Director's Reel

A lot of you have been asking to see some of my work! Well here it is!
Click on the link below to take a look at my most recent directors reel--which consists of music videos and other pieces I've directed. Enjoy!

Black Pearl Filmworks Directors Reel

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Self-Reflection

It is a lazy Saturday afternoon. The first "lazy" day I can recall in over two years! A lot has happened in the past 2 years that has changed my life and I now that I'm on the other side of it, I finally feel myself exhaling.

But now there's so much more I want to do. As I continue to get my first feature off the ground, I find myself excited about and inspired by so many more things. Turns out I want to write more--and not only scripts but articles, narratives and stories of inspiration, hilarity and introspection. If only I can find the time. A little over a year ago I almost lost my life when an unexpected allergic reaction and a dispassionate health care system rendered me weak, unable to breathe, swollen, and on death's doorsteps. I think it might be time to write about that experience--it's almost unbelievable--but if I went through that horror in a hospital (no TWO hospitals) I can only imagine that others have gone through the same. Through lessons learned, maybe I can prevent others from the same experience.

I'm also blessed to have just gotten through my first year of marraige! It feels wonderful, but it's been very difficult. We did things the old fashioned way--we never lived together before we got married--in fact we were in a long distance relationship up until and even a month after we got married! So it was traditional in one sense, and non-traditional in the another. We packed up and moved to Cali on faith--no jobs were locked down for us, we didn't have an apartment, but we had good friends. Both of us are far from our families--so you can only imagine the stresses that would result. I'm so proud we made it to our anniversary and have achieved a lot in the little amount of time we've been here. But there's even more we want to do--again--so little time!

I've recently begun to develop a great network of like-minded friends and don't feel like such an "alien" in Cali!!!! I also recently met somewhat a hero of mine--a woman who has been created two top sitcoms primarily about black woman. When Imeet someone like that--who is also so down to earth, encouraging and gracious--it not only inspires me, it makes me realize that my "dream" is not a dream at all, it is not an unattainable fantasy, it is a tangible, viable life option and it is up to me to make it happen. I no longer apologize or second guess. I'm an extremely talented writer, director and producer--point.blank.period.

As I reach my birthday (June 29th) and my 1st year anniversary as a Los Angeles resident--it's important to me that I regroup and lay out plans for year number two!

That being said, this is what you can expect from Morenike & Black Pearl Filmworks:

1. My first feature will officially get financed an go into production. The only thing holding me back was me--but now I'm ready!!! So here comes REALITY CHECK!!!


2. I'm going to embrace my other creative passions more--dancing, playing the flute, photography and writing whatever I want.


3. I will have a new blog/enterprise that will be a tool for all to use so that they can learn from other's experiences. It will include the best and worst vendors, stores, and techniques for getting things done without a lot of hassle!! Perhaps it will be called "If I Knew Back Then," or "Hindsight" It's coming soon y'all!!!


4. A housewarming party by this time next year in our new home!


5. My film company will get a prosperous and exciting production deal!

You have been warned!

(My mom always says I do too much at once--but I can't help it! There is too much work to be done!)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend

Film "The Water Story" airing NATIONWIDE!!

"The Water Story"is airing nationwide beginning this Saturday, April 28th!!!! The film was selected to be a part of a series: "Badami TV presents African-American Short Films" It originally aired last year in the first quarter but will be repeating again this year due to it's popularity.

The Water Story is an "urban folktale" about that combines spirituality with the gritty reality of the streets. Damu Dawkins is a single parent living on the edge of poverty and struggling to raise his 4-year-old daughter. He is forced to re-examine his "by any means necessary" approach to survival when a strange encounter with a mysterious older woman compels him to make choices that could put his life and his daughter's in jeopardy.

The story was created by Elnathan Starnes and script was co-written by him and director Morenike Efuntade (Evans). It was shot on film in location in Washington DC and described by Tribeca Film All Access panelists as a beautiful story. The Water Story has also been featured on Black Starz! , in Washington DC's film fest--DC DANCE and received write ups in the Washington Times & Washington City Paper.

Here are co-stars Michael Davis and David Smith, with director Morenike Efuntade Evans at the premiere screening in Washington DC.

