any Gov’t. contracts, and they were like yea… so we started working together.” I started helping them enhance the software, and I also shot all of the corporate & product videos as well.” “After working with the company for about 2 years, I become a company shareholder enhancing the business model, and structuring the code with new features.” “Presently our software is being tested and evaluated by the intelligence community, the Pentagon and even the White House.” http://idbiometricsinc.com/

Question: What is Facial Recognition Software?

” Facial recognition software, is software that measures the contours of a persons face, and matches it to a database, it is the highest form of security because its based on the individual. ” says Stephen. “What makes our product so special is usually a person has to stand stationary and look directly into a screen while the face is matched up with a database of photos.” ” Our product can identify a moving person at 100 feet with 99.99% accuracy..in low light conditions, no other product can claim that.” “Our software can match 100,000 faces per second.” Led by Mr. Brown, the IDBiometrics team works non – stop updating the software to meet ever changing security needs.

Explain your project *DIGITAL AFRO *

“I started Digital Afro because I noticed that even though every african american person has some sort of tech device ( phone, tablet, laptop,) 90% of the black websites I went to, never had a technology section.” “Most of the information we as african americans receive is entertainment, and sports.” “Even though I come from a heavy entertainment background with my music, I wanted to present more information to my people.” “Anytime I wanted to see the hottest gadget, or learn about a new phone or app, I had to go to another culture’s website because none of the black sites covered tech at all.” “Science & tech is an incredibly cool world, honestly just as cool as any of the stuff I was doing in my music.” “It’s somewhat like The Matrix'”, Brown says, “there is this whole other world out there that people are totally unconscious of.” “The goal of Digital Afro is to expose more minorities to science and technology, and make it cool.”

(section 1) www.digilyfe.co (section 2) www.digilyfe.co/media/video

Question:What does Digital Afro specialize in?

Digital Afro always presents information in a cool engaging format. “I try not to get too Star Trek with the info, I like to make it relatable so that even if youre not a super techie, its still very cool.” “We like to cover alot of things you see in movies, flying cars, James Bond/Batman gadgets… things like that” ..”we research them and explain if they’re plausible or not…stuff people can relate too.”

As of October 9, 2013, the date of this interview, Digital Afro has been drawing 30,000 unique visits a month. At this point there are around 12,000 visits on Digital Afro News and around 4,000 to Digital Afro Media.

Question: I’ve been hearing alot about your media section tell me about it.

–Digital Afro Media is a new type of video platform that delivers video & media like never before. Its part video site, search engine, and environmental engine all in one. As your going through videos, our system generates visual environments that match the video you’re watching to give you an immersive experience like never before. The site has over 10,000 videos in 100 categories; 15 of those categories are also tied to the news site.

The Digital Afro News side offers high-end coverage of science, technology, & digtial topics like no other. The user is exposed to an innovative way to deliver the news. Making a way to communicate the inner pulse of technology to the African – American population, Mr.Brown will be known as an icon for ground-breaking world progression of technology as our country catches up with the rest of the world in technological innovation.

The user can expect to come to www.digilyfe.co and www.digilyfe.co/media/video , and experience shock and awe every single time they visit the site. They will notice and question many of the sites articles and ask, “Is That Real?” There is a special element found only on Digital Afro Media that really takes the user to an all new viewing experience, and that is the innovation of Media Environments. The Media Environment experience does not only just show videos, it matches the backgrounds based on an algorithm that pulls from various factors, based on tag words, color and length of time on the site. It is just like seeing the future of video, television and film.

Brown has worked on Digital Afro News since January 21, 2013, and started the Media site, a few months after in May of 2013. He’ s hand-written, by himself, over 700 different articles on technology for the site. He continues to do research daily, and writes articles to enhance the user experience while keeping the site up -to- date. It has been quite amazing for Mr. Brown, to have been given this type of support he has been given from the digital world, adding his site to others sites as an affiliate, or featured as advertising banners.

Every day, there are more stories about the billions of dollars going into technology. Stephen Brown is leading the way to the Promised Land, much like the historic, iconic leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr.It is indeed a labor of love trying to get the word out about something that is not exactly a mainstream topic for the people. However he is he is making great strides in communicating the message that technology, robotics, space exploration and innovation is for everyone. Click on any or all of the links attached here to some very cool features inside the Digital Afro Media website.

Look forward to hearing more on Digital Afro and Stephen Brown here on the blog and soon on television and web shows. This is only the introduction. He has so much more to share.