F2K Ep. 16: Reelblack's Mike Dennis

Fun 2 Know Podcast

On today's show Filmmaker Mike Dennis. Mike is the founder of Reelblack, currently in its 16th year. Through Reelblack Mike has exercised his multifaceted talents as a production house for hire, as a producer for his own films, making content for their YouTube channel ReelBlack TV (currently at 5 million hits and climbing) and as a promoter of over 200 film events in and around the Philly area. Check out their regularly updated website at Reelblack.com Besides being a ingratiating conversationalist, Mike is a graduate of film programs of both NYU and the American Film Institute. Mike's own story as a filmmaker spans a fascinating era in black cinema, heading to New York at few years after Spike Lee broke out of NYU with SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT, then going to school in LA in the 90s, where he interned on THE COSBY SHOW and was a witness to Hollywood in the years when films like The HOUSE PARTY series, MALCOLM X and Mario Van Peebles POSSE were being produced. We get to hear how Mike's career found its feet amongst this history as well as some more free-wheeling talk about black film today, John Waters, Eddie Murphy, Steven Speilberg, The Rock, TV's EMPIRE and BLACK-ISH, the blaxploitation era and more.