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Darnell Lamont Walker
Born (1982-02-17) February 17, 1982 (age 42)
Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Writer, director, producer
Years active2013–present
Children1
Websitedarnellwalker.com

Darnell Lamont Walker (born February 17, 1982)[1][2] is an American writer, director, and producer. He directed and produced social impact documentaries, including Seeking Asylum, Outside the House, and Set Yourself on Fire, which have screened at various film festivals. He has written for children's television shows Karma's World, Face's Music Party, and Blue's Clues & You!. He was part of the Karma's World writing team that received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for an Animated Program at the 1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards.

Early life and education

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Walker was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia.[3][4] He attended Charlottesville High School[5][4][6] He credits his theater teacher Terésa Dowell-Vest, for his love of theater and performance, and his strength in writing.[4]

Walker attended Bethune–Cookman University. He first majored in Mass Communications, then switched to Speech Communication.[7] In an interview, Walker said that he was inspired to attend an HBCU and likened his experience to that of the television spinoff A Different World.[4] He is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.[8] He got his Bachelor of Arts in 2005, and a Master of Science in 2007.[9][3]

He went to Howard University where he got his PhD in Communication and Culture in 2011.[9][10]

Career

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Documentaries

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In 2015, Walker had been planning to go backpacking in Europe to celebrate King's Day in Amsterdam, when events concerning the killing of Freddie Gray in nearby Baltimore happened. As he was reconsidering to stay and join in protests, his friend asked "why are you going to Europe? To seek asylum?", inspiring him to repurpose his trip to produce a documentary with the namesake. The film would have man-on-the-street interviews with European locals on what they thought about race relations in the United States and in their own countries.[2] Countries visited included Norway, UK, Netherlands, and France.[11][12] Seeking Asylum had a theater premiere in February 2016 for the Pan African Film Festival.[12] It screened at the Rapid Lion Film Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa,[11][13] and the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville.[14][15] It has also screened at other film festivals,[11] and was released online to support the Black Lives Matter movement.[2]

In 2017, Walker released Outside the House, a documentary film on Black mental health. He decided to create the film after a college friend had committed suicide, and when some other friends and associates had over the years.[8][16] In the film, Walker works to "breaking down the barriers and stigmas when it comes to black people discussing their mental-health issues, and confronting the problem head-on". He used social media to call for participants, and would interview them for their stories.[16] Outside the House was screened at multiple film festivals including the Roxbury Film Festival in Boston,[17] as well as special events in places like the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago.[18][19] It received an Award of Merit from IndieFEST.[20]

In 2018, Walker completed the film Set Yourself on Fire. The documentary is about rape and sexual assault around the world, with interviews with the survivors.[21] Set Yourself on Fire was screened at the Rapid Lion Film Festival.[22][23] and for the Metro Detroit Association of Black Psychologists.[24][25]

Children's television and media

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Walker had self-published a children's book titled The Most Beautiful Thing in the World, about a boy who dreams of becoming a pilot, but learns he will be losing his sight.[26] He also wrote I Hate That I Have to Tell You (2016), which is about how to deal with encounters with the police.[27] In 2018, Walker applied to and joined the Sesame Street Writers Room Fellowship.[7][26][4]

Walker joined the Karma's World writing team, writing his first episode in 2019.[28] He wrote the episode "Friendship in a Flash" about Karma making a new friend with dyslexia and her misinformation about the learning disability.[26] He said that the episode aired over two years after he wrote it.[4] In December 2022, he and the show's writing team received a nomination for Outstanding Writing for an Animated Program at the 1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards.[26][29]

Also in 2019, Walker joined the Blue's Clues & You! writing team[26] as a script coordinator.

In 2021, he announced he would be creating an animated short film, Our Song, which is about a boy with ectrodactyly (missing fingers and toes), who wants to play the piano. It is based on a friend's son with the same condition. The project is seeking crowdfunding.[30]

Walker did the teleplay for episodes of Face's Music Party, which aired on the Nick Jr. Channel.

