Patrik-Ian Polk facts for kids

Patrik-Ian Polk (born July 29, 1973, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for making films and TV shows that tell important stories about African-American people, especially those who are gay or lesbian. In 2016, the Los Angeles Times newspaper called him "the man bringing black gay stories to screens large and small."

Polk directed his first movie, Punks, in 2000. He also wrote and produced this independent film. Punks was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2004, Polk created the TV series Noah's Arc. It started on the Logo channel in October 2005 and ran for two seasons. After the show ended, Polk wrote, directed, and produced a movie based on it, called Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom, which came out in 2008. His later movies include The Skinny (2012) and Blackbird (2015).

About Patrik-Ian Polk

Early Life and School

Patrik-Ian Polk was born in 1973 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. When he was a child, he loved watching television and movies. He was especially inspired by Spike Lee's 1986 film She's Gotta Have It.

Polk went to Brandeis University for a time. There, he was the arts editor for the college newspaper. He earned his first degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Later, he studied at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinema and Television.

His Career in Film and TV

Making His First Film: Punks

Polk directed his first full-length movie, Punks, in 2000. He also wrote and produced this independent film. The movie starred actors like Rockmond Dunbar and Renoly Santiago. It told the stories of a group of gay African-American friends.

Punks was first shown at the famous Sundance Film Festival. It was also chosen to open the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. In 2001, Punks was shown in theaters in New York City. The film was nominated for awards like the GLAAD Media Award in 2002. Later, it was shown on the Logo TV channel in 2011.

Creating Noah's Arc

After Punks, Polk started working on a new idea for a TV show. This show would also focus on the lives of several gay African-American men. He made the first episode independently in 2004. It was first released as a web series online.

People really liked the web series. Because of this, the Logo channel decided to pick up the show. They made it into a half-hour series. The show was called Noah's Arc. It ran for two seasons on Logo.

Noah's Arc on the Big Screen

Polk's second movie was Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom. This film was a spin-off from the Noah's Arc TV series. It came out in 2008. Polk wrote it with John R. Gordon, who also worked on the TV show. The movie continued the story from where the TV series ended.

The film is about the wedding of the main character, Noah Nicolson, and his boyfriend, Wade Robinson. They get married at Martha's Vineyard. The movie received several awards and nominations. It won a GLAAD Award for Best Feature Film (Limited Release). Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom was released in select theaters in October 2008. It did very well in some cities, earning a lot of money per screen.

Other Films: The Skinny and Blackbird

In 2012, Polk released his third movie, The Skinny. He wrote, directed, and produced this film. It tells the story of five friends from Brown University. Four are gay men and one is a lesbian. They meet up in New York City for a busy Gay Pride weekend. After being shown at festivals and in some theaters, the film premiered on Logo in July 2012.

His next film as a writer and director was Blackbird. It starred Mo'Nique and Isaiah Washington. This movie was released in April 2015. Polk co-wrote the film with Rikki Beadle-Blair. Blackbird was very successful at film festivals. It won awards at several festivals that focus on LGBT stories. It also won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature Film at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Working on TV Shows

In 2017, Polk joined the TV show Being Mary Jane. He worked as a producer and writer for the series. In 2020, he also started co-producing the Starz show P-Valley.

Why His Stories Matter

Patrik-Ian Polk is open about how his own experiences have influenced his work. He wanted to see more diverse characters on TV. He especially wanted to see African-American gay characters. He said, "I wanted to see black gay characters and there were none on TV. So I decided rather than complain about it, I'd do it myself." Polk lives in Harlem, New York.

See also

In Spanish: Patrik-Ian Polk para niños

• LGBT culture in New York City
• List of LGBT people from New York City
• NYC Pride March