Black PR Wire Power Profiler on Jeff Friday, Founder, The American Black Film Festival

Jeff Friday entered the film business in 1996 when he became president of UniWorld Films, a division of UniWorld Group, Inc. His success there put him at the forefront of the independent Black film movement and fueled his commitment to transform the business of Black cinema.

Under his direction, the company founded the Acapulco Black Film Festival and he began to market movies to studios, including DreamWorks’ Amistad, to the African American audience.

In 2001, Friday founded Film Life, Inc and one year later, he acquired the rights to the Acapulco Black Film Festival, moved it stateside and renamed it the American Black Film Festival (ABFF).

With diversity and social responsibility at its core, the festival supports aspiring actors, filmmakers and industry executives in unprecedented ways. Since its inception, the ABFF has showcased more than 800 films, rewarding and redefining artistic excellence in independent filmmaking. Now in its 17th year, it is widely considered the premier international festival for African American and urban content.

Friday is the Executive Producer of ABFF Independent, a two-hour weekly television program featuring the best feature-length, short and documentary films made by emerging Black artists. Hosted by actor Omari Hardwick, ABFF Independent launched in June 2012 on Magic Johnson’s new cable network, ASPIRE.

Cited for his experience and knowledge of the film industry, Jeff Friday is highly sought after as a public speaker. He devotes considerable time to nurturing the careers of individuals in front of and behind the camera. Friday’s professional efforts have been covered in numerous publications, including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Crain’s, Essence, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Uptown magazine and VIBE. He has also been profiled on WNBC-TV in New York and featured in print advertising campaigns for such brands as Walmart, Allstate and Bleu de Chanel.

Jeff Friday boasts more than twenty-five years of success as a product marketer, entertainment executive and entrepreneur. A cum laude graduate of Howard University, with a degree in finance, he received his MBA in marketing from New York University’s Leonard Stern School of Business.

He resides in New Jersey with his wife, Nicole, and children.