Filmmakers
List activity
32 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
48 people
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Shaka King was born on 7 March 1980 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), Newlyweeds (2013) and Mulignans (2015).- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Ryan Kyle Coogler is an African-American filmmaker and producer who is from Oakland, California. He is known for directing the Black Panther film series, Creed, a Rocky spin-off and Fruitvale Station. He frequently casts Michael B. Jordan in his works. He produced the Creed sequels, Judas and the Black Messiah and Space Jam: A New Legacy. He is married to Zinzi since 2016.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Malcolm D. Lee was born on 11 January 1970 in the USA. He is a writer and director, known for Girls Trip (2017), The Best Man (1999) and The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022). He has been married to Camilla Banks since 2000. They have three children.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Producer Will Packer has established himself as one of Hollywood's blockbuster hit makers and is one of the only African American producers in the world that has had eight of their films open number one at the box office. Collectively, his films have grossed nearly $1 billion.
Packer's number one films include Ride Along 2, No Good Deed, Think Like a Man Too, Ride Along, Think Like a Man, Takers, Obsessed and Stomp the Yard. In 2015, he served as an executive producer on the mega hit Straight Outta Compton, a biopic of the rap group N.W.A, that also opened number one at the box office and grossed over $200 million to date.
In 2016, Packer was the executive producer of Roots, a remake of one of the most celebrated TV programs of all time for A&E Networks; as well as ABC's new comedy series Uncle Buck, starring Mike Epps and Nia Long.
Packer has overall film and television deals with Universal Studios and Universal Television. He is a member of the esteemed Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He has also been on the cover of both Essence and Black Enterprise magazines and featured on several high profile magazine lists including Variety's 10 Producers to Watch, Jet's Who's Hot To Watch and Ebony's prestigious Power 100 List. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Florida A&M University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
Packer is in post-production on Almost Christmas, starring Gabrielle Union and Danny Glover, that will debut on November 11, 2016; and he's filming Jacob's Ladder starring Michael Ealy and Girl Trip starring Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Regina Hall.- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
A director, producer, writer, marketer and film distributor, Ava DuVernay made her feature film debut with the documentary This is the Life (2008), a history on hip hop movement that flourished in Los Angeles in the 1990's. This was followed by series of television music documentaries which included My Mic Sounds Nice (2010) which aired on BET.
DuVernay's first narrative feature film, I Will Follow (2010), secured her the African-American Film Critics Association award for best screenplay. Her follow-up, Middle of Nowhere (2012) won the Best Director Prize at the 2012 Sundance film festival, making her the first African-American woman to receive the award.- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Jo-Issa Rae Diop credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl. Since 2011, Rae has continued to develop her YouTube channel, which features various short films, web series, and other content created by black people.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Jordan Peele is an Oscar- and Emmy-winning director, writer, actor, producer, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions. Peele's first feature film, "Get Out," was a critically acclaimed blockbuster, recognized with four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The film would earn Peele the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. His second feature, "Us," broke numerous box-office records, becoming the biggest opening for an R-rated original film in history when released in March of 2019 to widespread critical praise. Peele's third feature, the original horror epic, "Nope," opened in the summer of 2022 to rave reviews, the No. 1 slot at the box office, and once again becoming a widely discussed cultural phenomenon. Five years in the making, Peele produced and co-wrote Henry Selick's stop-motion animated feature, "Wendell & Wild," to which he also lent his voice as one of the title characters. Under the Monkeypaw banner, Peele co-wrote and produced Nia DaCosta's "Candyman" which made history as the first film helmed by a Black woman director to open at No. 1 at the box office. He also produced Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman," which earned a nomination for Best Picture and won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He has also served as executive producer for numerous television series, including "Hunters" (Amazon), "Lovecraft Country" (HBO), and "The Twilight Zone" (CBS). Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Peele was a celebrated comedian who was the co-star and co-creator of "Key & Peele" on Comedy Central.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Reed Morano was born on April 15, 1977 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. She is known for directing and executive producing the pilot as well as episodes 2 & 3 of 'The Handmaid's Tale' (2017) and directing the feature film, 'Meadowland' (2015), which she also served as her own DP on. She also did double duty as director/DP on her second feature, 'I Think We're Alone Now' (2018). As a cinematographer, Reed is known for her work on Lemonade (2016), the Oscar nominated feature 'Frozen River' (2008) and 'The Skeleton Twins' (2014).- Producer
- Director
- Editor
Martin Desmond Roe is an Academy Award winning director of the live action short film, Two Distant Strangers. He also wrote the Oscar-Nominated Short, Buzkashi Boys, Executive Produced The Emmy Award-winning Tom vs Time, and directed the Cannes Gold Lions winner BREAKING2. Martin is the founder and creative head of the production company Dirty Robber, which specializes in elevated documentaries, he has directed and produced multiple series and films including Showtime's Kobe Bryant's Muse, as well as a multitude of Nike campaigns.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Travon Free is an Academy Award and five time Emmy Award winning writer, director, producer and comedian. Travon wrote and co-directed his first short film TWO DISTANT STRANGERS, which won him the Oscar for Best Live Action Short in 2021. Most recently, Travon co-directed the HBO documentary BS HIGH about the Bishop Sycamore High School scandal with Adam McKay and Michael Strahan attached as producers, which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and was #2 most watched TV show on Max in the first weeks of its launch last summer 2023.
Last year, Travon produced 38 AT THE GARDEN, a HBO documentary on Jeremy Lin, which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and won the Emmy Award for best short documentary. Travon's next project will be co-directing the Paramount Pictures film RAZORBLADE TEARS, based on the New York Times bestselling novel by S.A. Cosby, with Jerry Bruckheimer producing. Travon will also be co-directing a heist feature for Amazon and is currently writing the UNTITLED IDRIS ELBA feature at Apple TV+ with Simon Kinberg producing.
