Samad Davis is an American film producer and director, He directed Three Can Play That Game, Love By Chance[1] and Kings of Jo'burg.[2]
Samad Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis on set in 2022 | |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, Film producer |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Known for | Film, Entrepreneurship, Investment, Mining |
| Notable work | Three Can Play That Game, Kings of Jo'burg, Mooz-lum |
| Television | Terror Lake Drive |
Early life
editSamad was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey.[3]
Career
editSamad began his film career in 2001 with "Comedy Only in Da Hood". In 2007, Samad directed Three Can Play That Game, a sequel to the 2002 movie, Two Can Play That Game.[citation needed]
To expand his work in Africa, he began in Ghana, where he directed the music video for Becca's "African Woman". His work won Music Video of the Year at the 2011 4syte Music Video Awards, a Ghanaian awards ceremony.[4]
In 2011, Davis directed the music video for "Dadie Kye" by Samini, a Ghanaian dancehall artiste[5][6]. The video was awarded Most Gifted Ragga Dancehall Video at the Channel O Music Video Awards in 2011 and gave Ghana its first Channel O Music Video Award.[6]
In 2013 his professional journey in television began when he launched his first TV show in the South African market, the Top Actor SA (later renamed Top Actor Africa) as a reality show on the African feed of cable channel BET to discover acting talent in Africa.[7][8]
He directed and released Love By Chance in 2017.[9][10] It featured at the Carthage Film Festival,[11] the Greater Cleveland Film Fest[12] as well as the American Black Film Festival[13]. That same year the film won the Best International Feature Film at the Urban Mediamakers Film Festival.[14]
In collaboration with Shona Ferguson and Connie Ferguson, they developed and executive produced the first season of the Kings of Jo'burg franchise, released in 2020 on Netflix.[15] In 2023, Netflix released season two of Kings of Jo’burg with Davis as Executive Producer, Showrunner and Lead Director.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Three Can Play That Game | Film Director | Film | Sequel to Two Can Play That Game |
| 2010 | Mooz-lum | Film Producer | Film | Winner of Best Narrative Feature Film at the Urban World Film Festival[16] |
| 2013 | Top Actor SA | Executive Producer | Reality Show | |
| 2017 | Love By Chance | Film Director | Film | |
| 2020–2022 | Kings of Jo'burg | Television Series | ||
| 2020–2022 | Terror Lake Drive | Film Producer | Miniseries |
References
edit- ^ Dark, Yule (2016-05-24). "South African Actor Jesse Suntele Wins BET's "Top Actor Africa"". Yule Dark. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "Samad Davis". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ Stories, Local (2020-03-12). "Meet Samad Davis – Voyage ATL Magazine | ATL City Guide". voyageatl.com. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "2011 Vodafone 4syte Music Video Awards winners". GhanaWeb. 2011-11-20. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "Samini Grabs Channel O Award". GhanaCelebrities.Com. 2011-11-12. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ a b Ob, GC Staff (2011-11-12). "American Film Maker, Samad Davis Chases 4Syte Music Video Awards After Giving Ghana First Ever Award At Channel O Awards With 'Dadie Kye'!". GhanaCelebrities.Com. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ Admin (2016-05-10). "BET Top Actor SA Reality Show". RtB. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ inyese, amaka (2015-11-15). "Entertainment channel reveals cast for "Top Actor Africa" reality show". Pulse Ghana. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "Love By Chance – ACI". aci-americancinema.com. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ Herimbi, Helen (2017-05-05). "Love By Chance: Rom-com with purpose". IOL. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "Focus on South Africa – JCC 2017". www.jcctunisie.org. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ Heaton, Michael (2017-09-18). "Greater Cleveland Urban Film Fest now in sixth year: Event preview". cleveland. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "The 2017 American Black Film Festival Announces Films in Competition and Documentary Lineup". American Black Film Festival Miami. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "Urban Mediamakers Awards 2017" (PDF). Urban Mediamakers Film Festival.
- ^ "'Kings of Jo'burg' (2020) Season 2: A Different Kind of Plot for a Series that Is Not at All Conventional". Martin Cid. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ Burton, Nsenga (2010-09-21). "The 14th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival Winners". The Root. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
External links
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