Who is Charles?
Charles “Charley” Humbard is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of UP Entertainment. UP Entertainment is the destination for uplifting entertainment for passionate and diverse audiences across the leading cable, satellite and streaming platforms. Since the company was founded on October 30, 2004, he has led the overall business strategy and mission to entertain, uplift and inspire viewers.
UP Entertainment is home to UP Faith & Family, UPtv, aspireTV, aspireTV+, aspireTV Life, GaitherTV+ and Cine Romántico. UP Faith & Family is the leading streaming service in uplifting entertainment. UPtv is the trusted network for adults seeking positive programming with relatable stories about relationships, filled with love and laughter, through exclusive premiere movies, box-office hit films and beloved series. AspireTV is the premier network for Black culture and urban lifestyle programming featuring original productions in food, home and fashion. AspireTV+ is a new subscription video on demand streaming service that promises to be the ultimate destination for Black culture and urban lifestyle. AspireTV Life is the first free ad supported streaming television (FAST) channel dedicated to sharing the experiences of the multicultural audience through cooking, fashion, travel, design and more. GaitherTV+ provides access to Gaither’s renowned and growing library of full-length concerts and specials, early premieres of new performances and shows, exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews and presentations and hundreds of titles to watch On Demand. Additionally, UP Entertainment in partnership with PixL Dos, manages and distributes Cine Romántico, a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel featuring the best of Hollywood TV romance movies in Spanish.
Prior to founding UP Entertainment, Charley served as a senior executive at Discovery Networks, responsible for the development and launch of seven digital cable network brands. Additionally, Charley was a founding member of Discovery International Networks charged with launching the Discovery Channel Networks in 140 countries and creating operations facilities on three continents.
After over 40 years in the media industry, Charley remains committed to making a positive impact through quality entertainment and is very involved in the company’s pro-social initiative “UPlift Someone,” reminding others that simple acts of kindness can make a difference.
Charley has been recognized for exceptional programming through various awards including a Peabody, an Emmy® and numerous Promax Awards. In 2017, Charley was the recipient of the southeast EMMY® Governors’ Award for Lifetime Achievement and was named as one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Most Admired CEOs” in 2018. He was also recognized with the Movieguide Visionary Award earlier this year for being a positive influence on the entertainment industry and culture. Additionally, Charley is a 2019 graduate of EO Entrepreneurial MIT Master’s Program and the EO @ Wharton Executive Financial and Operations program. Charley serves on the board of the Parents Television and Media Council with a focus for ‘bringing back responsibility and family values to the entertainment industry’.
Son of the country’s first television minister, Charley began his career writing and recording music and performing on television for the Rex Humbard Worldwide Ministries. He attended Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he studied music business and marketing.