Kevin Arbouet is a multifaceted creative force, exceling as a writer, director, producer, and film executive. His career has been marked by a relentless pursuit of diversity in filmmaking, defying stereotypical expectations and pushing boundaries.
Born in Brooklyn, Arbouet grew up with a passion for movies, drawn to big, funny, and beautifully structured Hollywood comedies and thrillers. However, he initially doubted his ability to make the kind of films he loved as a director. It wasn't until later that he discovered he could carve out his own path and forge his own way.
Arbouet's early career was marked by an eye for talent, as he began as a modeling agent, then moved into developing the careers of promising new actors. This led him to producing indies and eventually becoming Vice President of Lee Daniels Entertainment, where he developed projects for the company behind award-winning hits like "Monster's Ball" and "Precious."
His own filmmaking breakthrough came with a viral video that exploded overnight to 100 million views around the world. "I Got a Crush... On Obama" featured the now-famous "Obama Girl" and tapped into a cultural moment, earning a spot on Newsweek's "Top 10 Meme of Decade" and the Webby Awards' "Top Web Video of the Decade."
Arbouet continued to explore the brave new world of web-based entertainment, producing the sci-fi internet series Stream starring Whoopi Goldberg. He also produced David Michalek's innovative Portraits in Dramatic Time, a series of 40 short films exhibited as part of the 2011 Lincoln Center Festival.
As a writer-director, Arbouet made his feature debut with the thriller Serial, which premiered at the Long Island International Film Festival and earned him a screenplay award and an audience choice award.
Arbouet's latest projects include the romantic comedy Fair Market Value, which premiered at the Geena Davis's Bentonville Film Festival, and the sexy revenge thriller Big Bad Billie Gunn, about the only female member of New York's Irish mob.
Throughout his career, Arbouet has been driven by a desire to prove that being an African-American filmmaker can be limitless, and he continues to push boundaries and defy expectations in his work.