Before that, Travon directed 2 episodes of the Freeform series SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE, was a supervising producer on WILMORE for Peacock, supervised on HARLEM, the Tracy Oliver project for Amazon Studios, executive produced by Amy Poehler, was a producer and writer on BLACK MONDAY for Showtime, and was a producer and writer on Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner's HBO series CAMPING. Travon got his start on staff at THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART, followed by THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH, and FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE.- Director
- Producer
- Cinematographer
Ben Proudfoot was born on 29 October 1990 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a director and producer, known for The Queen of Basketball (2021), A Concerto Is a Conversation (2020) and That's My Jazz (2019).- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Kevin Darnell Hart is an African-American comedian and actor who is known for his roles in the Jumanji sequels including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), Undeclared (2001), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Think Like a Man (2012), Ride Along (2014), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), Central Intelligence (2016) and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019). Hart's comedic reputation continued to grow with the release of his first stand-up album Kevin Hart: I'm a Grown Little Man (2009). He has since released four more comedy albums: Kevin Hart: Seriously Funny (2010), Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain (2011), Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain (2013), and Kevin Hart: What Now? (2016). In 2015, Time magazine named him on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2017, he launched the Laugh Out Loud Network, a subscription video streaming service in partnership with Lionsgate. He has 4 children from two marriages.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Cas Sigers-Beedles is a professional writer of twelve years. Through Kensington Press Publication, she has authored six fiction novels. Her seventh novel was released in 2015. Titles are Pieces of a Man, At Last I Bloom, Love is Simple, Forever is Tricky, Chocolate Dove, Three Chords & the Truth, The Virgin Widow and Chimwala. Her novels can be found throughout the United States on the shelves of national bookstore chains, Target and Walmart and digitally.
Cas has sold & produced screenplays and eight television stage plays for various television networks and production houses. Some titles include, NAACP Image Award nominated, Sugar Mommas, Between Sisters, A Cross to Bear, and Love Will Keep Us Together. Under the production umbrella of Nina Holiday Entertainment (NHE), she produced these films alongside business partner and actress, Terri J. Vaughn. Nina Holiday executive produced For Richer or Poorer, the first scripted television series for UPtv. The series starred Rockmond Dunbar and Letoya Luckett.
Cas was the associate director for the TV One's Verses and Flow and the supervising producer for BET/CENTRIC's music documentary series As Written (seasons 1 & 2), for which she won four Telly Awards. She also served in the script department for BET's The Mo'Nique Show and, TD Jakes Presents. In 2014 and 2015, Cas produced four feature documentaries for Moguldom Studios. These films are available via Netflix, Amazon and the Starz network. She's the annual script supervisor for Steve Harvey's Neighborhood Awards and the story producer for the 2016-2017 season of HGTV's Flip or Flop Atlanta.
Cas has written and produced the television movie Where's the Love, starring Lamman Rucker, Denise Boutte and LeToya Luckett. She has also written and executive produced the TV One movie series', Girlfriends Getaway 1 & 2, Welcome to the Family and Hit A Lick, airing 2017. Through NHE, Cas is focusing on building a business that provides both outstanding production support and award winning creative direction.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Terri J. Vaughn was born on 16 October 1969 in San Francisco, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The Steve Harvey Show (1996), Friday (1995) and All of Us (2003). She has been married to Karon Riley since 19 January 2008. They have two children. She was previously married to Derrick A. Carolina.- Director
- Actress
- Writer
Sonja O'Hara is an Emmy-nominated Canadian writer, director and actor represented by WME and The Gotham Group. She was chosen as one of the "10 Filmmakers To Watch" by Independent Magazine, chosen by a jury from MovieMaker Magazine, the Sundance Institute, and Austin Film Festival. Past recipients include Barry Jenkins, Oscar-winning director of "Moonlight." Sonja recently directed the feature film "Root Letter," an adaptation of the popular Japanese video game, written by Tribeca Film Festival Narrative Prize winner David Ebeltoft, which will be released in 2021. Sonja also wrote, directed, and starred in the critically acclaimed series "Doomsday" (Amazon) which won Best Series at ITVFest. A Streamy Nominee (for "Best Indie Series"), Sonja was presented the "Best Director" award out of 4000 submissions at The New York Television Festival. Sonja's film OVUM (which she wrote, produced, and starred in) won "Best Picture" at The Big Apple Film Festival and was released by The Orchard. Her film "Anatomy of an Orchid" premiered at the Academy Award qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. Sonja was a guest speaker at SXSW Film Festival on the episodic TV panel. Her series "Astral" was greenlit by Adaptive Studios and she will write and direct all six episodes.
As an actress, O'Hara began her professional on-screen career with supporting roles in local Canadian film productions before moving to New York City at seventeen where she attended The New York Conservatory For Dramatic Art. Shortly after arriving in Manhattan, Sonja earned her first lead movie role in the independent film "Norman Normal: A Modern Metamorphosis". She now splits her time between New York and Los Angeles.- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Dayna Lynne North is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She began her writing career with a freelance episode for the critically acclaimed Lifetime drama Any Day Now (1998), and joined the writing staff during the third season. Dayna then joined Soul Food (2000) for its fifth and final season. She was a writer for the first two seasons of the pop culture phenom Veronica Mars (2004), starring Kristen Bell. Dayna was a Co-Executive Producer on the ABC-Family drama Lincoln Heights (2006), which garnered the NAACP Image award for Best Drama, as well as the Gabriel Award for Best Entertainment. After writing the biographical television musical An En Vogue Christmas (2014), and brief stints on hit shows Switched at Birth (2011) and Single Ladies (2011) (as a head writer/showrunner), Dayna is now an Executive producer on the HBO hit series Insecure (2016), created by and starring Issa Rae.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
David Owen Russell is an American film writer, director, and producer, known for a cinema of intense, tragi-comedic characters whose love of life can surpass dark circumstances faced in very specific worlds. His films address such themes as mental illness as stigma or hope; invention of self and survival; the family home as nexus of love, hate, transgression, and strength; women of power and inspiration; beauty and comedy found in twisted humble circumstances; the meaning of violence, war, and greed; and the redemptive power of music above all.
