Page 40 - Winter/Spring 2015 Issue

In 2010, Ajakwe was Program Director for the 2010 Mid- Atlantic Black Film Festival in Norfolk, Virginia alongside former Spike Lee producer Monty Ross. In 2011, he was honored by the American Medical & Educational Services in Africa Foundation. From 2010-12 he was a writer/ producer on the three-time NAACP Image Award-winning tv documentary series Unsung, having made one-hour life profiles on pop/soul legend Deniece Williams, legendary sideman-turned-solo star Ray Parker Jr., and influential rock/funk icon Sly & The Family Stone.
In March 2010, Michael Ajakwe Jr. started the world’s first all-web series festival when he launched the Los Angeles Web Series Festival (www.lawebfest.com). It has showcased over 1300 web series from 36 different states and 33 different countries and is the largest and most prestigious web series festival in the world. Since 2011, LAWEBFEST has sent 60 web series makers, guest speakers and board members on all-expenses-paid trips to Europe as a part of his festival’s annual LAWEBFEST-Marseille Webfest Grand Prize.
Ajakwe recently wrapped Season 1 of Basketball Wife (www.Facebook.com/BasketballWife)-- a nine- episode single- camera TV comedy series he created, wrote, directed and produced that was adapted from his web series Who... (Ajakwetv.com). Mike tackled this Herculean project, which is currently being shopped to broadcast and cable networks, as further proof of the tremendous value that can be mined from online entertainment.
Michael Ajakwe Jr. has been featured in numerous books: The Future of Television: Your Guide To Creating Television In the New World by Pamela Douglas (Michael Weise Productions, 2015); Create Your Own TV Series For The Internet by Ross Brown (Michael Weise Productions, 2nd Edition, 2014); Digital Storytelling: A Creator’s Guide To Interactive Entertainment by Carolyn Handler Miller (Focal Press/Francis & Taylor, 3rd Edition, 2014); Crossmedia Innovations, Edited by Indrek Ibrus and Carlos A. Scolari (Peter Lang Publishing, 2013); Watching While Black, Edited by Beretta E. Smith-Shomade (Rutgers University Press, 2012); Black Comedians on Black Comedy by Darryl Littleton (Applause Books, 2010), The Script-Selling Game by Kathie Fong Yoneda (Michael Weise Productions, 2nd
Edition, 2010), African-Americans in Television: Behind The Scenes by Greg Adamo (Peter Lang P ublishing, 2010).
Additionally, Ajakwe’s writings can be found in the books Now Write! Screenwriting Edited by Sherry Ellis and Laurie Lamson (Tarcher/Penguin Books, 2011), Souls of My Brothers Edited by Dawn Marie Daniels and Candace Sandy (Plume Books, 2003), South Of Where We Live a two-act play by Ken Davis, Edited by Michael Ajakwe Jr. and Stan Peters (Pipedream Press, 2003), South Central Stories: Double or Nothin’, The Ride, Happy Anniversary Punk! a two-act play by Michael Ajakwe Jr. (Pipedream Press, 2001); Company Policy: The Rage Behind The Mask Three one-act plays by Michael Ajakwe Jr. (Pipedream Press, 2000), Outstanding Stage Monologs & Scenes of the ‘90s Edited by Steven H. Gale (Merriweather Publishing, 2000), Best Stage Scenes 1996 Edited by Jocelyn A. Beard (Smith & Krause), Best Men’s Stage Monologues 1996 Edited by Jocelyn A. Beard (Smith & Krause), Best Men’s Stage Monologues 1995 Edited by Jocelyn A. Beard (Smith & Krause), and Best Women’s Stage Monologues 1995 Edited by Jocelyn A. Beard (Smith & Krause).
~HMM ~

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