“The stories and themes explored by this incredibly talented group of artists beautifully embody Sundance’s spirit and the mission of our program today. These projects carry tremendous potential for narrative change and remind us of the vital importance of bold, risk-taking independent film for a healthy democracy and a thriving civil society.” – Sundance Documentary […]
Read MoreHBO and Words + Pictures have launched production on a documentary about Barry Bonds, one of baseball’s greatest players – and one of the most polarizing figures in all professional sport. The untitled Bonds film is being directed by Keith McQuirter (By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem) and executive produced by […]
Read MoreI am deeply honored to be a part of the esteemed Firelight Media family, led by acclaimed filmmakers Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith. Firelight Media stands as the preeminent hub for non-fiction cinema centered on and created by communities of color. With a rich history of producing impactful documentary films and nurturing filmmakers from diverse […]
Read MoreSuper excited to have directed an episode of this inspiring docuseries about small business owners in Atlanta and their impact locally and globally. It was so much fun working creatively with OBB Media, the Atlanta based production crew and with Shaq himself. My episode airs March 1st! Click below to see official website!
Read MoreThrilled and incredibly honored to have won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in Documentary for the EPIX series “By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem“!
Read MoreFOX 5 NY aired a segment on their show “Good Day Street Talk” that featured me and the documentary “By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem”.
Read MoreProducers Guild of America featured me and my company Decoder Media in their magazine Produced By for the Feb/Mar issue. Check out the story about making the documentary series “By Whatever Means Necessary: The Time of Godfather of Harlem” during COVID.
Read MoreI was a guest on “Brown and Black” podcast with hosts Jack Rico and Mike Sargent where we talked about achieving Brown and Black unity through music.
Read MoreI was a guest on Rachel C’s show “Hear and Now” and we talked about “By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem”.
Read MoreNew EPIX docuseries “By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times Of Godfather Harlem” brings to life the excitement of 1960s Harlem and introduces the artists who dared to use their voices, instruments and lyrics to take a stand against systemic injustice. Tonight, executive producer and director Keith McQuirter and vocalist Robin Clark takes us on this […]
Read MoreNYS Music did a Q&A with me about the making of “BY WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY: The Times of Godfather of Harlem”. Check it out in the link below.
Read MoreThe Mississippi stories I produced on The Innocence Files received a notable review from screendaily.com. Check out the article! The first two episodes of Netflix’s 9×60-minute The Innocence Files detail one true-life story of two men wrongly convicted of rape and murder. Directed by Roger Ross Williams (American Jail), they make a stand-out feature-length documentary when viewed […]
Read MoreHere is what The Daily Beast said about the first three episodes my team and I produced: “’The Innocence Files’ recounts eight stories over the course of nine episodes, which are themselves grouped into three categories: ‘The Evidence,’ ‘The Witness’ and ‘The Prosecution.’ That first group is the most eye-opening.”
Read MoreAmerican University published the impact report on MILWAUKEE 53206. It’s evidence to what so many of us know already, that documentary films matter and are catalysts for change. Special Thanks to Center for Media & Social Impact and Odyssey Impact.
Read MoreI’m excited to share that “The Innocence Files”, the new nine-part docu-series that I was one of the producers on, will debut on Netflix on April 15th. Congrats to all the teams involved — One Story Up Productions, Jigsaw Productions and Moxie Pictures!
Read MoreITVS created a home for indie documentary filmmakers and I’m so grateful to be apart of the long tradition of public media storytelling. Check out the blog written by ITVS about filmmakers providing insight on taking risks.
Read MoreIt was great fun working in collaboration with my friends at the agency NSG/SWAT, the Zeel team, my incredible production crew and the iconic Cindy Crawford to produce several spots for Zeel, the in home massage app.
Read MoreBaron Walker remembers the morning when he and his grandfather stood across from each other in the driveway of his grandfather’s house. Both men kicking the tires of Baron’s black 1989 Mercury Cougar LS, neither looked at the other the entire time they spoke.
Read MoreBlack Public Media recognized the new documentary I’m directing and producing, The 3,000 Project, winner of its PitchBLACK award. PitchBLACK was the culmination of Black Public Media’s 13-week 360 Incubator + initiative for broadcast programs. I’m thrilled The 3,000 Project was chosen!
Read MoreLast year I was invited to write a short story to be included in a new book titled “The Milwaukee Anthology” by Belt Publishing and edited by Justin Kern. My short story is titled “The Rippling Effect of Baron Walker” and explores the choices one man made that got him into prison and the choices that got […]
Read MoreThis is the power of storytelling to expose injustice. This is the power of documentary to bring about change.
Read MoreI interviewed with WE ARE MOVING PEOPLE ahead of the 2018 BlackStar Film Festival.
