Founder & CEO, Film Life, Inc.

Jeff Friday is one the most innovative and visionary entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry today.

Leading what he calls a quiet revolution, Friday has transformed his passion for film and television into a preeminent enterprise that is changing the face of Hollywood. His company, Film Life, Inc., has made a major impact in global distribution of quality Black films, positioned to become the leading American brand offering Black movies, television and related entertainment content. The company's mantra, "Because Hollywoodn’t," best expresses the ethos that has impelled Film Life to take advantage of the unique business opportunity that exists within the entertainment industry for a content provider working outside the studio system.

Friday entered the film business in 1996 when he became president of UniWorld Films, a division of UniWorld Group, Inc. His success there put him at the forefront of the independent Black film movement and solidified his commitment to transform the business of Black cinema. Under his direction, the company founded the Acapulco Black Film Festival and assisted studios in marketing movies to the African American audience, including DreamWorks’ film release, Amistad. In 2001, Friday acquired UniWorld Films, renaming it Film Life, Inc., and assumed the position of CEO. The Acapulco Black Film Festival moved stateside in 2002 and became the American Black Film Festival (ABFF).

Friday is the creator and executive producer of the Black Movie Awards, a star-studded award ceremony celebrating Black cinema. The show, in its tenth year, recognizes excellence in cinematic achievement by persons of African descent in connection with feature-length motion pictures. The BMA made its national television debut on Turner Television Network in October 2005.

A champion of social change and a proponent of diversifying the images of African Americans in film, Friday is highly sought after as a public speaker. He regularly speaks to students and industry executives about trends in movie marketing, film distribution and the history of Black cinema. Principled and uncompromising, Friday dedicates his time to nurturing the careers of individuals in front of and behind the camera. He recently established an academic scholarship at the University of Miami for African American film students.

In 2003, Friday was presented with an Outstanding New Jerseyans Award by Kean University. His professional efforts have been featured in numerous publications including Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Crains, Black Enterprise, Essence, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, NV magazine and VIBE, and he has been profiled on WNBC-TV in New York.

Friday boasts seventeen years of success as a product marketer, entertainment executive and entrepreneur. Before making his official entry into the film industry, he held marketing positions with Bristol Myers International, The Mingo Group, and Schieffelin & Somerset Company.

A cum laude graduate of Howard University, with a degree in finance, he received his MBA in marketing from New York University's Leonard Stern School of Business.

Friday resides in New Jersey with his wife, Nicole, and three children.