Russell has been nominated for five Academy Awards® and four Golden Globes®. He has won four Independent Spirit Awards and two BAFTA Awards. He has been nominated for three WGA awards and two DGA awards. He has collaborated with actors Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, and Mark Wahlberg, on three films each, and with Christian Bale and Amy Adams, on two films each. Jennifer Lawrence won the Academy Award for Best Actress in Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won for best supporting actor and actress in The Fighter (2010). Russell is the only director to have two consecutively-released films (Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and _American Hustle (2013)_ qv) garner Academy Award® nominations in all four acting categories. Jennifer Lawrence earned an Academy Award® nomination and Golden Globe® win for Best Actress for her work in Russell's most recent film Joy (2015). To date Russell's films have garnered a total of 26 Academy Award nominations and 19 Golden Globe nominations. In 2016, the Art Directors Guild honored Russell with the Contribution to Cinematic Imagery Award.
Russell is a board member and longtime supporter of the Ghetto Film School, which helps develop and support emerging filmmakers in the South Bronx and runs the nation's first film public high school. He also has been an ardent supporter of the Glenholme School, a therapeutic boarding school for children and young adults with special educational needs. He was instrumental in raising funds to build a new arts center at Glenholme that opened in 2011. Glenholme honored Russell in 2011 with the Bowen Award for Outstanding Support and in 2015 with the Doucette Award for Longstanding Commitment.
Russell was recently honored by the renowned McLean Hospital for his efforts to advance public awareness of mental health issues through advocacy and his 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook. The director has been open about his own family's experiences with mental illness. His advocacy efforts brought him to Washington where he and actor Bradley Cooper supported legislation in Congress and met with Vice President Joe Biden to also discuss parity for mental health in all health care.
Born in New York City, Russell attended public schools in Mamaroneck, NY. He continued his education at Amherst College, where he majored in literature and political science, and was given an honorary degree in 2002. He started as a writer before making his first documentary short about the Hispanic immigrant community in Boston. He earned critical acclaim early in his career in 1994 when he wrote and directed his first feature film, Spanking the Monkey, which won the Audience Award at Sundance and two Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay. Russell's early films include Three Kings (1999) and Flirting with Disaster (1996).- Producer
- Director
- Writer
After seeing the films, COOLEY HIGH and TAXI DRIVER, Milwaukee, Wisconsin native George Tillman, Jr. became inspired to make films of his own. In 1994, George wrote and directed his first feature film, SCENES FOR THE SOUL. It was shot entirely in Chicago, using local talent and resources. The film, which cost $150,000 to make, caught the attention of Doug McHenry and George Jackson who acquired it for Savoy Pictures for $1 million. Following the momentum of this success, George began to write a script, loosely based on his own life--SOUL FOOD. SOUL FOOD began production on November 6th, 1996 on a hectic 30-day schedule with a cast that included Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Mekhi Phifer, Michael Beach, Irma P. Hall, and Brandon Hammond. Modestly budgeted at $7 million, SOUL FOOD opened to critical and financial success, grossing over $43 million domestically. As a result, George and his producing partner, Bob Teitel, landed a first look deal at Fox 2000, which they still maintain to this day. State Street Pictures became their company's new name - a reference to their earlier years as a filmmaking team in Chicago. George's next directorial effort was MEN OF HONOR, an epic story inspired by the life of Carl Brashear, a man who battled the obstacles of racism, a lack of education, and the loss of his leg to become the United States Navy's first African-American Master deep sea diver. The film starred Oscar winning actors Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Robert De Niro with an ensemble cast that included Charlize Theron, Michael Rapaport, Lonette McKee, Glynn Turman, and Hal Holbrook. After the success of MEN OF HONOR, George ventured into producing. In addition to his role as Executive Producer of the beloved "Soul Food: The Series" for Showtime Networks, George co-produced with partner, Bob Teitel the MGM BARBERSHOP series and ROLL BOUNCE. George stepped back into the director's chair in 2007 to direct the biopic NOTORIOUS at Fox Searchlight. This edgy telling of slain rapper Notorious BIG's life proved to be the perfect vehicle for George's directorial style and finesse. Starring the unknown Jamal Woolard as Christopher "Notorious BIG" Wallace, the film also boasts strong talent such as Derek Luke as Sean "Puffy" Combs, Oscar nominated Angela Bassett as Voletta Wallace and Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur. The film was released in January 2009. George then directed the thriller FASTER starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the 2010. George followed up that movie with THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE, a small indie exploring the hardships experienced by two young boys living alone in extreme poverty in a housing projects in Brooklyn. Written by Michael Starrbury, the movie debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where it was bought and released by LIONSGATE. The cast includes Jennifer Hudson, Anthony Mackie, Jeffery Wright and introducing Skylan Brooks and Ethan Dizon. In addition to directing features, George helmed the pilot LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD for NBC, along with episodes of Starz' POWER, Netflix/Marvel's LUKE CAGE, and NBC's dramedy THIS IS US. Currently, he is developing the feature film version of the much-anticipated novel THE HATE U GIVE written by Angela Thomas for Fox 2000 Pictures. The story follows a 16-year-old African American girl struggling to find her voice after the horrific shooting death of her friend by a white police officer.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Perry was born and raised in New Orleans, to Willie Maxine (Campbell) and Emmitt Perry, Sr. His mother was a church-goer and took Perry along with her once a week. His father was a carpenter and they had a very strained and abusive relationship, which led Perry to suffer from depression as a teenager.
