Filmmaker Mark Harris never set out to make movies. But from an early age he knew two things for sure: he wanted to be his own boss and he loved to write. Now, with over 20 film projects distributed worldwide, this self-taught mogul in the making is just getting started leaving his mark on the entertainment industry…..his way.
Mark grew up in Englewood on Chicago’s Southside. Like many youth from his neighborhood, sports was a positive outlet in an environment that was filled with loving families, and riddled with drugs, gangs and violence. Harris would eventually earn a football scholarship to the University of Wisconsin River Falls and study English. Then in late 1992, already being a lifelong lover of films, Harris experienced Spike Lee’s iconic “Malcolm X”, and would never be the same.
Soon thereafter, he returned to his hometown and after working a few stints at various jobs, he landed a position as a sales rep at a popular furniture store where, unbeknownst to him, he would meet the first serious supporters of his film career.
In 1997, Mark decided to try his hand at writing a screenplay of his own. Fiercely independent with a “do for self” motto, he studied as many books on the art form as possible then got started. He wrote over 10 screenplays before finally pitching a project entitled “Zombies in the Hood” to various studios, including ActorProducer Tim Reid’s New Millennium Studios. This eventually led to a number of industry insider introductions, mentorship and an opportunity to write spec scripts.
Then in 2005, after writing several spec scripts and waiting for one of them to be produced, Harris realized “if I want to see my work done, I’m going to have to make the film myself”. He was known among his furniture store colleagues to talk nonstop about his love of movies. So when he announced that he was going to make his first film, “Why Men Cheat”, and finance it with his own salary, within the week two co-workers handed over $2,000 in cash to invest in the film. With that push, his production company, 1555filmworks, was born. Since then, in addition to producing films, Mark has created an online marketing company, Black Films Rock LLC, and in 2010, cofounded the Englewood International Film Festival to bring a celebration of film and positive entertainment to the community that raised him. In May 2021, Harris partnered with Vertical Entertainment to release “White People Money”. The film, starring Drew Sidora (RHOA, Step Up, The TLC Story) and Barton Fitzpatrick (The Chi, Bronzeville), enjoyed a limited theatrical release in nearly 40 theatres across the U.S. Several of Mark’s works are also available on Netflix, Amazon Prime and several other streaming platforms
"Ellakisha O'Kelley is the Principal Attorney of E. O'Kelley Sports, Entertainment & Business Law Firm, LLC (ESEB Law), and empowerment speaker who is an advocate and activist for social change, economic inclusion, and ownership. She is widely regarded as an empowerment attorney serving the vulnerable and targeted communities within the sports, entertainment and business industries nationwide. She empowers her clientele by fostering knowledge through contract representation, intellectual property protection, and small business compliance. She is a new best-selling author of a book titled, Code v. Code- The Street Code Versus The Legal Code: Rethinking Your Business Transactions that is available in hardcopy, ebook and audiobook on Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, Audible, and iTunes respectively. This book is an empowerment guide that's written in laymen's terms to help enlightened athletes, entertainers, and small business owners in the areas of copyright law, trademark law, rights of publicity, and contracts. She is also the host of Seek ELLAvation with Ellakisha 'empowercast.' A podcast that just launched on Audible and can also be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Podcast Addict, and more. She uses this platform to extend her reach in empowering minds and inspiring lives from a legal, professional, and personal perspective.
You can connect with her on FB or IG @ESEBLAWFIRM, LinkedIn @EllaOkelleyEsq. Visit her website www.eseblawfirm.com, to find everything she has going on in one central location."
From comedy, music, filmmaking and much more...Ruben likes to have his hand in many hats. He goes by Baby horchata in the stand up comedy scene as he uses everyday life for his sets. But with that he uses life in his film making as well. From the struggles to overcoming. He owns his own Film company called Starpower Film Company that’s based in central Illinois with parter Rapper/Actor Mario canon (which you may know from tv show Fox’s Empire). His drive for giving those opportunities that never had them is what pushes him as he was once a central Illinois entertainer having to travel 3 plus hours for auditions, events and shoots. “Giving the blessings of people’s first speaking roles or first time on set is so amazing, we will continue to keep people busy as we are signed with Vault309 studios for 6 short films and 2 features”
IG: babyhorchataelcomediante
"Ellakisha O'Kelley is the Principal Attorney of E. O'Kelley Sports, Entertainment & Business Law Firm, LLC (ESEB Law), and empowerment speaker who is an advocate and activist for social change, economic inclusion, and ownership. She is widely regarded as an empowerment attorney serving the vulnerable and targeted communities within the sports, entertainment and business industries nationwide. She empowers her clientele by fostering knowledge through contract representation, intellectual property protection, and small business compliance. She is a new best-selling author of a book titled, Code v. Code- The Street Code Versus The Legal Code: Rethinking Your Business Transactions that is available in hardcopy, ebook and audiobook on Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, Audible, and iTunes respectively. This book is an empowerment guide that's written in laymen's terms to help enlightened athletes, entertainers, and small business owners in the areas of copyright law, trademark law, rights of publicity, and contracts. She is also the host of Seek ELLAvation with Ellakisha 'empowercast.' A podcast that just launched on Audible and can also be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Podcast Addict, and more. She uses this platform to extend her reach in empowering minds and inspiring lives from a legal, professional, and personal perspective.
You can connect with her on FB or IG @ESEBLAWFIRM, LinkedIn @EllaOkelleyEsq. Visit her website www.eseblawfirm.com, to find everything she has going on in one central location."
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