Biografia
Kenny Young is a gifted and prolific African-American director, screenwriter, and story consultant with an impressive portfolio of film directing and writing credits.
Originally from Chicago, Kenny now resides in Los Angeles, where he collaborates with Phil James through their company, James Young Entertainment.
Through this company, Kenny wrote and directed Redrum (starring Jenifer Lewis, Jill Marie Jones, and Danny Woodburn) and C'Mon Man (featuring Clifton Powell, Kim Whitley, Aries Spears, and Tommy Davidson), both of which aired on Showtime, Starz!, and TMC.
He also wrote and directed Bachelors (starring Fred Willard, David Faustino, Anna Hutchison, and Gary Owen), which won "Best Narrative Film" and "Best Director" at the 2015 American Black Film Festival and was acquired by Lionsgate.
Early in his career, Kenny optioned the script Step In The Name Of Love to MGM Studios, with R&B star Usher attached to star, earning coverage in the Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
His first feature film as a writer, One Week, received a theatrical release and achieved the second highest per-screen average nationally. It won "Best Narrative Film" at both the American Black Film Festival and Urbanworld Film Festival, and screened at the Toronto Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, and LA Pan-African Film Festival. The film continues to be shown nationally on World AIDS Day.
Kenny has also directed for TVOne, including Merry Ex-Mas (featuring London Brown, Sean Patrick Thomas, Angel Conwell, and Clifton Powell), which became the network’s third highest-rated original film of 2016, leading to additional directing opportunities.
In 2017, he directed Miss Me This Christmas (starring Erica Ash, Allen Maldonado, Eva Marcille, and Redaric Williams) and You Can't Stop Christmas (featuring Brely Evans, Persia White, Andra Fuller, Marla Gibbs, and Nathan Davis Jr.), both premiering on TV One and airing on Netflix in December 2017.
Always striving to make an impact, Kenny wrote and produced the animated feature Chance, which premiered at the 2017 Dances with Films Festival. The film tells the story of a gentle pit bull navigating the harsh world of dogfighting and has garnered over a million trailer views, widespread viral attention, praise from the Huffington Post, and support from numerous animal rights groups, including the Anti-Dogfighting campaign, Pit-Bull Rescue Central, and Doghouse Bully Crew.
Additionally, Kenny has been commissioned to write scripts for acclaimed figures such as writer/director Robert Townsend, actor/director Bill Duke, and rapper Nas. He has also provided story consultation on multiple film projects.
With a growing list of mainstream Hollywood credits, Kenny Young is a dynamic writer and director poised to make a significant creative impact.