In 1991, he was working an office job, when he saw an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986) discussing the therapeutic nature of writing. This inspired him to begin writing and he worked through his bad experiences by writing letters to himself. He adapted his letters into a play, "I Know I've Changed", about domestic abuse. Unfortunately, after renting a theater in Atlanta to put on the play, he failed to attract audiences.
He took on a series of odd jobs and found himself living in his car. But, in 1998, he was given a second chance to stage his play and, this time, he was more business-savvy with his marketing. The play was sold-out and drew attention from investors.
Tyler has gone on to established a successful career as a writer, director and producer for stage, television and film.- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Sierra Leonean-American Filmmaker Nikyatu's films have screened at festivals nationally and internationally. With a BA from Duke University and an MFA from NYU's Tisch Graduate Film school, she's earned various awards including NYU's Spike Lee Fellowship Award, the Princess Grace Narrative film grant and Director's Guild of America Honorable Mentions...Three of her short films were acquired by and aired on HBO.
Her latest film Suicide By Sunlight: a project funded by THROUGH HER LENS and sponsored by the Tribeca Film Institute and Chanel, made its debut at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and is currently finishing out a prolific the festival circuit.
Most recently, Nikyatu made her TV Directing debut with an episode of the original scripted horror anthology: Two Sentence Horror Stories, which premiered on CW Sept 2019.
Nikyatu is a tenure track Assistant Professor in the Film & Video department at George Mason University where she teaches Screenwriting and Directing and is currently in development on her first feature film.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended school in Morehouse College in Atlanta and developed his film making skills at Clark Atlanta University. After graduating from Morehouse, Lee attended the Tisch School of Arts graduate film program. He made a controversial short, The Answer (1980), a reworking of D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915), a ten-minute film. Lee went on to produce a 45-minute film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983) which won a student Academy Award. In 1986, Spike Lee made the film, She's Gotta Have It (1986), a comedy about sexual relationships. The movie was made for $175,000, and earned $7 million at the box office, which launched his career and allowed him to found his own production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. His next movie was School Daze (1988), which was set at a historically black school, focused mostly on the conflict between the school and the Fraternities, of which he was a strong critic, portraying them as materialistic, irresponsible, and uncaring. With his School Daze (1988) profits, Lee went on to make his landmark film, Do the Right Thing (1989), a movie based specifically his own neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The movie portrayed the racial tensions that emerge in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood on one very hot day. The movie garnered Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay, for Danny Aiello for supporting actor, and sparked a debate on racial relations. Lee went on to produce and direct the jazz biopic Mo' Better Blues (1990), the first of many Spike Lee films to feature Denzel Washington, including the biography of Malcolm X (1992), in which Washington portrayed the civil rights leader. The movie was a success, and garnered an Oscar nomination for Washington. The pair would work together again on He Got Game (1998), an excursion into the collegiate world showing the darker side of college athletic recruiting, as well as the 2006 film Inside Man (2006). Spike Lee's role as a documentarian has expanded over the years, highlighted by his participation in Lumière and Company (1995), the Oscar-nominated 4 Little Girls (1997), to his Peabody Award-winning biographical adaptation of Black Panther leader in A Huey P. Newton Story (2001), through his 2005 Emmy Award-winning examination of post-Katrina New Orleans in When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) and its follow-up five years later If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise (2010). Through his production company 40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks, Lee continues to create and direct both independent films and projects for major studios, as well as working on story development, creating an internship program for aspiring filmmakers, releasing music, and community outreach and support. He is married to Tonya Lewis Lee, and they have two sons, Satchel and Jackson.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
A prolific writer, filmmaker, director and idea generator, Deon Taylor is a self-taught, creative genius. His work is innovative, his writing is cutting edge and his vision is iconic. He is forever creating and is a force to be reckoned with in the conglomerate world of entertainment.
He is always thinking outside the box, juggling creative projects with ease, and his intelligence is so profound; it's a no brainer that Taylor continues to run his own thriving film and production company, Hidden Empire Film Group (HEFG) formerly known as Deon Taylor Enterprises (DTE), which he launched in 2000. Taylor has formed a partnership with Roxanne Avent, a thought-provoking visionary, an amazing producer and executive with a powerful business aptitude. With Taylor's superb insight, knowledge, desire and fire, this union who writes, directs, and produces all of their own projects will be a partnership to watch and learn from.
Taylor has written, co-written and directed dozens of films, TV series and special projects and HEFG produces a diverse array of larger budgeted projects, born of Taylor's boundless energy as a multi-hyphenate writer, director and he has expert financier on board, Robert Smith, who keeps everything checked and balanced.
For years, Taylor has been focused on the film genre of horrors/thrillers but when producer Vincent Cirrincione asked Taylor to read the script for the film Supremacy (inspired by actual events), his passion for this project was birthed. He knew he had to find the perfect ca Flav in 2009, and Night Tales: The Movie, which was released in 2011. Therefore, Night Tales 2: The Movie will be released in 2015 with great expectations and grandiose viewership.
Recently completed and the soon-to-be released blockbuster smash, Meet the Blacks, is produced by Avent and created by Deon Taylor. This film has a cast of some of the funniest comedians and actors around: Mike Epps, Charlie Murphy, Lil' Duval, Gary Owen, Deray Davis, Michael Blackson, Lavell Crawford, Andrew Bachelor (King Bach), Perez Hilton, Alex Henderson, Phil Austin, Bresha Webb, Zulay Henao, and Gloria Govan. Legendary comedian, story teller and writer, Paul Mooney and former heavy-weight champion, Mike Tyson will also star in the comedy that will set the bar for other comedy's that will follow.
