Townsend Entertainment (also known as The Townsend Entertainment Company and officially, Townsend Entertainment Corporation) is an American entertainment company, involved primarily in the production of films and television programs. Townsend Entertainment was founded by actor, producer, director and writer Robert Townsend. Its headquarters are located in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

Overview

Townsend Entertainment was founded by Robert Townsend in July 1995. It is just one of several entertainment companies that Townsend has founded. His others include Tinsel Townsend Productions, Inc. which produced The Meteor Man (1993) and

Townsend Television ''Townsend Television'' is an American sketch comedy/variety show starring Robert Townsend who also served as the series’ executive producer. The series featured an ensemble cast including John Witherspoon, Barry Diamond and Paula Jai Parker ...

(1993), Conquering Unicorn Inc. producing

Hollywood Shuffle ''Hollywood Shuffle'' is a 1987 American satirical comedy film about the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadb ...

in 1987, and more.

History

In 1995, Townsend Entertainment partnered with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

for the production of ''

The Parent 'Hood ''The Parent 'Hood'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 18, 1995, to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. Originally to be titled ''Father Knows Nothing'' (a parody of t ...

'', a family sitcom starring Townsend as Robert Peterson. The show was first released on January 18, 1995 and aired until July 25, 1999. In the show's earlier seasons, it was revered as "the 'Cosby Show' of the '90's" intertwining family morals and values with comedy. Townsend Entertainment collaborated with V Studio to produce In the Hive (2012), a drama film starring

Jonathan McDaniel Jonathan Richard McDaniel (born May 17, 1985), better known by his stage name Lil J, is an American actor and rapper. He is best known for his role as Devon Carter (Raven Baxter's boyfriend, and later ex-husband) on the hit Disney Channel show ...

Michael Clarke Duncan Michael Clarke Duncan (December 10, 1957September 3, 2012) was an American actor. He is best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in '' The Green Mile'' (1999), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor a ...

Vivica A. Fox Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983) and played roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of Our Lives'' (1988) and ''Generations (American TV s ...

and

Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949) is an American actress. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of ''Dreamgirls'' (1981), Gloria Mat ...

. The film was written by Cheryl West and directed and produced by Robert Townsend. In more recent years, Townsend Entertainment released Playin' for Love, a romantic comedy about a high school basketball coach and his star player's mother. Starring Robert Townsend and

Salli Richardson Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield (born Salli Elise Richardson, November 23, 1967) is an American actress and television director. Richardson is known for her role as Angela in the film '' A Low Down Dirty Shame'' (1994) and for her role as Dr. A ...

, the film was released on January 16, 2015. The film made its debut at the 17th Annual

American Black Film Festival The American Black Film Festival (ABFF), originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival, is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film and works by black members of the film industry. The festival is held annually in ...

(ABFF) in

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean ...

in 2013 at the Colony Theatre. The screening was a red carpet event featuring a live mural by MLK Mural. Townsend was awarded a grant from the

City of Miami Miami is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a population of 6.14 million, is the second-largest metropolitan ...

Community Redevelopment Agency for the film and employed students from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

to assist in the making of the final product.

Films

* Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy, 2009 * In the Hive, 2012 * Playin' for Love, 2015

Television Shows

, 1995 * Musical Theater of Hope, 2009 *

Diary of a Single Mom ''Diary of a Single Mom'' is a drama web series. This series is about three single mothers and their fight through obstacles trying to get ahead. Cast * Monica Calhoun as Ocean * Valery M. Ortiz as Lupe * Janice Lynde as Peggy * Jonathan Biggs ...

, 2012

Awards and nominations

* American Cinema Foundation, 1997 ** E Pluribus Unum Award – Television Series Comedy * NCLR Bravo Awards Nominations, 1996 ** Outstanding Television Series Actress in a Crossover Role, Reagan Gomez-Preston *

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

Nominations, 1996 ** Best Performance by an Actress Under Ten – Television, Kylie Erica Mar *

Winners, 1997 ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy/Drama – Supporting Young Actress Age Ten or Under, Ashli Adams ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy/Drama – Supporting Young Actor Age Ten or Under, Curtis Williams *** *

Nominations, 1998 ** Best Family TV Comedy Series ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Young Actress Age Ten or Under, Ashli Adams ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Young Actor Age Ten or Under, Curtis Williams ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Guest Starring Young Actor, Billee Thomas ** Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Guest Starring Young Actor, Cody McMains In the Hive *

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

Nominations, 2013 ** Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture,

References