Salim Akil

Last updated

Salim Akil
Salim Akil by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Akil at the 2018 WonderCon.
Born
Oakland, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, producer
Years active1999–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1999)​
Children4

Salim Akil is an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter from Oakland, California. [1] He developed the television series Black Lightning based on a DC comics character of the same name. He is a co-founder of Akil Productions which he founded with his wife Mara Brock Akil. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Akil was born in Oakland, California. He attended Columbia College Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. [3]

Career

Akil began his production career in 1999, working on the film Drylongso, which played at the Sundance Film Festival later that year. [4] In 2000, he worked as a staff writer and executive producer on the Showtime series Soul Food . [5] That same year, he founded Akil Productions, then known as Happy Camper Productions, with his wife Mara Brock Akil. [6] Mara later created the show Girlfriends, which premiered in 2000 on UPN , with Salim directing several episodes. The show's spin-off The Game premiered in 2006 on The CW, with Salim serving as an executive producer. [7] In 2011, he directed the film Jumping the Broom, [8] which was nominated for a BET Award for Best Movie; [9] he also won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Director in a Motion Picture for the film that same year. [10] In 2012, he directed and co-produced a remake of the film Sparkle. [11] Akil executive produced the BET series Being Mary Jane, created by Mara, which premiered in 2014. In 2016, he received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for the show's episode "Sparrow", as well as a nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television) for The Start Up. [12] He later began developing the show Black Lightning , which premiered in 2018 on The CW. He has written and directed several episodes of the series since its premiere. In February 2021, Akil confirmed a spin-off of Black Lightning titled Painkiller was in production. [13] [14]

Personal life

Akil married Mara Brock in 1999. The two met while working on the set of Moesha. [4] They have two sons. [7] [15] He and his wife, Mara, are practicing Sufi Muslims. The Akils created Love is ___, which was based on their relationship, but was canceled after a woman accused Salim of domestic violence in an alleged extramarital affair, as well as copyright infringement by using her screenplay as the basis for the series. [16] [17] A statement made by Akil's lawyers denied all allegations. [18] [19]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardResultCategoryWork
2012NAACP Image AwardsWonOutstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
(shared with Mara Brock Akil)		The Game
(For episode "Parachutes...Beach Chairs")
NominatedOutstanding Directing in a Comedy Series [10]
WonOutstanding Director in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)Jumping the Broom
2016NAACP Image AwardsNominatedOutstanding Directing in a Drama SeriesBeing Mary Jane

(For episode "Sparrow")

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television)The Start Up
2018 Black Reel Awards WonOutstanding Drama Series

(Shared with Mara Brock Akil, Greg Berlanti and other producers)

Black Lightning

References

  1. ↑ Braxton, Greg (August 11, 2012). "Showbiz couple strive to make it 'Sparkle'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Salim Akil". BET.com. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Salim Akil". Variety. December 17, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Hollywood's Undercover Hitmakers: Salim and Mara Brock Akil". The Hollywood Reporter. August 9, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  5. ↑ Guthrie, Marisa (October 3, 2012). "Showrunners 2012: 'The Game's' Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  6. ↑ Tisdale, Stacey (July 27, 2015). "[VIDEO] "Being Mary Jane" Producer Mara Brock Akil Gets Real About Passion and Money". Black Enterprise. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Danielle, Britni (May 19, 2017). "How 'Black Lightning' director Salim Akil co-created the show and why". Andscape . Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ Buckwalter, Ian (May 5, 2011). "'Jumping The Broom': Worlds (And Moms) Collide". NPR. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  9. ↑ "BET Awards 2012 Winners & Nominees". BET.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "NAACP Image Award Winners Include 'The Help,' Stars Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis". The Hollywood Reporter. February 17, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  11. ↑ Samuels, Allison (July 9, 2012). "Meet Sparkle Producers Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil". Newsweek. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  12. ↑ "'Straight Outta Compton,' 'Empire,' Michael B. Jordan Top NAACP Image Awards". Variety. February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  13. ↑ Horne, Karama (February 13, 2021). "Black Lightning showrunner talks final season, Painkiller spinoff, and teases Ishmael". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  14. ↑ Perkins, Njera. "'Black Lightning' Creator Salim Akil On How The Final Season Speaks To What's Happening In Real-Time". Shadow and Act. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Showbiz couple strive to make it 'Sparkle'". Los Angeles Times. August 11, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  16. ↑ Henderson, Cydney. "OWN cancels 'Love Is _' amid domestic violence allegations against producer Salim Akil". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Amber Dixon Brenner v. Salim Akil et al". JUSTIA Dockets & Filings. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  18. ↑ Patten, Dominic; Ramos, Dino-Ray (December 2, 2018). "'Black Lightning' EP Salim Akil Says Abuse Claims "Totally Untrue"". Deadline. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  19. ↑ "AMBER DIXON BRENNER VS SALIM AKI". Unicourt. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.