Other ventures

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Walker has also worked as a "death doula, writing teacher, creativity coach, and world explorer".[26] This included being a faculty member at the Esalen Institute.[31] In 2015, he started a business called Passport Required, in which he guides tourists from the Black community on a backpacking tour to random parts of the world.[32][33]

He created a narrative installation which resembled a darkroom for Art Gaysel 2022.[34][35]

Personal life

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Walker lives "between his cabin on top of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest and the rest of the open world,"[26][32]

Walker has one son.[11]

In December 2022, after attending the Emmys event, Walker was prevented from boarding a Delta Airlines flight at LAX allegedly because he was Black, while the gate attendant allowed other White passengers to continue through. He filed a complaint and Tweeted about the incident, which was worldwide news. There has been nothing presented to substantiate this claim.[36][37][38]

Books

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  • Creep (Evolutionary Press, 2011)
  • Book of She (Lulu, 2012) ISBN 9781300567943 (e-book)
  • The Most Beautiful Thing in the World (Evolutionary Press, 2014) ISBN 9780692260517
  • Very short notes I wrote to you while I was high on cocaine (2015)
  • I Hate That I Have to Tell You (Evolutionary Press, 2016)[27]

Filmography

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Film

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List of production work in films
Year Title Crew role Notes Source[9]
2016 Seeking Asylum Producer, Director [11]
2017 Outside the House Producer, Director, Editor [17][18][11]
2019 Set Yourself on Fire Director, Executive Producer [23]
TBA Our Song Writer, creator animated short film [30]

Television

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List of production work in television
Year Title Crew role Notes Source[9]
2021–present Blue's Clues & You! Script Coordinator Season 3–4 Credits
2022 Face's Music Party Teleplay Episodes: "Help", "Food", "Big Cats" Credits
2022 Karma's World Writer Episode: "Friendship in a Flash" [39]

Web series

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List of acting appearances in web series
Year Title Role Notes Source[9]
2010–2012 Anacostia Julian Starring role, seasons 2–3 Credits

