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06/05/2026

Did You Know?

Tom Freston and his MTV team helped bring Live Aid to audiences around the world. This iconic event featured Queen’s legendary performance and redefined what live television could accomplish.

Join FOLCS on June 9th for a live VIRTUAL Conversation with Tom Freston as he shares stories from his memoir, Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the moments, risks, and adventures that shaped a remarkable career.

Link to FREE tickets below
https://folcs.org/upcoming-events/conversation-with-tom-freston-author-of-unplugged-adventures-from-mtv-to-timbuku

What does it take to build a cultural phenomenon?Join FOLCS with Tom Freston: media mogul, former CEO of Viacom and auth...
05/29/2026

What does it take to build a cultural phenomenon?

Join FOLCS with Tom Freston: media mogul, former CEO of Viacom and author of Unplugged: Adventures from MTV Europe to Timbuktu for a “freewheeling and riveting” Conversation about media, creativity, and a career at the center of it all.

Tickets available at the link below:
https://folcs.org/upcoming-events/conversation-with-tom-freston-author-of-unplugged-adventures-from-mtv-to-timbuku/

Co-produced by City Winery at Pier 57.

CityWineryNYC

Episode 10 of Culture in the Round Podcast is LIVE:Inside the U.S.-Iran War: History, Power, and ConsequencesAs tensions...
05/20/2026

Episode 10 of Culture in the Round Podcast is LIVE:
Inside the U.S.-Iran War: History, Power, and Consequences

As tensions between the United States and Iran continued to reshape the Middle East and global politics, FOLCS went beyond the headlines with former Senior CIA Official Norman Roule to examine the deeper history behind the conflict, the strategic calculations driving both governments, and the far-reaching consequences for regional stability, global security, and American foreign policy. As a Headlines Series event, this Conversation provided historical context, analysis, and insight missing from the daily news cycle.

Listen now to join the Conversation . See our Podcast section at the link below:
https://folcs.org/podcast/

On May 14, 2026, FOLCS welcomed Norman Roule for our Headlines Series focusing on the Iranian regime. Drawing on his dec...
05/18/2026

On May 14, 2026, FOLCS welcomed Norman Roule for our Headlines Series focusing on the Iranian regime.

Drawing on his decades of experience covering the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and especially Iran, Roule explored the deeper history behind the current conflict, the strategic calculations driving both governments, and the far-reaching consequences for regional stability, global security, and American foreign policy.

In this featured clip, Roule reflects on a lesser-known chapter of Iranian history – when the country was significantly more Westernized and cultural influences such as The Beatles were embraced by many Iranians.

Roule’s insights offer important historical context for understanding how dramatically Iran has changed over the past several decades since the Islamic Revolution.

Watch the full clip on YouTube
https://youtu.be/Ac0DBPj30Tg?si=K5lDCPhk0bIFOafL

From launching MTV into a global phenomenon to redefining the future of media, Tom Freston helped shape the way generati...
05/15/2026

From launching MTV into a global phenomenon to redefining the future of media, Tom Freston helped shape the way generations experienced music, culture, and storytelling. Now, join us for a live Conversation with this legendary media executive and author of Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu.

Packed with behind-the-scenes stories, iconic moments, and reflections on creativity, risk-taking, and reinvention, this Conversation will explore the intersection of media, music, and global adventure through the eyes of one of pop culture’s biggest innovators.

More information and ticket link: https://folcs.org/upcoming-events/conversation-with-tom-freston-author-of-unplugged-adventures-from-mtv-to-timbuku/

Co-produced by City Winery at Pier 57.

05/15/2026

Trump called Iran’s latest offer “totally unacceptable.”

Norman Roule isn’t surprised, believe the failure to make a deal with the regime “utterly predictable.”

Norman Roule, one of America’s foremost experts on the Iranian regime and a former longtime CIA officer focused on Iran, the Persian Gulf, and the broader Middle East, explains why the current negotiations with Tehran are following a familiar pattern.

Roule says the core issue remains Iran’s refusal to give up its enrichment capability and the leverage that they maintain in holding on to weapons-grade uranium.

See the full clip on our YouTube page and link below:
https://youtu.be/nW0KkOBgdgM?si=sm4AwUoANSF2-Hr-

05/13/2026

Did you know Beatlemania reached Tehran?

In the 1960s, Iranian teenagers followed The Beatles, copied their hairstyles, traded records, and embraced Western pop culture as Iran rapidly opened to the world. The craze became known as “Beatleha,” Iran’s version of Beatlemania.

With the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Western art and pop music disappeared.

Join Norman Roule: the leading expert on the Iranian regime as a former longtime CIA officer covering the Middle East, Persian Gulf, and, especially, Iran, when he appears on our Headlines Series discussing the history of the U.S.-Iran conflict.

Registration for the FREE virtual event is at the link below https://folcs.org/upcoming-events/inside-the-u-s-iran-war-history-power-and-consequences/

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