Capitalizing on the breakout success and popularity of his Night Tales series, Taylor recently launched a new wholly-owned specialty label based on the "Night Tales" brand name. The new specialty label is titled Night Tales Presents and is solely dedicated to producing commercial horror films and television programming that pushes the envelope of terror. The label produces feature films and television series, as well as a softer-edged animated kids' series and a branded interactive online platform. He is masterful at building brands and Night Tales Presents is a universal brand, another genius idea of Taylor's.
Taylor has a background in marketing, sports and promotions. A Nike All-American basketball player from Gary, Indiana; he earned a biology degree at San Diego State University on a full basketball scholarship where he was named the conference's "Newcomer of the Year." Taylor went on to play professionally and still competes weekly in the coveted NBA Entertainment League out of Los Angeles.
The library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences requested a copy of the screenplay "Supremacy" for their permanent core collection. Materials in the core collection are made available for study in their reading room; scripts never circulate from the building and photocopying is strictly forbidden. They are a research library but serve a broad range of users - students, filmmakers and writers as well as those with general interests.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
With 20 years in the entertainment business, Datari Turner has worked along side some of the biggest names in entertainment history.
From 2010 to Date, as a feature film producer, Datari Turner has produced close to 30 feature films, making him one of the most prolific independent producers working today. "Another Happy Day" and "Salvation Boulevard" both premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. LUV premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Ten Thousand Saints in 2015 and Gook premiering at Sundance in 2017.
Turner produced, co-starred, and wrote the film "Video Girl" starring Meagan Good and Academy Award nominee Ruby Dee. The screenplay for "Video Girl," was recently accepted into the Academy of Motion Pictures Library and is on display in their exclusive archive. "Another Happy Day" starred Hollywood heavy weights Demi Moore, Ellen Barkin and Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn. "Salvation Boulevard" starred Oscar Winners Marisa Tomei and Jennifer Connolly in addition to A- List veterans Pierce Brosnan and Ed Harris.
"LUV," produced by Turner, starring Rapper/Actor Common, Danny Glover, and Dennis Haysbert, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews and opened in theaters across the country in January 2013. While working on "LUV" Turner also produced "About Cherry" starring Academy Award nominee James Franco, and Dev Petal, who starred in the Oscar winning film "Slumdog Millionaire." "About Cherry" premiered at the 62nd Annual Berlin Festival to critical acclaim. Turner then produced and starred in the popular indie comedy "Dysfunctional Friends "which premiered at both the SXSW and ABFF Film Festivals respectively. "Dysfunctional Friends" stars Turner, Meagan Good, Stacey Dash, Stacy Keibler, and NFL Icon Terrell "T.O." Owens in his acting debut.
The dark comedy "It's a Disaster" produced by Turner, opened in theaters in April, 2013 and was rated one of the 5 Best Independent films of 2013 by the Huffington Post. "It's a Disaster starred Julia Stiles, and America Ferrera. "Kilimanjaro" starring Brian Geraghty and Abigail Spencer premiered at SXSW in 2013. The Neil Labute film "Some Velvet Morning" starring Alice Eve and Stanley Tucci, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013. Turner produced Kilimanjaro and was an Executive Producer on the Neil Labute film.
Turner produced, co-wrote and co-starred in the film "Lap Dance" starring James Remar, Mariel Hemingway, Briana Evigan, Omari Hardwick and Lisa Raye. The John Stockwell thriller "Kid Cannabis." And the Katherine Heigl film "Jackie and Ryan" which premiered at the 71st Venice Film Festival. Turner is credited as an Executive Producer on Kid Cannabis and Associate Producer on Jackie and Ryan. Thousand Saints, starring Ethan Hawke, Emil Hircsh, and Hailee Steinfeld, became Turners 4th Produced Sundance Film in five years. Turner signed a First Look deal with CodeBlack/ Lions Gate Films in 2015. Datari Turner is currently producing, writing, and staring in "Supermodel" a film about the fashion industry which also stars Tyson Beckford, Sessilee Lopez, Roger Guenveur Smith and many others. "A Girl Like Grace" produced and co-starred in by Turner, stars Meagan Good, Raven Symone and Garcelle Beauvais, premiered at the LA Film Festival last June.
"9 Rides" produced by Turner premiered at the SXSW Film Festival to critical acclaim. Gook, a story about two Korean Kids who protect their shoe store in South Los Angeles during the L.A. Riots in 1992, won the prestigious Audience Award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Samuel Goldwyn for theatrical release in August, 2017. Supermodel was acquired by Netflix and premieres in the fall of 2017. A Boy. A Girl. A Dream is currently in production starred Omari Hardwick, Meagan Good, and Jay Ellis.
In Television: Datari recently signed a First Look Television Producing Deal with the largest Independent studio in the world, Entertainment One, to create, produce and develop new original programing. Turner has produced over 100 hours of original programming for networks WEtv, BET, TvOne, Starz, and the Oxygen network. Most recent television credits include "Love Thy Sister" premiering on the WE Channel in January of 2015. Datari serves as the shows Creator and Executive Producer. "Growing Up Hip-Hop" is in it's forth season staring Angela Simmons and Romeo for the WETV Channel. Datari serves as the shows Creator and Executive Producer. Growing Up Hip has turned into a lucrative franchise and is currently the highest rated television series on WETV. Growing Up Hip-Hop Atlanta, the first spin-off from the franchise, is in it's second season.
Datari currently resides in Beverly Hills, California and currently sits on the board of The Black House Foundation. He is an alum of the ABC/ Disney program and is repped at CAA.- Producer
- Writer
- Actress
Lena Waithe was born on 17 May 1984 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Master of None (2015), Ready Player One (2018) and Queen & Slim (2019). She has been married to Alana Mayo since November 2019.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Rachel Morrison is an American cinematographer. She is best known for the films Fruitvale Station (2013), Cake (2014), Dope (2015), Mudbound (2017) and Black Panther (2018).
