Derrick N. Ashong
Musician, Broadcaster & Digital Media Influencer
Derrick N. Ashong
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photo credit: Ridwan Adami for Ridz DesignAn experienced musician, broadcaster and digital media influencer, DNA has carved out a unique niche as an expert in bridging the gap between old and new media. He has been invited to speak & perform at prestigious institutions including Harvard Business School, Wharton, MIT & Stanford, and has hosted and moderated events for influencers and heads of state including Nobel Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, as well as Gilberto Gil, Ted Turner, Tommy Hilfiger, Bob Geldof, Queen Rania of Jordan, and former President Bill Clinton at the Club de Madrid. His interviews have ranged from celebrities like John Legend, Jimmi Cliff and supermodel Alek Wek, to environmentalist Jane Goodall, senior advisor to President Obama David Axelrod, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan. Derrick's career in media and entertainment has included appearances on networks like CNN, BET, MTV Africa, NPR and BBC Worldservice, as well as print media including the NY Times, Boston Globe and Fast Company. He made his Hollywood debut as a supporting actor in Steven Spielberg's Amistad and has worked with multi-platinum record producers.
DNA was host of The Derrick Ashong Experience on SIRIUS XM's Oprah Radio and helmed the inaugural year of Al Jazeera English's cutting-edge, social media TV show The Stream, which was nominated for an Emmy. He is leader of the critically-acclaimed Afropolitan band Soulfège, which has charted on both sides of the Atlantic and won the 2008 Billboard Songwriting Contest for Best Hip Hop Song. He has lectured on five continents on the use of media and technology as tools for human development, including talks for the UN Foundation, London School of Economics, King’s College (Cambridge), the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, D.C., the UN Alliance of Civilizations and before UK Parliament on the subject of “The Obama Generation.” He has had fellowships with the Paul & Daisy Soros Foundation, TED and the Americas Business Council (*abc Foundation) and is a member of the African Leadership Network. Born in Accra, Ghana, the Harvard-educated talent was raised in Brooklyn, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and New Jersey.