Scandal‘s shotcaller Ms. Kerry Washington has her very own production company called Simpson Street. The actress signed a deal with ABC for a two-year deal back in April to develop broadcast, cable and digital projects exclusively for ABC Studios and ABC Signature.
Plenty of Spike Lee joints have come courtesy of his production company 40 Acres and a Mule. More than 30 films have been produced by Lee since he founded the filmworks corporation in 1986 including films She’s Gotta Have It, He’s Got Game and Malcolm X and documentaries Bad 25 and When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.
Tyler Perry Studios is a production on a roll. Since its founding in 2005, TPS has been responsible for making 16 movies, 14 stage plays and five television shows. Mr. Perry is a busy guy!
When Viola Davis isn’t teaching her students How to Get Away with Murder, the Emmy winner and her husband Julius Tennon are partnered together for their joint venture JuVee Productions. After signing an exclusive deal with ABC in April, the actress said, “We started JuVee because we wanted to see narratives that reflected our multi-ethnic and multifaceted culture. We wanted to be a part of classic storytelling, and we didn’t want to wait.”
The Fresh Prince partnered with James Lassiter in 1997 to create Overbrook Entertainment which has developed films like Wild Wild West, Love & Basketball, Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Secret Life of Bees and Annie.
Since his days in N.W.A., bad boy rapper Ice Cube has transitioned from behind the mic to in front of the camera and has added his own production company to his resume. Cube Vision is responsible for films like Barbershop and its two follow up films Barbershop 2: Back in Business and Barbershop: The Next Cut along with Straight Outta Compton, Ride Along and Ride Along 2.
Tate appears on the film’s soundtrack for “Brother to the Night (A Blues For Nina)” the now iconic poem dedicated to Nia Long’s character. Omar Hardwick paid tribute to Tate and the poem during BET’s ABFF Honors, reciting it during the event. Tate recently joined the cast of Power as a recurring character, Councilman Rashad Tate. He’s also set to star in the upcoming comedy Girls Trip.
Cinema Gypsy Productions is the product of veteran actor Laurence Fisburne.
Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment has been around since 1995. The production company has helped to develop Beauty Shop, The Perfect Holiday, Just Wright and Bessie. In 2013, Netflix signed an exclusive deal with the film distribution company for the service to have a first opportunity to offer films to streaming subscribers.
Award winning actor, comedian and musician Jamie Foxx ventured into the world of production in 2010 with No Brainer Films.
British actor Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures launched in 2014 and focuses on developing projects for the UK audience. Since its inception, the production company has been responsible for the 2015 documentary Manela, My Dad and Me.
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey started her famed production company Harpo poroductions in 1986. Since then, the company has helped develop projects in feature films, made-for-tv movies and Winfrey’s OWN television networks.
Lebron James may be the king of the basketball court who has taked his talents from Cleveland to Miami and back again but the star athlete has also ventured into the film production business. SpringHill Entertainment has a handful of projects on its roster including the Starz drama series Survivor’s Remorse, an upcoming reality show, a documentary along with a game show that runs on Disney XD, NBC and CNBC.
Don Cheadle’s Crescendo Productions is behind the actor’s directorial debut film Miles Ahead. The company also helps to produce Cheadle’s hit Showtime series House of Lies.
Twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry launched their production company in 2010 which helped to produce thieir film, Double Wedding.
Academy winner Halle Berry launched 606 Films in 2014 which helped produce the CBS series Extant in which Berry starred and co-exectively produced. Next up on the production company’s slate is Kidnap, a film which also stars the actress.
