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Sherman "Skee" Skinner was born in Alton, Illinois. After graduating from Alton Sr. High School in 1988, he went on to attend Millikin University in Decatur, IL. It was here that he began to study the art of filmmaking and put those skills to practical use by shooting several local projects by use of cameras and facilities at his disposal from the university and a local film production company. Having written, directed, and produced several student films, Skinner continued to dream of making feature films after his 1992 graduation.
Upon graduation from college, he used his money earned to complete a gritty, urban short film, "Unequal Injustice." In 1994, the film went on to receive critical regional acclaim. Over the next few years, Skee continued to write, produce, and direct several more short films, music videos, documentaries, and commercials that went on to earn him more regional recognition for his work. However, the young, talented director was just crafting and honing his skills all the while for a feature length film production.
After this period of time, he came to the realization that if he were to achieve his longtime dream of making quality features, he could do it for himself. In the summer of 1998, armed with a script, money saved from prior jobs, a vision, and his credit cards; Skee Skinner headed north for Chicago to begin casting and pre-production for his first feature length film, "Vacant Lot."
Teaming with his longtime college buddy and collaborator Paul Branton, Skee co-wrote, produced, directed, and made a small cameo appearance in "Vacant Lot." Shot on a shoestring budget in Super 16mm, the film was made with Skee Skinner's persistence and talent plus the help of family and friends. Filmed along the backdrops of Chicago and Indianapolis in a 12 day period during the fall of 1998, "Vacant Lot" made it's premiere at the 1999 Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival to a standing room crowd only. Subsequently, "Vacant Lot" went on to receive critical acclaim at various film festival screenings worldwide, including the 1999 London Black Filmmaker Magazine International Film Festival.
Following these successful screenings, Skee inked a television & Internet distribution deal for "Vacant Lot" with Urban Entertainment, a distributor out of Los Angeles, California. The feature film debuted nationwide on the digital cable television network BET/Starz in August of 2000 and enjoyed a successful run on cable networks & TV worldwide. "Vacant Lot" proved to be an enjoyable film for both critics and audiences alike. Moreover, it introduced the world to the creative and talented Director/Writer/Producer--Skee Skinner.
His last innovative feature film, "Pieces of a Dream," received critical acclaim at screenings worldwide and was lauded by renown film critic Roger Ebert as an "extremely interesting movie". The feature film was initially targeted at being released in a limited theatrical release with the concept of theatrically opening wider before moving into worldwide distribution on DVD, TV, cable networks, & various distribution outlets.
In addition, Skee actively directs & produces music videos, TV shows, & TV commercial spots nationwide. Furthermore, he is securing & completing financing & distribution opportunities for several of his forthcoming feature films and projects.
