MAJOR FIGURES: PHARRELL AND HIS MANY HATS

Today's New York Times features a profile of Pharrell Williams, delving into his various projects but focusing primarily on his work for the acclaimed film Hidden Figures. In addition to creating songs and co-composing the score for the Columbia soundtrack, the hitmaking artist/writer/producer has served as a driving force in the creation of the film. Indeed, Times writer Dave Itzkoff points out, Williams and producing partner Mimi Valdés saw the script—detailing the contributions of African-American women mathematicians at NASA in the segregated '60s—even before director Theodore Melfi was attached to direct.

Williams compared producing movies to a passion project like collecting comic books. "Could you imagine not filing them away properly?" He muses in the piece to Itzkoff. "Could you imagine not keeping them in a sleeve? Could you imagine skipping a step there? There's no such thing as skipping a step with something you love."

His work on the film reflects Williams' engagement in telling the stories of African-Americans and women, which he notes is especially key in an adverse new political era. Indeed, he expresses optimism that creativity can "lead to change and inspiration."

You can read the entire piece here.

In a related story, Patriot Management chief Ron Laffitte is said to be launching his own space program.