Read MoreHere’s a piece I wrote as a contributing writer on PBS’s America ReFramed UNFILTERED where I discuss The Moral Crisis of Mass Incarceration.
Read MoreHonored to be a guest on radio talk show Wanda’s Picks hosted by Wanda Sabir from the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper to talk about MILWAUKEE 53206 and two other films about mass incarceration airing on World Channel’s America ReFramed BEYOND THE WALL and THE CORRIDOR. All part of a three film line up for the […]
Read MoreOn April 3rd, 2018 at 8pm EST / 7pm CST MILWAUKEE 53206 will have it’s television premiere on World Channel (check your local listings) as part of the acclaimed documentary series America Reframed. Free streaming will begin on April 4, 2018 on worldchannel.org and all station-branded PBS platforms.
Read MoreKevyn Fairchild of the Producer’s Guild of America hosts the podcast Produced By with guest documentary filmmakers Keith McQuirter and Nick Stuart joining by phone to discuss their film MILWAUKEE 53206 and documentary as a tool for social justice.
Read MoreThe United States imprisons its people at an unprecedented rate never seen in human history. It leads the world in the highest rates of incarceration, imprisoning a staggering 25% of the world’s prison population and creating what is currently known as mass incarceration. The battle cry has been summoned demanding justice and calling for prison […]
Read MoreThrough portal technology linking New York City’s Time Square to the 53206 ZIP code in Milwaukee, I hosted an interactive discussion around mass incarceration using the themes from the documentary MILWAUKEE 53206. My guests Dennis Walton and Lewis Lee of Made Men Worldwide both brought engaging perspectives on the issues and their work in the community. […]
Read MoreI’m thrilled to announce that MILWAUKEE 53206 won the National Council on Crime and Delinquency’s 2017 Media for a Just Society Award in the film category. We are additionally honored to have tied with Netflix’s phenomenal documentary 13TH, directed by Ava DuVernay who I truly admire and whose work I love. MILWAUKEE 53206 and 13TH together will receive the […]
Read MoreIt’s a true honor that MILWAUKEE 53206 won the Grand Jury Prize presented by HBO for Best Feature Documentary at Urbanworld Film Festival. A huge Thank You to Urbanworld and HBO for believing in the power of storytelling, to my entire cast and crew, Transform Films. Also, thank you to the people of 53206 for […]
Read MorePhotographs taken during the making of MILWAUKEE 53206 are now part of a permanent exhibition called Prisons Today: Questions in the Age of Mass Incarceration at Eastern State Penitentiary Museum in Philadelphia, PA. The new exhibition is the first in the United States to address issues of mass incarceration. Eastern State Penitentiary, once an infamous prison […]
Read MoreThis weekend we had two back-to-back screenings of MILWAUKEE 53206 in Minneapolis. The first was at Urban Affairs international annual conference which is an interdisciplinary space for engaging in intellectual and practical discussions about urban life. Urban scholars, researchers, and public service professionals present their theoretical, empirical, and action-oriented research with an aim to foster understanding […]
Read MoreAnother lively discussion after the premiere of MILWAUKEE 53206 at the Detroit Institute of Arts as part of the FREEP Film Festival. After the film Detroit Free Press staff writer Katrease Stafford led a discussion that included myself; Beverly Walker and Chad Wilson, both stories in the film; Michigan State Representative Erika Geiss, D-Taylor and Joseph […]
Read MoreAtlanta Film Festival welcomed MILWAUKEE 53206 with a nearly packed theater. Local activist in prison reform and just those curious about the subject matter filled the seats and engaged me and the cast of the film in a powerful discussion about massive incarceration.
Read MoreThis year I agency executive produced a series of Cadillac spots for their brands ATS, Escalade, CT6, XT5 and CTS. Agency Rokkan.
Read More“If we’re not ready to cause hell we can sit and watch these films and think ‘this is terrible’ and go about our regular business, but until we cause hell this cycle is going to continue.” — Rudy Bankston a community liaison for MMSD
Read MoreEdgewood College planned a full day surrounding MILWAUKEE 53206. The Dominican Catholic college long ago committed itself to issues of social justice and the faculty and students greeted me and Beverly Walker, who is featured in MILWAUKEE 53206, with a warm welcome. The campus theater was packed for the screening, and afterwards Beverly, Prestisa (Beverly’s oldest […]
Read MoreWhile in Madison I interviewed with Jan Miyazaki of WORT 89.9 FM about MILWAUKEE 53206.
Read MoreThe State Senator of Wisconsin, Lena Taylor, asked that I be a guest at first annual Lobby Day that takes place at the state capital in Madison, Wisconsin, where constituents lobby their legislature on issues of criminal justice and many other issues affecting their state. I was honored to be apart of the successful event and […]
Read MoreI agency executive produced three Cadillac spots for the new ‘Dare Greatly’ campaign that launched during Oscars 2017. I had an amazing time working with Cadillac, the creative team at Rokkan, who is re-imagining this classic American icon, and Independent Media.
