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 creating films and theater works that tell stories about the lives and experiences of African-American people. In 2016, the Los Angeles Times included Polk in their Diverse 100 list. They recognized him for bringing important stories to both big and small screens.

Polk directed his first full-length movie, Punks, in 2000. He also wrote and produced this independent film. Punks was first shown at the famous Sundance Film Festival. In 2004, Polk created the TV show Noah's Arc. It started on Logo 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. This movie was shown in theaters in 2008. His later movies include The Skinny (2012), which starred Jussie Smollett, and Blackbird (2015), featuring Mo'Nique, Julian Walker, and Isaiah Washington. Both films were shown at festivals before their release.

Early Life and Education

Patrik-Ian Polk was born in 1973 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As a child, he was very interested in television and movies. He especially liked Spike Lee's 1986 film She's Gotta Have It.

Polk later attended Brandeis University, where he worked as the arts editor for the college newspaper. He earned his first degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. After that, he continued his studies at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinema and Television.

Career Highlights

Patrik-Ian Polk's career began with his first feature film, Punks, released in 2000. He not only directed but also wrote and produced this independent film. The movie featured actors like Rockmond Dunbar, Renoly Santiago, Jazzmun, and Devon Odessa. It focused on the stories of a group of African-American friends.

Punks had its first showing at the Sundance Film Festival. It was also chosen to open the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. In November 2001, Punks was shown in theaters at the Quad in New York City. The film was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award and an Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award in 2002. Later, Punks was shown on television on Logo on August 7, 2011.

Creating Television Series

After Punks, Polk started working on a new idea for a television series. This show would again focus on the lives of several African-American men. The first one-hour episode was made independently and released online as a web series in 2004. To help pay for each episode, the show was first planned as a DVD subscription series.

Because the web series was very popular, the TV channel Logo decided to pick it up as a half-hour show. The series explored topics like relationships, marriage, and family life. It also discussed important issues like health awareness and understanding different families. The series ran for two seasons on Logo before it was canceled in 2005.

Film Spin-off and Other Movies

Polk's second feature film was Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom, a movie based on his TV series Noah's Arc. This film was released in 2008. He wrote it with John R. Gordon, another writer from the series. The movie continued the story from where the second season ended. It focused on the wedding of the main character, Noah Nicolson, and his partner Wade Robinson, at Martha's Vineyard.

The film received three NAACP Image Award nominations. These included Outstanding Independent Feature Film, Outstanding Writing in a Feature Film, and Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film. It won a GLAAD Award for Best Feature Film (Limited Release). Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom was released on October 24, 2008, in a few cities. These included Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, and Chicago. The movie performed very well, earning a lot of money per screen.

In 2012, Polk released his third feature film, The Skinny. He wrote, directed, and produced this movie. The film tells the story of five friends who were classmates at Brown University. They reunite in New York City for a busy weekend. After being shown at festivals and in a few theaters, the film premiered on Logo on July 8, 2012.

His fourth feature film as a writer and director was Blackbird. It starred Mo'Nique and Isaiah Washington and was released in April 2015. Polk co-wrote the film with Rikki Beadle-Blair. The movie was successful at film festivals, winning awards at several festivals that focus on diverse stories. These included Outflix Memphis and Atlanta's Out On Film Festival. The film was the closing night movie for Los Angeles' Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), where it won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature Film.

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

Personal Life

Patrik-Ian Polk has openly shared that his personal experiences have greatly influenced his work. In an interview, he talked about why he created the series Noah's Arc. He said, "I wanted to see black 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.

Polk has also spoken about the need for more diverse voices in the entertainment industry. He has shared his own challenges as a black filmmaker. He noted that some of his white filmmaking friends have had more opportunities. He believes that doors were opened for them that were not open to him. He has worked hard to build a career making independent films.

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