Below are airdates for a selection of cities:

New York
WCBS CBS
MAY 12TH, 3 PM

Chicago
WLS ABC
MAY 5TH ,1:30PM

Chicago
WPWR FOX
MAY 20TH, 12 NOON

Washington, DC (Hagrstwn)
WJAL IND
MAY 14TH, 8PM

Philadelphia
WPVI ABC
JUNE 2ND, 2:30PM

Los Angeles
KCAL IND
APRIL 28TH, 3PM

Detroit
WMYD MYTV
JUNE 9TH, 6:30PM

Raleigh-Durham (Fayetvlle)
WRDC MYTV
JUNE 3RD, 1PM

Norfolk-Portsmth-Newpt Nws
WSKY IND
JUNE 10TH, 7PM

New Orleans
WDSU NBC
MAY 13TH, 11:30AM

Charlotte
WBTV CBS
JUNE 1ST, 2:37 AM

San Francisco-Oak-San Jose
KBWB CW
JUNE 3RD, 3:00 PM

Orlando-Daytona Bch-Melbrn
WRDQ IND
MAY 20TH, 6 PM

Jackson, MS
WAPT ABC
MAY 5TH, 2:30 PM

Greensboro-H.Point-.Salem
WMYV MYTV
JUNE 3RD, 3:00 pm

Nashville
WZTV FOX
May 27th, 2:30 PM

Sacramnto-Stkton-Modesto
KXTV ABC 6/2 4:30P
June 2nd, 4:30PM

Charleston, SC
WMMP MYTV
JUNE 10, 12 NOON

Savannah
WSAV NBC

MAY 26TH, 2:00 PM

Macon
WMGT NBC
MAY 26TH, 1:30PM

Roanoke-Lynchburg
WDRL IND
MAY 8TH, 9:00 PM

San Diego
KUSI IND
MAY 26TH, 4:00 AM

Albany, GA
WFXL FOX

MAY 27TH, 12 NOON

Beaumont-Port Arthur
KFDM CBS
APRIL 28TH, 12 NOON

Director Morenike Featured as Brown Bettie!

Director Morenike Efuntade Evans has been featured as a Brown Bettie in the lastest issue of the Brown Bettie Gazette! A complement to the caberet/play "Harlem Brown Betties" created and developed by actress/singer Peppur Chambers

( www.myspace.com/harlemsnight), the gazette highlight brown women doing lady and unlady-like things!

Check it out! http://www.brownbettiesgazette.blogspot.com

Black Pearl Filmworks in Pre-Pro on TV Pilots & Feature Film!!

Welcome back!
Just a note to update you on our progress as we move into February 07. Black Pearl Filmworks, LLC has recently partnered with Martini Pink Productions (www.martinipink.com). We are currently in pre-production on 3 television pilots with the aim of going into production by Spring! More details to come soon!

Black Pearl Filmworks, LLC is also in pre-production of the romantic comedy, "Reality Check!" As promised, we're moving full steam ahead!! Thanks for your continued support!!!!

2007 A PRODUCTIVE YEAR!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

This year promises to be phenomenal for Black Pearl Filmworks! We are in talks with several studios about 2 of our film projects--Reality Check and Oil & Blood. The plan is to shoot the trailer in February and go into production in the summer.
But wait--there's more! The documentary "Fatherland" about Morenike's trip to Nigeria to meet her father and family for the first time is currently in post-production!



Let's kick 2007 off by checking out the show I produced for E! Networks called "Love Ride". It was a great experience--I met great people and got to see how it's done on the West Coast. Turns out, as expected, I kicked ass! LA is definitely a hard town, but this job reminded me of just how much I have to offer as a producer! The only obstacle has been resources and opportunity. But Black Pearl is creating that for herself!!!


Don't miss Morenike's episode of Love Ride: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick airing on Sunday, January 21 at 10pm on E!

BETJ Cool...Like That!

Producing at BETJ was a very rewarding experience! I worked there for 3 years including during it's transition from BET Jazz to BETJ, gaining 23 million viewers when they were added to DirecTV in March 2006. They are currently about to celebrate their One Year anniversary and I'm glad to have been a part of that history.
At BETJ, I traveled throughout the Caribbean producing one hour travel specials to promote network sponsored jazz and music festivals in Bermuda, Barbados, St. Lucia and Turks & Caicos. I directed talent including Kim Fields, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Freddie Jackson, Bebe Winans, Jeffrey Osbourne, and Leon. We had adventure upon adventure exploring the islands, enjoying the food and learning about the culture and of course, enjoying the music! I won a Telly Award in 2003 for the special I produced with Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Karen White in Barbados!
It was also at BETJ that I created my first television series, entitled "Influences." This half hour series is part intimate interview, part live performance! Over the years, I've discovered that quite a few contemporary R&B artists have strong musical influences in Jazz and Soul ( or in Ben Harpers case, folk music too!) .

