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Kevin Arbouet (pronounced ar-boo-ay)
Kevin Arbouet is a writer, director, producer, and film executive dedicated to broadening the definition of diversity in filmmaking. Influenced by a diverse range of artists from Nora Ephron and Mike Nichols to Bong Joon Ho, he is an emerging African-American writer/director who combines classic storytelling with a challenge to conventional stereotypes. He states, "It's important to me that the movie industry offers audiences a wide range of diverse voices telling stories."
2016 highlights Arbouet's versatility. It began with his Super Bowl commercial for Icelandic Glacial Water, featuring Instagram star Brock O'Hurn in Arbouet's unique take on the iconic "Diet Coke Break" ad. His film "Fair Market Value," which he wrote and directed, premieres this month at the Bentonville Film Festival, founded by Geena Davis. The film stars Latin American sensation Luisana Lopilato in her English-language debut, alongside Craig Bierko (Cinderella Man), Julia Duffy (Shameless), and Tina Benko (Flesh & Bone). The story offers a fresh look at a modern screwball comedy, focusing on two rival New York real estate agents teaming up to sell a luxurious mansion on Long Island.
Next, Arbouet is preparing to write and direct "Big Bad Billie Gunn," a provocative revenge thriller about the only female member of New York’s notorious Irish mob, the Westies.
Arbouet's career path has been unconventional, shaped by the lack of role models for his varied ambitions. Raised in Brooklyn with a passion for movies, he admired big, humorous, and well-crafted Hollywood comedies and thrillers but initially doubted he could direct the films he loved. He reflects, "Only later did I discover that if you wanted to carve out a different path, you had to do it on your own."
Having a keen eye for talent, Arbouet began as a modeling agent before moving into career development for emerging actors, leading to producing independent films. His knack for fostering talent earned him the position of Vice President at Lee Daniels Entertainment, where he worked on projects from the company behind acclaimed films such as the Oscar®-winning "Monster's Ball," as well as "The Woodsman," "Precious," and "The Butler."
Arbouet’s breakthrough came in a distinctly 21st-century fashion: a viral video that quickly garnered 100 million views worldwide. In 2007, alongside his friend Larry Strong, he responded to a Craigslist ad and shot "I Got a Crush ... On Obama" within six hours around New York City landmarks. Featuring the iconic "Obama Girl," the comedic video captured a cultural moment, earning recognition from Newsweek as a "Top 10 Meme of the Decade" and a Webby Award for "Top Web Video of the Decade."
Following this viral success, Arbouet ventured into web-based entertainment, producing the sci-fi internet series Stream starring Whoopi Goldberg. He also produced David Michalek's innovative Portraits in Dramatic Time, a collection of 40 short films each filmed in 10 seconds but presented in revealing slow motion, showcased at the 2011 Lincoln Center Festival. This project brought him together with a star-studded cast including Alan Rickman, Holly Hunter, Liev Schreiber, and William H. Macy.
While he enjoyed supporting other artists as a producer, Arbouet remained focused on his goal to be a writer-director at the mainstream's core. He refined his skills directing commercials and music videos, including a segment featuring Triumph the Insult Comic Dog for Conan O'Brien’s late-night show in Times Square. His feature debut, the thriller Serial (co-directed with Larry Strong), stars Lauren Vélez (Dexter, Oz, New York Undercover) as a TV reporter caught in a tense cat-and-mouse game with a serial killer played by Erik Jensen (The Exonerated, The Bronx Is Burning). The film screened at the Long Island International Film Festival, winning both a screenplay award and an audience choice award.
Alongside the premiere of Fair Market Value, Arbouet wrote and directed the sci-fi adventure Police State, about a New York City deliveryman who accidentally uncovers a terrorist plot, slated for release in 2016. He also recently directed the provocative music video for "You Know the Drill" by I.K.P (the Infamous King of Positivity), a Brooklyn-based, Honduran-born, LGBT-celebrating hip-hop artist. The video subtly examines evolving ideas of gender, identity, and self.
Ultimately, Arbouet seeks to build a career that "proves being an African-American filmmaker can be limitless.
