Kenneth E. Nwadike Jr. is an American documentary

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

motivational speaker A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk. Motivational speakers ...

, and

peace activist A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world pea ...

popularly known as the "Free Hugs Guy". Ken is the founder of the Free Hugs Project. His "Free Hugs" videos have reached hundreds of millions of views on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

Career

In 2014, Nwadike launched the Free Hugs Project with the stated purpose of spreading love in response to the

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

of the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ...

. The Free Hugs Project gained popularity in 2016, as Nwadike made major news headlines for his efforts towards de-escalation of violence during protests, riots, and political rallies. Nwadike was featured in Google's 2016 Year in Search video as a highlight among some of the year's most defining moments. Nwadike has made many appearances on news programs and radio broadcasts worldwide, including CNN, USA Today, Good Morning Britain, and BBC News. Nwadike is the President and CEO of Superhero Events, LLC, which produces the annual

Hollywood Half Marathon Hollywood Half Marathon is an annual road running event over the half marathon distance 21.0975 kilometres (13.1094 mi), which is held each spring in Hollywood, California. The race was inaugurated in 2012 and has been held every year since ...

. The marathon, held each spring in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, with the purpose of raising funds for local homeless youth shelters. On March 30, 2016, Nwadike released the controversial "Donald Trump Rally Free Hugs vs Bernie Sanders Rally Free Hugs" video to his "Free Hugs Project" channels on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The video became a viral hit and his #MakeAmericaLoveAgain hashtag became a trending topic on Facebook and Twitter. Nwadike's "Free Hugs" videos have reached hundreds of millions views on

and

. During

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conferen ...

, Ken Nwadike was featured in the

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unre ...

Super Bowl 2020 commercial titled, "Typical American" which showcases “the extraordinary people that represent the best of America.”

Occupations

As a motivational speaker, Ken details his former homelessness and states that he overcame insecurities by getting involved in extracurricular activities in school. The support, he says, he received from coaches, teammates, and friends while playing sports and participating in student government activities, helped pave the way for Ken to start a number of businesses and a charitable organization that helps homeless teens. The Free Hugs Project is a program conducted at workplaces and colleges, designed to bridge racial divides and encourage civility. In October 2017, Nwadike filed with the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...

to run for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

in the

2020 election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **Cro ...

. He later withdrew from the race.

Live appearances

Aside from YouTube and Facebook videos, Nwadike has appeared on worldwide news programs and radio broadcasts. * April 4, 2012 – Nwadike was featured on an

NBC 4 Los Angeles KNBC (channel 4) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Corona-li ...

special, titled, Life Connected. * April 5, 2016 – Nwadike interview with

Pix 11 WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship of The CW ...

news to share why he launched the Free Hugs Project. * March 23, 2016 – Free Hugs Guy interviewed live on set during the

Fox 5 San Diego KSWB-TV (channel 69) is a television station in San Diego, California, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on Engineer Road in the city's Kearny Mesa section, and its trans ...

morning show to discuss the Free Hugs Project and give hugs to news anchors. * September 16, 2016 – Ken teams up with the hosts of Good Morning Britain in London to launch Free Hugs Friday. * September 23, 2016 – Nwadike was interviewed live on

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the ...

with Poppy Harlow after Charlotte Protests. * January 24, 2020 - Ken Nwadike visited

to discuss inclusion in the Budweiser Super Bowl 2020 commercial.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

References

External links

*
Free Hugs Project Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nwadike, Ken Jr. Living people 1981 births American motivational speakers American sports businesspeople YouTubers from San Diego American activists of Nigerian descent American nonviolence advocates American anti-poverty advocates African-American activists Activists from California African-American Christians American philanthropists California Democrats Candidates in the 2020 United States presidential election African-American candidates for President of the United States 20th-century African-American people