Richard T. Moore II, CEO of Judah Productions and a member of SAG-AFTRA, was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. He began his theater and film career at Towson University. He entered SPADES, a short film he wrote and co-produced into the American Black Film Festival. After receiving great feedback from HBO executives, he then decided to move to LA.
While living in LA, he positioned himself into a class with eight working television and feature film writers. Being around so may talented writers pushed him to really focus more on the craft of writing scripts. He learned so much that it prompted him to move back east and begin filming more of his own projects. He became a studio and field producer at Channel 10 in Fairfax, VA. He then entered THE PAPERMILL, a television pilot that he wrote and executive produced, into the ITV Fest and NYTVF.
Soon after he produced, directed, and starred in the play THE CHAMP during the ArtScape Festival in Baltimore. The festival draws in thousands of people over a summer weekend, and the play had great reviews.
AWAKEN is his latest and best project that he has taken on. It is also the first project under Judah Productions LLC.
Tell us about your experience at the Hip Hop Film Festival.
The Hip Hop Film Festival by far is the best festival that I have participated in. CR and her staff have gone above and beyond to ensure the success of their festival selections. Not only were the filmmaker info sessions before the festival even started dope, they gave us a chance to have our very own Watch Party to promote our films and make a profit at the same time. Who else does that? Nobody.
Why are stories from the culture important?
I believe stories from the culture are important because it to allows us to dream and experience another world through the medium of film and television. Humans learn from what they see, hear, and feel. And even though it's film and television somehow we can touch it too. These inherent emotional pathways must be channeled by Us. We must control what we feel and how we take those feelings and apply them in positive ways that help us build our community.
What projects are you working on now?
Currently, I'm working on a script called Mean Streets (©wga) . It's a movie about a boxer who gets framed by his promoter and ultimately turns back into street fighting to pay for his grandmother's COVID-19 medical bills, and restore his namesake.
Why do you think the Harlem Film House and Hip Hop Film Festival are important?
The Harlem Film House and the Hip Hop Film Festival are important because they truly want us to succeed. They are committed to helping the independent filmmaker understand the business, how to make a profit from your film, and the importance of building your brand. This has been such an eye-opening experience, and I am so grateful to have been selected to such a wonderful festival.