Black History Month Movie Mogul: Troy Pryor

I see Troy as a budding Berry Gordy when he was creating Motown. But Troy says he is more Def Jam meets Disney. As he told me, "Our global ecosystem of creatives is here to ensure authentic stories are told and artists retain ownership of their ideas." 

While moderating a panel at the Chicago International Film Festival, entrepreneur Troy Pryor heard a phrase coined by Qadree Holmes, founder of Quriosity Productions, that perfectly captured the sort of change that needs to happen in the entertainment industry, "It is like they are calling 1-800-Hire-A-Brother." Troy, whom we previously profiled on our site, has preached from the pulpits, competed in sports, and even acted. But now he is using his evangelical zeal as an advocate for connecting undiscovered diverse talent to mainstream media platforms through his entertainment brands Creative Cypher and Pryor Holdings. "We heard so much talk in recent years from companies vowing to make foundational shifts toward championing diversity, but few have put their money where their mouth is," he told me on a recent Zoom call. He is the founder of a new Creative Cypher Project, the Chicago Film XLerator, a content lab intended to discover new Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) talent and increase creative pipelines in the entertainment industry. 

Comprised of executive mentors from major companies including Bron Studios, Netflix, BET, HBOMax, Univision, and more, the Chicago Film XLerator has built an extensive list of qualified executives, producers, and actors. Pryor said that since its inception, the organization has garnered the attention of executives in the film and TV industry including Teri Arvsue (SVP of Social Impact & Sustainability Univision), Lamorne Morris (Actor and Producer “Woke”),  Barry Brewer (Actor and Producer), Brenda Gilbert (Co-Founder & President of Bron Studios), Darrien Gipson (Executive Director of SAGindie), Tiffany Williams (EVP of Development BET), Jaleel White (Actor and Producer) James Ward (Multicultural Publicity Executive at Netflix), Whitney McGowan (HBOMax, Marketing), Dometi Pongo (Host, Producer MTV) and more.

“Chicago can be very segregated and depending on what side of town you live on, you may not be aware of resources that are available to you,” said Pryor. “Three years ago, I launched the XLerator program as a way of aggregating Chicago organizations and their resources. A lot of similar pilot programs are great in theory, but they don’t end with a tangibly viable product, which is what we have already succeeded in doing twice. The first time we did it, Sundance recognized us in their National Inclusion Resource List. In our second year, we were able to fund fifty percent of a digital project while bringing in high-level network executives and show runners from a variety of media companies. This year, we are able to fully fund the project of our winning filmmaker.”

Last month, the organization announced the winner of its third cycle, Kimberly Michelle Vaughn, and her project "Hindsight." As the winner of the Chicago Film XLerator program, she will receive a package worth fifty thousand dollars ($50k) to go towards her project and the opportunity to partner with executives from major entities to help produce and streamline the film. Funding partners include Chicago Filmmakers, BTEC, Camera Ambassador and Periscope Post and Audio. The Chicago Film XLerator prize package also includes placement in Chicago’s Filmmakers Showcase, Black Harvest Film Festival Passes, a 1-year membership to Chicago's Screenwriters Network; and monthly customized care packages provided by Lusters products. The winning package also consists of Niche on Demand fundraising and marketing consultations and 50% off equipment rental from Camera Ambassador.This has been their most extensive winner's package to date.