References

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  1. ^ Walker, Darnell Lamont (February 17, 2019). "World + Peace: Amazing World Places to Meditate". Passport Required. Today is my birthday
  2. ^ a b c León, Felice (November 10, 2015). "Black and No Longer Safe in America: Why Black Americans Are Looking Abroad For Respect". The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Bethune-Cookman University 2015 40 Under 40 Inductees". Bethune-Cookman University. 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Davenport, Sarad (November 28, 2021). "Living Beyond the Limitations: A Conversation with Darnell Lamont Walker". Vinegar Hill magazine. Vinegar Hill, Charlottesville, Virginia.
  5. ^ Kiefner, Brenna (December 2, 2022). "Feel Good Friday: Local man nominated for Emmy Award". WCAV. Includes television news segment. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Sathe, Jane (May 26, 2021). "Walker aims to tell story of a father, a son and a song". The Daily Progress. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Darnell Lamont Walker (January 9, 2022). "Darnell Lamont Walker Q & A". Alpha Magazines (Interview). Interviewed by Anthoni Duncan. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Kappa Alpha Psi Director Combats the Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness in the Black Community with New Documentary". Watch the Yard. March 20, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Darnell Lamont Walker resume". Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Mixer.co.
  10. ^ "Recommended Readings". Washington and Lee University Sociology and Anthropology Department. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Darnell Lamont Walker (March 2, 2016). "'Seeking Asylum' Addresses Leaving the U.S. Behind". Ebony (Interview). Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Darnell Lamont Walker Is Seeking Asylum Wordwide" (Press release). January 14, 2016 – via PR Newswire.
  13. ^ Pennington, Steuart (March 16, 2016). "Anti-racism week". South Africa the Good News.
  14. ^ "Anywhere But Here + Seeking Asylum". Virginia Film Festival. October 7, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  15. ^ Schetick, Katie (October 27, 2016). "Virginia Film Festival Recommendations". Making Art in/with Communities. Charlottesville, Virginia.
  16. ^ a b Callahan, Yesha (February 15, 2017). "Outside the House: How 1 Documentary Sheds Light on Mental Health in the Black Community". The Root. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Colby, Celina (June 7, 2017). "The Roxbury International Film Festival opens June 22". Bay State Banner.
  18. ^ a b Patton, Katara (July 25, 2018). "How To Deal With PTSD". The Chicago Defender.
  19. ^ Newman, Katherine (September 12, 2018). "Free Mental Health Workshop and Film Screening To Be Held At DuSable Museum". The Citizen. Chicago, Illinois: The Citizen Newspaper Group.
  20. ^ "The IndieFEST Film Awards Announces Latest Winners!". Filmfestivals.com. March 7, 2017.
  21. ^ Kinane, Sean (May 24, 2021). "Tuesday is anniversary of George Floyd's murder - we check in on mental health in the Black community". WMNF. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  22. ^ "RapidLion announces 2019 award winners". MultiChoice Talent Factory. March 18, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  23. ^ a b "17 films to watch at the 2019 RapidLion Film Festival". Creative Feel. South Africa. February 8, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  24. ^ "Past Community Events". Association of Black Psychologists. Detroit, Michigan. 2019 events. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  25. ^ Keyt, Ellen (November 6, 2021). "A Brief History of the Michigan/Metro Detroit Association of Black Psychologists, Black Psychology & MPA". Michigan Psychological Association (affiliate of American Psychological Association).
  26. ^ a b c d e f g Gist, Jon (December 8, 2022). "Behind The Scenes: Get To Know Darnell Lamont Walker, Emmy-Nominated Writer From Netflix's 'Karma's World'". Black Entertainment Television. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  27. ^ a b McClellan, Cree B. (August 24, 2016). "feature: la-based writer/filmmaker darnell lamont walker recognizes the impact of police brutality on black youth in new children's book 'i hate that i have to tell you'". Afropunk.
  28. ^ Sathe, Jane (December 9, 2022). "Charlottesville television writer, team await Emmy results Saturday". The Daily Progress. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  29. ^ "The 1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards – Writing nominees". The Emmys. November 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  30. ^ a b Freeman, Ian (May 20, 2021). "Afropunk interview: darnell lamont walker talks animated feature "our song," and finding happiness". Afropunk. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  31. ^ "Darnell Lamont Walker | Faculty Member". Esalen Institute. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  32. ^ a b Stidhum, Tonja Renée (May 19, 2017). "How One Little Company Is Making Backpacking Cheaper—and More Inclusive". GQ. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  33. ^ Taylor, DeAnna (December 3, 2019). "Meet The Man Using "Mystery Trips" To Expose More Black People To Adventure Travel". Travel Noire.
  34. ^ "Artists – Art Gaysel". The Gaythering. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  35. ^ Farley, Michael Anthony (December 9, 2022). "Art Basel Miami Beach at Twenty: Bmore Galleries Shine, Madonna Celebrates "Sex" on the Beach, and Hotel Sleaze Makes a Comeback". Bmore Art.
  36. ^ Hurley, Bevan (December 15, 2022). "Screenwriter says he was prevented from boarding Delta flight 'because I'm Black'". The Independent.
  37. ^ Petri, Alexandra E. (December 16, 2022). "Black TV writer says racism kept him off Delta flight at LAX". Los Angeles Times.
  38. ^ Jones, Spencer (December 19, 2022). "Black Man Denied Access To Plane, Accuses Delta Of Racial Discrimination". Travel Noire – via Yahoo! News.
  39. ^ "Friendship in a Flash". Karma's World. Season 3. Episode 7. July 7, 2022. Event occurs at Closing credits. Netflix.
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