She began her career working on series and TV movies for a number of networks.
The independent film Palo Alto (2007) marked Morrison's debut as the primary cinematographer on a feature film.
For her work on Mudbound she earned a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, making her the first woman ever recognized in the category.- Director
- Producer
- Stunts
David Leitch is a billion dollar film director, actor, stuntman, writer, producer, and stunt coordinator. He co-directed John Wick (2014) with Chad Stahelski, on which he also served as producer. David directed Atomic Blonde (2017) starring Charlize Theron. David also directed the box office smash and critically acclaimed Deadpool 2 (2018). He is also the director of Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019).
Leitch was a stunt double for Brad Pitt five times, Matt Damon multiple times as well, including The Bourne Ultimatum (2007).- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Executive
- Director
- Producer
Victorious De Costa is known for Jackie Robinson: Get to the Bag (2022), Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn (2020) and Digging for Weldon Irvine (2019).- Producer
- Editor
- Director
Sam Pollard is known for Mr. Soul! (2018), Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me (2017) and MLK/FBI (2020).- Producer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Celebrated American documentarian who gradually amassed a considerable reputation and a devoted audience with a series of reassuringly traditional meditations on Americana. Burns' works are treasure troves of archival materials; he skillfully utilizes period music and footage, photographs, periodicals and ordinary people's correspondence, the latter often movingly read by seasoned professional actors in a deliberate attempt to get away from a "Great Man" approach to history. Like most non-fiction filmmakers, Burns wears many hats on his projects, often serving as writer, cinematographer, editor and music director in addition to producing and directing. He achieved his apotheosis with The Civil War (1990), a phenomenally popular 11-hour documentary that won two Emmys and broke all previous ratings records for public TV. The series' companion coffee table book--priced at a hefty $50--sold more than 700,000 copies. The audio version, narrated by Burns, was also a major best-seller. In the final accounting, "The Civil War" became the first documentary to gross over $100 million. Not surprisingly, it has become perennial fund-raising programming for public TV stations around the country. Burns arrived upon the scene with the Oscar-nominated Brooklyn Bridge (1981), a nostalgic chronicle of the construction of the fabled edifice. The film was more widely seen when rebroadcast on PBS the following year. Though Burns has made other nonfiction films for theatrical release, notably an acclaimed and ambiguous portrait of Depression-era Louisiana governor Huey Long (1985), PBS would prove to be his true home. He cast a probing eye on such American subjects as The Statue of Liberty (1985), The Congress (1989) (PBS), painter Thomas Hart Benton (1989) (PBS) and early radio with Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991) (PBS). Burns returned to long-form documentary with his most ambitious project to date, an 18-hour history of Baseball (1994), which aired on PBS in the fall of 1994. He approached the national pastime as a template for understanding changes in modern American society. Ironically, this was the only baseball on the air at the time, as the players and owners were embroiled in a bitter strike.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Barry Jenkins was born on 19 November 1979 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is a producer and director, known for If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Moonlight (2016) and Aftersun (2022).- Writer
- Producer
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Reginald Hudlin was born on 15 December 1961 in Centerville, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Marshall (2017), House Party (1990) and Django Unchained (2012). He has been married to Chrisette Suter since 30 November 2002. They have two children.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, producer or writer since launching the summer blockbuster with Jaws (1975), and he has done more to define popular film-making since the mid-1970s than anyone else.
Steven Allan Spielberg was born in 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Leah Frances (Posner), a concert pianist and restaurateur, and Arnold Spielberg, an electrical engineer who worked in computer development. His parents were both born to Russian Jewish immigrant families. Steven spent his younger years in Haddon Township, New Jersey, Phoenix, Arizona, and later Saratoga, California. He went to California State University Long Beach, but dropped out to pursue his entertainment career. Among his early directing efforts were Battle Squad (1961), which combined World War II footage with footage of an airplane on the ground that he makes you believe is moving. He also directed Escape to Nowhere (1961), which featured children as World War Two soldiers, including his sister Anne Spielberg, and The Last Gun (1959), a western. All of these were short films. The next couple of years, Spielberg directed a couple of movies that would portend his future career in movies. In 1964, he directed Firelight (1964), a movie about aliens invading a small town. In 1967, he directed Slipstream (1967), which was unfinished. However, in 1968, he directed Amblin' (1968), which featured the desert prominently, and not the first of his movies in which the desert would feature. Amblin' also became the name of his production company, which turned out such classics as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg had a unique and classic early directing project, Duel (1971), with Dennis Weaver. In the early 1970s, Spielberg was working on TV, directing among others such series as Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1969), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969) and Murder by the Book (1971). All of his work in television and short films, as well as his directing projects, were just a hint of the wellspring of talent that would dazzle audiences all over the world.
Spielberg's first major directorial effort was The Sugarland Express (1974), with Goldie Hawn, a film that marked him as a rising star. It was his next effort, however, that made him an international superstar among directors: Jaws (1975). This classic shark attack tale started the tradition of the summer blockbuster or, at least, he was credited with starting the tradition. His next film was the classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), a unique and original UFO story that remains a classic. In 1978, Spielberg produced his first film, the forgettable I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), and followed that effort with Used Cars (1980), a critically acclaimed, but mostly forgotten, Kurt Russell/Jack Warden comedy about devious used-car dealers. Spielberg hit gold yet one more time with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), with Harrison Ford taking the part of Indiana Jones. Spielberg produced and directed two films in 1982. The first was Poltergeist (1982), but the highest-grossing movie of all time up to that point was the alien story E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg also helped pioneer the practice of product placement. The concept, while not uncommon, was still relatively low-key when Spielberg raised the practice to almost an art form with his famous (or infamous) placement of Reese's Pieces in "E.T." Spielberg was also one of the pioneers of the big-grossing special-effects movies, like "E.T." and "Close Encounters", where a very strong emphasis on special effects was placed for the first time on such a huge scale. In 1984, Spielberg followed up "Raiders" with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), which was a commercial success but did not receive the critical acclaim of its predecessor. As a producer, Spielberg took on many projects in the 1980s, such as The Goonies (1985), and was the brains behind the little monsters in Gremlins (1984). He also produced the cartoon An American Tail (1986), a quaint little animated classic. His biggest effort as producer in 1985, however, was the blockbuster Back to the Future (1985), which made Michael J. Fox an instant superstar. As director, Spielberg took on the book The Color Purple (1985), with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, with great success. In the latter half of the 1980s, he also directed Empire of the Sun (1987), a mixed success for the occasionally erratic Spielberg. Success would not escape him for long, though.
