Dr. Daniel E. Walker hosted a private hometown reception and screening Monday at the Cinemark Bistro Renaissance Marketplace and XD in Rialto, Calif., for his mentor Bomani J. Story's directorial debut. Celebrating “Angry Black Girl and Her Monster.”
Walker's intentions for this event were twofold. The Redlands native is nominated for his two awards this year at the 2024 NAACP Image Awards, Outstanding Independent Film Award and Outstanding Breakthrough in a Motion Picture for his performance in the film. At the same time, we wanted to promote the intersectionality of finance and entertainment. , Education Department.
Continuing his long-standing mission of connecting creativity and capital, Mr. Walker will partner with the entertainment ecosystem to support Story's efforts and explore future investments and collaborations in the entertainment, media, and communications (EMC) space. brought key members of the group to the Inland Empire. . Among those in attendance were board members representing over $80 billion in investment capital, general partners of major entertainment-focused investment funds, major production companies, accomplished actors, producers, and Dr. Walker from USC. It also included leaders. School of Motion Picture Arts, UCLA Film School, AFI, and he USC Thornton School of Music.
Notable attendees included students from the Fontana Unified School District. Miss Black America Gabrielle Wilson. Dr. Paulette Brown Hines, James Irvine Foundation and Inland Empire Community Foundation. William Houston, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Bay Street Capital Holdings. Alicia Bonner elected as an at-large member of the Fresno County Public Employees Pension Fund. Gustavo Herrera, Arts for LA CEO; Pamela Thornton, president of the Torrance Area League of Women Voters. actor and producer Philippe Andre Botero; Singer/songwriter Patrice Grasshopper Free Stewart. Dina Walker, BLU Educational Foundation Board Chair; Chiara Ginwright, CEO of Baby Blend. Jonita Moore, Director of Public Affairs and Community Engagement for the California School Boards Association.
When asked about the makeup of this interesting audience, Walker replied: “People should understand that public pension funds such as the California Teachers' Retirement System and the California Public Employees' Retirement System have large holdings in the EMC space, owning significant stakes in companies such as: Not Meta, Warner Bros. Discovery, The Walt Disney Company. I'm just connecting people's dots.”
After a screening of the sci-fi horror film about Vicaria (Raya DeLeon Hayes), a teenage science geek who tries to cure a deadly disease by bringing her brother back to life, Walker will share the story and moderate a Q&A with attendees. served as
When asked for advice for aspiring filmmakers, Storey emphasized the importance of resilience.
“I'm 35 years old and I graduated in 2010,” said the USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate. And, you know, this is my directorial debut. So it took me a while to go out there and fail, and I had to fail. And I shouldn't be afraid of failure. And I had to pick myself up and try again. I feel like crazy. But that's what you have to do. ”
Walker also shared advice for aspiring filmmakers and other creators. “Don't be discouraged if others tell you your art isn't important,” he said. “Or some say it's just fun and games. It's real. People change through art. There's nothing more motivating than looking at art. I mean, you can do it.” It holds that position because it owns it and is the key to the rest of the world for all of us.”
The story, “The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster,” stars Hayes (“The Equalizer”), Denzel Whitaker (“The Great Debaters,” “Black Panther”), Chad L. Coleman (“The Wire,” Starring “The Walking Dead.'' . Inspired by Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein. or a modern-day Prometheus,” the film was reviewed in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal.