LOS ANGELES, Ca February 26, 2015
Only days after 87th Academy Awards where Neil Patrick Harris openly joked about the event’s lack of diversity, President of Four Screens Production Messiah J. Jacobs has joined the Producers Guild of America, arguably one of the most sought after guilds for Hollywood’s elite.
Jacobs has been on the foray of the digital movement in entertainment for the past 10 years. He produced some of the first long form cross platform digital series “Los Americans” starring Esai Morales and “Diary of a Single Mom,” starring Monica Calhoun. Both reaped the benefits of monetization across multiple platforms.
“After 10 years of producing great films and TV, I’m proud to be in both the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America.” Jacobs added, “We must add more diversity to the creative arts, and I thank Neil Patrick Harris for pointing that out on a big stage.”
Jacobs is also writing a book, due out this summer, about how to produce content in Hollywood which he hopes will add to diversity.
Jacobs is the founder and President of Four Screens Production, www.4sproduction.com a full service creative and brand production house that specializes in creating great content for TV, film, web and mobile device. Reality TV and web series are at the forefront of their creative pursuits. Four Screens has worked in production with top talent including Vivica Fox, Robert Townsend, Esai Morales, Michael Clark Duncan, Loretta Devine, Monica Calhoun, Fyvush Finkel, Stanley Kamel, Irwin Keyes, Armin Shimerman, Elliot Gould, and Diane Carroll.
He has also been the force behind the talent management and reality show development for the family of Wu Tang Rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s family.
Most recently Jacobs forged international opportunities for Four Screens by teaming up with Friday House Films to produce the much awaited Malayalam film “Peruchazhi” starring India’s mega-star Mohanlal.
More about Jacobs:
www.messiahjacobs.com, www.4sproduction.com
As a Producer, Jacobs cut his teeth on indie films like Skyler starring Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose (The Princess and the Frog; Dreamgirls) and the zany comedy The Urn. Both films were equally successful with The Urn starring Emmy Award winning actor Fyvush Finkel (Picket Fences; Boston Public) and Stanley Kamel (Monk).
In October 2009, Jacobs’ Musical Theater of Hope premiered. It became one of the highest rated shows in Gospel Music Channel’s history, featuring performances by R&B star Howard Hewett and Grammy nominated Angie Stone. Jacobs’ prowess as Producer did not go unnoticed by the show’s Executive Producer and Director Robert Townsend.
In January 2010, Jacobs was hired by acclaimed Director and Producer Robert Townsend to be the Head of Production of V-Studio. This new venture, a division of One Economy Corporation, is focused on creating multi-platform public purpose media.
With Townsend, Jacobs produced three seasons of the award winning dramatic web series Diary of a Single Mom with all-star cast Monica Calhoun (The Best Man; Sister Act 2), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars, Lady Sings the Blues), Richard Roundtree (Se7en; Shaft) and Leon (The Five Heartbeats; The Temptations). Diary of a Single Mom, will Premiere on TVOne in November 2011 and will have the unique distinction of being one of the few webisobes to transition to Broadcast Television.
Building upon the success of Diary of a Single Mom, V-Studio created a new dramatic web series Los Americans for the growing Latino audience. The series is written and directed by Dennis Leoni (Creator of Showtime’s Resurrection Blvd.) and stars Esai Morales (NYPD Blue; La Bamba), Raymond Cruz (The Closer) and Lupe Ontiveros (Desperate Housewives; Selena). Los Americans is now successfully broadcasting on Transit TV reaching over 25 million people per month.
Ever the “innovator,” Jacobs has become well respected in the digital production world with the creation of these two strong dramatic web series. This truly distinguishes him as a leading pioneer in New Media Landscape.
At the beginning of 2011 V-Studio committed to producing the feature film In the Hive. With Townsend directing, Jacobs producing and great performances from Emmy Award winner Loretta Devine (Grey’s Anatomy) and Oscar Nominee Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) the production was a success.
Career Accolades:
Diary of a Single Mom (Dramatic Series)
Webby’s
Nominated: Best Drama 2011
Nominated: Best Writing 2010
Indie Soap Awards
Winner: Indie Soap of the Years 2009, 2010 and 2011
L.A. Web Series Festival
Web Series of the Year 2010
Skyler (Independent Feature)
Official Selection 2011 LA Film and Music Weekend
Winner of Award Of Merit from Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood 2011