Artist and producer Danny Simmons joins Ajay Raju for Overheard

Philadelphia (WPVI) -- Danny Simmons conceived and co-produced the hit HBO show Def Poetry Jam, a weekly TV series that exhibited an eclectic blend of old-school poets (such as legendary expressionists Nikki Giovanni and Amiri Baraka) and new-school poets. Simmons won a Tony Award for the Broadway version of the show.
Simmons is also a co-founder, along with his siblings, music mogul Russell, and hip hop legend Joseph aka "Rev Run," and president of the Rush Arts Galleries and the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to providing disadvantaged urban youth with significant arts exposure and access to the arts.

In 2015, Simmons moved to Philadelphia and opened Rush Arts Philadelphia gallery (RAP) to further the Rush Arts mission and to begin to create a national presence for the service organization.
Simmons is currently serving as a member of Vision 20/20, a Germination Project initiative that has enlisted 20 of Philadelphia's most prominent arts and culture leaders to develop a long-term strategic vision to boost the art economy and ecosystem in the Greater Philadelphia region.