The late 1980s found Spielberg's projects at the center of pop-culture yet again. In 1988, he produced the landmark animation/live-action film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). The next year proved to be another big one for Spielberg, as he produced and directed Always (1989) as well as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Back to the Future Part II (1989). All three of the films were box-office and critical successes. Also, in 1989, he produced the little known comedy-drama Dad (1989), with Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson, which got mostly mixed results. Spielberg has also had an affinity for animation and has been a strong voice in animation in the 1990s. Aside from producing the landmark "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", he produced the animated series Tiny Toon Adventures (1990), Animaniacs (1993), Pinky and the Brain (1995), Freakazoid! (1995), Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1998), Family Dog (1993) and Toonsylvania (1998). Spielberg also produced other cartoons such as The Land Before Time (1988), We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), Casper (1995) (the live action version) as well as the live-action version of The Flintstones (1994), where he was credited as "Steven Spielrock". Spielberg also produced many Roger Rabbit short cartoons, and many Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs and Tiny Toons specials. Spielberg was very active in the early 1990s, as he directed Hook (1991) and produced such films as the cute fantasy Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991). He also produced the unusual comedy thriller Arachnophobia (1990), Back to the Future Part III (1990) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). While these movies were big successes in their own right, they did not quite bring in the kind of box office or critical acclaim as previous efforts. In 1993, Spielberg directed Jurassic Park (1993), which for a short time held the record as the highest grossing movie of all time, but did not have the universal appeal of his previous efforts. Big box-office spectacles were not his only concern, though. He produced and directed Schindler's List (1993), a stirring film about the Holocaust. He won best director at the Oscars, and also got Best Picture. In the mid-90s, he helped found the production company DreamWorks, which was responsible for many box-office successes.
As a producer, he was very active in the late 90s, responsible for such films as The Mask of Zorro (1998), Men in Black (1997) and Deep Impact (1998). However, it was on the directing front that Spielberg was in top form. He directed and produced the epic Amistad (1997), a spectacular film that was shorted at the Oscars and in release due to the fact that its release date was moved around so much in late 1997. The next year, however, produced what many believe was one of the best films of his career: Saving Private Ryan (1998), a film about World War Two that is spectacular in almost every respect. It was stiffed at the Oscars, losing best picture to Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Spielberg produced a series of films, including Evolution (2001), The Haunting (1999) and Shrek (2001). he also produced two sequels to Jurassic Park (1993), which were financially but not particularly critical successes. In 2001, he produced a mini-series about World War Two that definitely *was* a financial and critical success: Band of Brothers (2001), a tale of an infantry company from its parachuting into France during the invasion to the Battle of the Bulge. Also in that year, Spielberg was back in the director's chair for A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), a movie with a message and a huge budget. It did reasonably at the box office and garnered varied reviews from critics.
Spielberg has been extremely active in films there are many other things he has done as well. He produced the short-lived TV series SeaQuest 2032 (1993), an anthology series entitled Amazing Stories (1985), created the video-game series "Medal of Honor" set during World War Two, and was a starting producer of ER (1994). Spielberg, if you haven't noticed, has a great interest in World War Two. He and Tom Hanks collaborated on Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen (2000), a documentary about World War II combat photographers, and he produced a documentary about the Holocaust called Eyes of the Holocaust (2000). With all of this to Spielberg's credit, it's no wonder that he's looked at as one of the greatest ever figures in entertainment.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
- Producer
- Director
- Editor
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Leslie Harris is known for Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992), Bessie Coleman's Dream to Fly (1993) and New York Conversations (2010).- Producer
- Production Manager
Nicholas Maye is Co-Founder of the Oscar Winning Production Company, Six Feet Over. A Film and Television Producer with a decade worth of experience as a brand strategist with proven results, making him one of the most highly sought-after young creatives in the business. Most recently Executive Producing 'UPPITY: THE WILLY T. RIBBS STORY,' and the Oscar Winning Short Action Film, "Two Distant Strangers."- Producer
- Director
- Actor
A graduate of Wesleyan University, Michael Bay spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. His first projects after film school were in the music video business. He created music videos for Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond and Divinyls. His work won him recognition and a number of MTV award nominations. He also filmed advertisements for Nike, Reebok, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Miller Lite. He won the Grand Prix Clio for Commercial of the Year for his "Got Milk/Aaron Burr" commercial. At Cannes, he has won the Gold Lion for The Best Beer campaign for Miller Lite, as well as the Silver for "Got Milk". In 1995, Bay was honored by the Directors Guild of America as Commercial Director of the Year. That same year, he also directed his first feature film, Bad Boys (1995), starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, which grossed more than $160 million, worldwide. His follow-up film, The Rock (1996), starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, was also hugely successful, making Bay the director du jour.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Adam McKay (born April 17, 1968) is an American screenwriter, director, comedian, and actor. McKay has a comedy partnership with Will Ferrell, with whom he co-wrote the films Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and The Other Guys. Ferrell and McKay also founded their comedy website Funny or Die through their production company Gary Sanchez Productions. He has been married to Shira Piven since 1999. They have two children.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Somali-American Filmmaker Idil Ibrahim's films have screened at festivals in the USA and throughout the world. Idil was selected as one of five women directors to direct a short film for Glamour Magazine's The Girl Project. She is a recipient of the 2017 Extraordinary Women Awards held by the 92nd Street Y, a hub for women to learn and inspire others by sharing their knowledge, ideas, insights and strength. She was also selected as one of OkayAfrica's "100 Women" for 2018. Idil is an alumni of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) Episodic Series program, as well as an alumni of Tribeca Film Institute's Tribeca All Access.
