Carolyn Fath
Ajani Carr is the newest youth host for Club TNT, a community-based TV show produced by Jeanne Erickson, Gaddi Ben Dan and Betty Banks (from left).
Betty Banks and Gaddi Ben Dan are a busy pair. The creative and administrative force behind longtime nonprofit Today Not Tomorrow, the partners have launched independent newspapers, created a popular television show and supported countless individuals and families through their numerous educational campaigns and outreach work. Nevertheless, the work remains largely under the radar.
“We don’t get a lot of publicity,” says Dan, a social justice activist with a background in journalism and media production. “It surprises folks when they find out all we do.”
Today Not Tomorrow recently moved into the East Madison Community Center, which marks the first time the nonprofit has ever had its own brick-and-mortar headquarters. Banks says the new location — near Madison College’s Truax campus — will help the organization “improve and build” on the work it’s already doing in the community and help the nonprofit adapt to the times.
“We are very cognizant of how things have changed,” says Banks, who grew up in south Madison and was the longtime director of the Early Childhood Center at Family Enhancement. Club TNT, an hourlong television show produced by Today Not Tomorrow in partnership with WISC-TV, started in 1983 as a music and dance variety program modeled after Soul Train. From the start, the goal was to teach kids to make good choices and do the right thing “today, not tomorrow.” Over the years, the show has evolved from its musical roots to a more of a narrative format. Later this spring, the show will get another reboot when Ajani Carr takes over. The 14-year-old Verona Area High School student has already begun making a name for himself as an actor and activist.
Carr, who has landed roles on such popular shows as Chicago P.D. and Mercy and has a “big role coming up that [he] can’t talk about yet,” is excited to try his hand at creating original content for Club TNT. His show will feature interviews with young people from the community and sketch comedy starring local youth actors. It’s the first time Club TNT will be written and produced by a local youth. Production with the new format began April 7.
“I want to create a platform for kids who look like me,” says Carr, who is black. He plans to explore topics like mass incarceration, police brutality and drug abuse with the goal of breaking down stereotypes about black youth. “It’s really cool because it gives a voice to our perspective on life.”
Jeanne Erickson, public relations director for Club TNT, started working with the organization in 2003 and has overseen the show’s transition to a digital format. “We try really hard to keep up with modern technology,” Erickson says. The show has a YouTube channel and a Twitter presence, and the organization is hoping to hire a social media intern to expand digital outreach. While the programming targets young people, Erickson says the viewer demographics are diverse. “Parents who danced on [Club TNT] now have kids who are watching the show,” she says.
Club TNT has helped launch the careers of a number of people. Jamie King, a choreographer and creative director for stars like Madonna, Rihanna, Prince and Britney Spears, got his start on the show. Abigal Kaiser became a spokesperson for Down syndrome awareness. Johnny Winston Jr. served on the Madison school board and became a division chief with the Madison Fire Department. Denise Jackson made it onto American Idol — twice.
“Club TNT has always been on the cutting edge,” Erickson says.
But television is just one part of what Today Not Tomorrow does. The nonprofit is also behind Project Babies, a biannual community baby shower for expectant mothers and families who need extra help. Banks keeps a database of information on homeless families with children so the nonprofit can provide resources and support. This past year, the organization piloted a “baby closet” in the Meadowood area and trained a neighborhood resident to distribute supplies to people in need. “People are often surprised that they can call us and just say ‘We ran out of diapers,’” Banks says.
As a small organization with black leadership that relies on volunteers, keeping Today Not Tomorrow and all its programs running has been a big challenge over the years, Banks says. But the group is motivated by its mutual desire to improve the community and “build bridges between races.”
“The blend of our skills, shared values, our families, the community...that’s what has kept us going for so long,” she says. “We don’t let anything stand in our way.”