Read MoreCommercial I agency executive produced for Cadillac that aired during the Academy Awards 2017.
Read MorePedestal was one of three commercials that aired during the 2017 Academy Awards that I agency executive produced. Agency Rokkan.
Read MoreIt was an honor to be the featured guest at the kick-off of Marquette University’s Mission Week. The day of dialogue revolved around MILWAUKEE 53206 with 1,200 in total attendance. Beyond discussions of racial justice, I had a chance to dialogue with the Marquette film students about filmmaking and their aspirations to be directors and […]
Read MoreWe had a great screening and lively discussion at Google Creative Lab in NYC. It’s amazing the ideas that get generated when you bring dynamic creatives from different stratas together in one room. I’m so proud of my team and my cast and very excited by what’s to come.
Read MoreThe national ACLU and Congresswoman Gwen Moore invited the team of MILWAUKEE 53206 for a Congressional screening of the movie. Afterwards Dice Raw from The Roots joined us for a discussion on criminal justice reform.
Read MoreMIlWAUKEE 53206 screened in a special program called Mean Streets: Viewing the Divided City through the Lens of Film and Television at the Missouri History Museum during the St. Louis International Film Festival. Dr. Margaret Garb, professor at the Department of History at Washington University St. Louis and I spoke after the screening about how […]
Read MoreUS Congresswoman Gwen Moore spoke with The Huffington Post about the documentary MILWAUKEE 53206 and her leadership representing the most incarcerated ZIP code in America for black men.
Read More“McQuirter doesn’t propose a grand thesis about Milwaukee’s incarceration problems. But he is interested in its effects, in both presenting them and absorbing them…” — David Klein, film critic Lake Front Row
Read More“You might be expecting a gritty, depressing litany of statistics and tragedies about the city’s poorest zip code, but you’d be wrong.” — Cal Roach, Journalist Milwaukee Record
Read MorePanel discussion after the festival premiere of MILWAUKEE 53206 at the Milwaukee Film Festival. Both the cast and local leaders in the fight for change shared the stage to talk about solutions to many of the issues affecting our communities.
Read More“This past spring, a New York Times article attempted to uncover the enormity of the crisis by giving a glimpse with a staggering number: 1.5 million black men between the ages 25-54 are missing from daily life due to early death or incarceration…. This is a tsunami that must end.”
Read More“They’re not helpless people. They’re not hopeless people. Each of them is doing something to make change,” says McQuirter.
Read MoreWorking with Caroline Wozniacki on the Wheels Up commercial was a lot of fun. Between practicing for the US Open she found time to shoot our spot in Santa Monica. Good times as always on the Wheels Up set.
Read MoreThe MILWAUKEE 53206 family were invited to speak at The Summit for Change in Washington DC. After a screening of the film we shared the panel with activists who are working across the US in criminal justice reform. It was truly an honor to be part of The Summit and to meet so many leaders committed […]
Read MoreAfter coming off a pretty busy week with the premiere of MILWAUKEE 53206, it was a pleasure sitting down and speaking with Bonnie North on the Lake Effect Show while in Milwaukee.
Read MoreCommercial I agency executive produced for Wheels Up. Production company Decon. Agency NSG/SWAT.
Read More“You have high rates of unemployment, you have young people without places to go,” said Keith McQuirter, the director. “You have policies in place that are trapping young people in the criminal justice system, they can’t get out of.”
Read MoreThe Crew training future filmmakers in Milwaukee. Passing the torch. No other way to do it. Storytelling must continue.
Read MoreThis year, I’ve been directing a documentary that follows the affects mass incarceration has on a community. This story takes us into the heart of Milwaukee’s poorest zip code 53206 where by the age of 34, only 38% of the men have not spent time in a state correctional facility.
Read MoreI had a great time working with the AfroBeat Maven Wunmi and choreographers Ousmane and Joilynn. I’ve loved Wunmi’s music ever since I first heard her collaboration with Masters At Work on the tribute remake to Fela Kuti’s Expensive Sh*t. When her freshman album A.L.A dropped, I knew I had to work with her and […]
Read MoreI had a great crew and cast on the NY Rangers spot shot in Mt. Kisco, NY with super fan Dancing Larry. And, just in time for the Finals! The blinged out boom box didn’t make it into the spot, but it was awesome nevertheless. Let’s Go Rangers!
Read MoreFrom the Vogue Closet I directed through Decoupage Productions for Condé Nast Entertainment. The executives at Vogue were all great sports. These women run departments in one of the leading fashion publications in the world, so for them to break away from their schedules to be in front of the camera was out of the […]
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