D. Channsin Berry BIOGRAPHY
D. Channsin Berry, a modern day Renaissance man, is a filmmaker, as well as a prolific songwriter, and painter. Mr. Berry's career has moved seamlessly through the movie and music industries. Mr. Berry started his career in New York radio at WBLS (FM) (under the leadership of mentor and friend Frankie Crocker). After spending 5 years in radio in the Bay Area. Mr. Berry moved to Los Angeles for a position in the Walt Disney Studios Feature Film Financing Division, where he honed his skills in the production and finance side of the business.
Mr. Berry, went on to expand his creative talents by writing and directing music videos for artists such as Chaka Khan and Dionne Warwick to name a few. Mr. Berry also directed the PRAME Awards (Blacks in Advertising). Mr. Berry, then used his music talent to write songs for Pop/R&B Diva Chaka Khan, Jazz vocalist Mary Stallings, Prince/Rosie Gaines, and Jazz Legend Nancy Wilson (2006 Grammy Award Winning CD "Turned to Blue").
In between his music endeavors, he worked in television as an Executive Producer/Director and sometimes hosts for various shows such as BET's, NY/LA Entertainment magazine, All The People (talk show Fox-Bay Area), Shaq Jam (Hip Hop concert, Direct TV/Fox), Remixed (BET) and the Fox entertainment show "Poker Dome."
Mr. Berry, moved on to direct independent films and documentaries such as "A Different Shade of Love," "My Father's Music…Jazz" (Documentary PBS/Cable) and "The Black Line…" (A Profile of the Black Male...Parts 1, 2 and 3). He is currently working on several Film and TV projects for Urban Winter Entertainment with business partner Mark Cohen. Mr. Berry is also the founder of the D.Channsin Berry Foundation (which raises money for LUPUS awareness)
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BILL DUKE BIOGRAPHY
Recently received a Lifetime Achievement Tribute from the Directors Guild of America as he joined the ranks of directors Stephen Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, and Clint Eastwood. But what makes Bill Duke standout from these other directors is the fact that he is a director who paved the way for African Americans in cinema beginning in the early 1970's.
He is the founder and CEO of Duke Media, formerly Yagya Productions, which has been successfully producing film and television for over 30 years.
Bill Duke serves on the Board of Trustees at the American Film Institute. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has also appointed him to the California State Film Commission Board. Bill Duke served as the Time Warner Endowed Chair in the Department of Radio Television and Film at Howard University in Washington, DC. He was then appointed to the National Endowment of the Humanities by President Bill Clinton.
Bill Duke's directing credits include The Killing Floor, A Rage in Harlem, Sister Act 2, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, The Cemetery Club, Cover and Not Easily Broken. Currently in postproduction are the films Black Diamonds: The Evolution of Blacks in Baseball and Dark Girls.
Bill Duke's acting credits include Predator, American Gigolo, Car Wash, Commando, Menace II Society, Bird on a Wire, The Limey, Get Rich or Die Trying, and X-Men 3
Bill Duke is a humanitarian and activist who devotes his time to charity and not for profit organizations. He is on the Board of Directors of Educating Young Minds after school program with the mission to help inner city youth in the United States excel in school and life. He is also extensively involved with the United Nations UNAIDS mission to eliminate AIDS globally.
As film history has proven, Bill Duke welcomes the challenges of making films with a voice that needs to be heard.
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