CINCINNATI – This week more than just performers will take center stage during the 2018 Cincinnati Music Festival.
On Wednesday, film crews from the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) will be in town to film "video vignettes" of the music festival that will appear during an upcoming episode of "Love is __," according to Jackie Reau, owner of Game Day Communications and public relations manager for the festival.
"It came about through P&G’s partnership with OWN and CMF, connecting both groups for OWN to capture content at CMF," she said.
The vignettes will air during the show's commercial breaks.
Procter & Gamble is the primary sponsor of the music festival, which takes place Thursday through Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium. This year's headline acts are R&B stars, Jill Scott and Charlie Wilson. The rest of the lineup includes The Roots, Common, MC Lyte, DJ Jazzy Jeff, After7, Boyz II Men, Xscap3, Bootsy Collins House Party, The O'Jays and Keith Sweat. Singer Fantasiaannounced Thursday afternoon illness forced her to cancel her Friday performance at the music festival.
Related: Singers Jill Scott and Charlie Wilson to headline 2018 Cincinnati Music Festival
"Love Is __" is an hour-long dramatic television series that premiered June 19 on OWN. The show tells the story of Nuri and Yasir, a young black couple, as they navigate their professional and personal lives in 1990s Los Angeles.
Nuri, played by Michele Weaver, and Yasir, played by Will Catlett, tell the story from the perspective of their present-day selves.
Reau said crews will film additional related festival "site experiences" taking place this weekend before leaving Cincinnati on Sunday.
The third annual Cincy Soul food festival will take place Friday-Sunday on Fifth Street and Fountain Square. It will feature 55 local vendors and performances by Big Daddy Kane, Bilal and Estelle on the Fountain Square stage.
Related: Cincy Soul: Estelle, Bilal and Big Daddy Kane to headline 2018 Cincinnati food festival
"I'm definitely excited about it," said Julian Rodgers, a local businessman and Cincy Soul organizer. "Anytime we can do anything within our community and we can hit the national spotlight in a positive light, it is good."
Rodgers organized the first Cincy Soul in 2016 as part of Vibe Cincinnati. That initiative was launched by Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau as a series of events designed to showcase the region's diversity to the rest of the country.
Jason Dunn, vice president of multicultural and community development for the bureau, was also excited to learn OWN planned to film in Cincinnati this week. He sees the visit as a continuation of nearly a decade worth of work to raise Cincinnati's profile on a national level.
"I think it's fantastic and is a proof point that the intentional efforts over the years and collaboration of our community partners is being recognized," he said. "Cincinnati is a multicultural destination and now the nation will know."
Reau said the footage filmed in Cincinnati will appear in an August episode of "Love Is __."
New episodes of the show air at 10 p.m. Tuesdays on OWN.
