Biografia
Kenny Buford was born on April 2, 1965, and grew up in Wyandanch, Long Island, New York. After watching an episode of "Sanford and Son" written by Richard Pryor and Paul Mooney, Kenny realized he wanted to become a TV and film writer. He began pursuing this goal at Howard University, where he studied journalism.
After three years at Howard, Kenny returned to his hometown and secured a position as Spike Lee’s assistant at 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. His first major film role was as a Production Assistant on the iconic movie "Do The Right Thing." During the production, he formed a close friendship with actor and comedian Martin Lawrence. Both newcomers at the time, they promised to support each other when their big breaks arrived.
After two years at 40 Acres, Kenny moved on to MTV, working as a Production Assistant on the influential show "Yo! MTV Raps," hosted by Ed Lover, Dr. Dre, and Fab 5 Freddy. While there, he often took lunch breaks to write comedy for Martin Lawrence’s HBO show "Def Comedy Jam." Their strong creative partnership led HBO President Chris Albrecht to hire Kenny as a writer for Lawrence’s sitcom “Martin” on Fox. Kenny began as a Staff Writer and rose to Co-Executive Producer by the series’ end.
During the run of "Martin," Kenny co-wrote the feature film "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" for Savoy Pictures, which grossed over $30 million. He also produced Martin’s comedy albums "Talkin' Sh*t" and "Fu*k It," the latter earning a Grammy nomination.
When "Martin" concluded in April 1997, Kenny wrote for sitcoms including "The Jamie Foxx Show" and "The Wayans Brothers."
In 1999, Kenny returned to MTV as Head Writer for "The Lyricist Lounge Show" and worked on the UPN sitcom "One On One." He contributed to two Al Haymon-produced sketch comedy pilots that never aired and wrote an unproduced made-for-TV movie, "Time To Shine," for Paramount. That year, Kenny polished the script for Method Man and Redman’s film "How High." Having known the duo for years, he also wrote their sex-fantasy project, "Method Man and Redman's How To Throw a Party at the Playboy Mansion." Following that experience, Kenny served as Co-Producer on their Fox sitcom of the same name.
After "Method & Red" ended, Kenny joined Nick Cannon’s innovative show "Wild 'N Out" as a writer and consultant for Seasons 2 and 3. In recent years, he has written for The BET Awards, The BET Hip Hop Awards, The Centric Comedy All-Stars Show, and The Soul Train Awards. Kenny has also developed pilot projects for Malinda Williams, Mekhi Phifer, and actor/comedian James Davis.
