BIO
Kevin Wilson, Jr. is an Oscar Nominated Filmmaker based in New York City. His film My Nephew Emmett, a 20 minute short film based on the true story of the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 90th Academy Awards. It screened at film festivals all over the world including the New York Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and HollyShorts Film Festival. Wilson won the Gold Medal at the 44th Student Academy Awards, a Directors Guild of America Student Film Award and a BAFTA Student Film Award. In 2020 he began directing National commercials. His breakout ad "States United", a PSA aimed to prevent gun violence, launched to critical acclaim including AdWeek's "Spot of the Day." He has directed commercials for McDonalds, Marvel, Crown Royal, Meta (Facebook), PNC Bank, Kohls and partnered with Procter & Gamble to direct the commercial "Widen The Screen", a campaign that calls for Hollywood to address stereotypical images of Black People in Film & Television. The commercial premiered during the 2021 NAACP Image Awards, the 93rd Academy Awards, the Tribeca Film Festival, and was championed by Oprah Winfrey and screened on the OWN Network. "Widen The Screen" would go on to win a Silver Lion in Film at the 2021 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, win numerous awards including AICP's Best New Director, D&AD Pencils, and remains archived at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
In Early 2021 Wilson was recruited by Oscar Nominated Actress & Producer Angela Bassett to write and direct "For Armetta", a PSA honoring Essential Workers of Color.
Kevin is a North Carolina native where he studied journalism, acting, wrote stage plays and fell in love with filmmaking. He received a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and in 2017 was honored with the Spike Lee Production Fellowship. Kevin recently completed production on the hit NETFLIX Original Series, “CHEF’S TABLE” and it’s slated to be released Summer 2024. Other recent works include the NETFLIX Original Series UNTOLD: The Rise and Fall of AND1 which is now streaming. Kevin is an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
AWARDS
WINNER - AICP - BEST NEW DIRECTOR
WINNER - SHOTS - BEST NEW DIRECTOR
WINNER - SILVER LION - Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
NOMINEE - Best Live Action Short Film - 90th Academy Awards
WINNER - Gold Medal - 44th Student Academy Awards
WINNER - Best Narrative Film - BAFTA Student Film Awards
WINNER - DGA Student Film Award
OFFICIAL SELECTION - 55th New York Film Festival ("My Nephew Emmett")
WINNER - Saatchi & Saatchi 'Nothing is Impossible Achievement in Film Award'
AUDIENCE AWARD - DC Shorts Film Festival ("My Nephew Emmett")
WINNER - Best Director - 15th HollyShorts Film Festival
WINNER - Best Student Short - Woodstock Film Festival
2017 - New York Film Festival Artist Academy
2017 Spike Lee Production Fellowship Recipient
2017 Ang Lee Scholarship Recipient
2017 BAFTA HBO Scholarship Recipient
Tisch School of the Arts Scholarship
EDUCATION
New York University - Tisch School of the Arts, M.F.A. - Film Production
North Carolina A&T State University, B.S. - Journalism