Jeff Friday - S 2015
Getty ImagesCAA has signed the American Black Film Festival and its founder, Jeff Friday, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.
The ABFF, considered the nation’s largest event dedicated to black cinema, will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. In addition to the annual festival, which will be held next June in Miami Beach with Common serving as ambassador, the ABFF also will put on a gala awards show on Feb. 21 in Beverly Hills. Mike Epps will host the 2016 ABFF Honors, whose honorees will include Diahann Carroll and producer Will Packer (Ride Along, Straight Outta Compton).
The ABFF is produced by Film Life, the entertainment company Friday founded in 2001. His other ventures include executive producing the TV series ABFF Independent, which spotlights black indie filmmakers and is in its fourth season on ASPiRE (the cable network founded by Magic Johnson), and launching ABFF Digital Studios, whose first web series, For the Love, will debut on Comcast Xfinity in February. Friday also created the NFL Pro-Hollywood Boot Camp, an intensive workshop for football players looking to transition into entertainment after their playing careers.