This show was a way to "bridge the gap" between the new and older generations. I directed personal interviews with artists such as Meshell Ndgeocello, Dwele (Virgin Records), Floetry (Geffen Records), Ben Harper (Virgin Records), Raheem Devaughn (Jive Records), Anthony Hamilton (Jive Records), and Lalah Hathaway about their musical and personal influences. The artists also revealed how life events have shaped their musical journey. I also filmed the artists performing their performing their music live and intercut these elements together. This created a compelling half-hour of television that still airs today and became one of the most successful shows on the network!

MTV NEWS

I worked at MTV News for over a year--and came at quite an exciting time! I started a few weeks before the VMAs and had a blast producing the Red Carpet Pre-show at Radio City Music Hall! I started there a few days before Sway did, so we both relied on each other to navigate our new MTV World! A new show called DFX (Direct Effect) was launching, and Sway would be doing the live news breaks in the same way they were already done on TRL. My responsiblities at MTV News were vast. As the Coordinating Producer there, each day I had to determine what was newsworthy and relevant for the audiences of DFX and TRL. I had to approve the scripts leading into the story and approve the packages being produced--making sure they were accurate and visually appealing. Then each day at 3:00 I would prep our talent for the live TRL news. Either John Norris, Sway, Suchin Pak, Gideon or Iann Robinson would deliver the news around a group of screaming kids while I produced in the control room! There was also a fight for time between the TRL staff and News...It was quite a battle! But we never had a battle on DFX where the hip hop news was one of the favorites of the show! Sway would get out there and hype the crowd! The team usually consisted of myself as producer, Elon Johnson as writer and Sway as host. We always had tons of stories, from the beef between DMX and Ja Rule, the controversy surrounding an Outkast lyric, to the hottest new mixtapes news.But nothing compared to the frenzy created when Puffy and Shyne were put on trial for MURDER!!!! This spawned from an incident that took place at a NY nightclub when Puffy was dating J.Lo and trying to promote his new protege, Shyne and an altercation broke out.From day one, we covered that trial and updated audiences on daily testimonies in the courthouse. We went to the courts and did live feeds when the case went to jury deliberations, and were there when Shyne was convicted and Puffy was acquitted on all charges! In fact, it was Sway and myself who got the first exclusive interview with Puffy when he officially changed his name to the man we all know and love, P.Diddy! Talk about a comeback!!!At MTV, I also teamed up with Sway and Iann Robinson to produce a show called, "The Assignment: Keepin it Gangsta." This show examined the downside of glorifying the gangsta life in hip hop. From being harassed by cops--having your lyrics being used as evidence against you in legal cases to the effect this imagery has on the community. The Assignment was highly rated on the network, and included candid, sometimes humorous interviews with Snoop, Cam'Ron, and sometimes dangerous interviews with Birdman (his gun fell out of his pocket during the interview, but he was cool as hell), Snoop (I won't go into it) Damon Dash and other high profile rappers.

RAP CITY

My first gig at BET was for what remains as the longest running hip hop show on television--Rap City!! I was hired as an AP and got to work with legendary dancer Big Lez and crazy Joe Clair! I met and produced several shows with hip hop favorites like LL Cool J, Redman, Keith Murray, and EPMD...
But my most memorable episode was the first ever interview that Lil Kim had with BET! Her first album was coming out and I produced this show with her and Joe Clair hosting at a spa. She said some very interesting and telling things about how her self esteem had been marred in her child hood and she always felt ugly which was why she created her supersexy persona!I also produced a very interesting show for BET called Rap City Nihon which was hosted by this black dude named Alton who spoke Japanese!!! He interviewed folks like Busta Rhymes and Will Smith in Japanese for the show which aired in Japan and I had to not only produce it, but help in making sure everything was translated! Was sooo much fun!!!