Idil Ibrahim's first short, SEGA, was in the international competition alongside four Oscar nominated shorts in the International Competition at the prestigious Clermont Ferrand International Film Festival, and went on to win the jury award for Best Short Film at the 2019 BlackStar Film Festival and the Golden Dhow for Best Short Film at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. Sega was acquired by Canal Plus Cinema for television and aired throughout Africa and Europe. In 2022, she was hand picked as a director for the Queen Collective, part of the Widen the Screen initiative of Tribeca Studios, Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit and Proctor and Gamble. Her upcoming short film In Her Element will be broadcast nationally in 2023.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Gina Prince-Bythewood (Writer/Producer/Director) studied at UCLA Film School, where she received the Gene Reynolds Scholarship for Directing and the Ray Stark Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Undergraduate. She was a member of UCLA's track and field team, qualifying for the Pac-10 Championships in the triple jump.
Upon her graduation, she was hired as a writer on the television series "A Different World." She continued to write and produce for network television on series such as "Felicity," "South Central," and "Sweet Justice" before making the transition to directing.
Prince-Bythewood wrote and directed the widely-acclaimed feature film "Love and Basketball", which premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. Prince-Bythewood won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and a Humanitas Prize for her work on the film. She followed that success with the HBO film "Disappearing Acts."
In 2008, she wrote and directed the celebrated adaptation of the best-selling novel, "The Secret Life of Bees." The film won two People's Choice Awards and two NAACP Image Awards. Her third feature "Beyond the Lights" came in 2014 and garnered an Oscar nomination for best song and landed on a number of top critics Best of 2014 lists including the NY Times, Washington Post and Vulture.
She is the first Black woman to direct a superhero film, "The Old Guard," based on the celebrated graphic novel by Greg Rucka for Skydance and Netflix. It premiered on Netflix July 10, 2020 to record ratings, and 6th most popular film of all-time on Netflix.
Prince-Bythewood, along with her husband Reggie Rock Bythewood, created and produced "Shots Fired," a ten hour special event series for Fox, which premiered in 2017. TIME magazine praised, "An achievement...a testament to how ambitious even broadcast television has become."
She directed the pilot for the Marvel series "Cloak and Dagger" starring Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph, which debuted to record ratings for Freeform. She directed the pilot for the ABC limited event series "Women of the Movement," about Mamie and Emmett Till which is currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
She directed the feature film "The Woman King" for Tri-Star and Sony. The historical epic action drama features an amazing ensemble including Oscar-winner Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim and Adrienne Warren, releasing theatrically September of 2022.
She is proud to fund a scholarship for African American students in UCLA's film program. She resides in Southern California with her husband Reggie and their amazing sons, Cassius and Toussaint.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Tasha Smith is a multifaceted actress and director whose work brings style and intensity to the projects she works on, whether in front of or behind the camera. From her roles as "Carol" on Fox's hit drama Empire, "Brenda" in Netflix's Running Out Of Time, to her critically-acclaimed portrayal of the drug-addicted "Ronnie Boyce" in HBO's Emmy Award winning mini-series The Corner, Tasha embodies her characters and gives them life. Tasha's memorable portrayal of "Angela" in Why Did I Get Married? and its sequel Why Did I Get Married, Too? sparked the creation of the spin-off series For Better Or Worse on OWN, for which she earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for "Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series." Other feature credits include Lionsgate films Addicted and Daddy's Little Girls (opposite Idris Elba), Sony's Jumping The Broom, and Universal's romantic comedy Couples Retreat, among others.
Most recently, Tasha has directed episodes of 9-1-1 for Fox, Black Lightning for The CW, the Untitled Tracy Oliver project for Amazon, Star on Fox, P-Valley on Starz, Tales on BET, as well as her directorial debut feature film for TV1 titled When Love Kills, which was nominated for a NAACP Award.
Tasha Smith's infectious optimism and enthusiasm command attention in her professional and private lives. She takes time to share her inspirational life story through motivational speaking and mentoring emerging actors through the Tasha Smith Actors Workshop (TSAW).- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Timothy Kevin Story was born on March 13, 1970 in Los Angeles, California. Attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California with jazz pianist Eric Reed and actresses Regina King and Nia Long. Graduated from USC film school.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Father, Walter D. Brewer worked in a number of high-level corporate positions for Matson Navigation Company, culminating in the position of director of corporate development from 1990-1998, when he died. His work caused the family to move from Vallejo, California (where Craig attended elementary school and junior high) to Orange County, returning to Vallejo in the early 1990s. Walter frequently rented out local theaters to present young Craig's plays and often financed Craig's productions.
Craig's mother, Gail, was a school board member for Vallejo's district both times the family lived there and taught English and Drama in nearby Mt. Diablo School District. She allowed her son, fresh out of high school, to teach her drama courses at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill, California and produce/direct the school's plays, with the school occasionally serving as a showcase for his original works. Craig's father also helped finance school productions, and helped to rent out local theaters for additional shows. Craig's high school friends, including future wife, Jodi Brewer and Chris Barela, took an active role in CPHS's drama department productions. Craig's younger sister, Amanda Brewer, attended CPHS from 1992-1995.- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Writer
Nazrin Choudhury is known for Red, White and Blue (2023), Wayward Pines (2015) and Fear the Walking Dead (2015).