Media & Press
Media resources and selected background information for B.J. Winfrey and Winfrey Media Group.
Short Media Bio
B.J. Winfrey is a native Atlanta filmmaker, screenwriter, author, professional actor, and director. He attended The Westminster Schools through A Better Chance, earned bachelor's degrees from Emory University, and founded AHANA Theater while at Emory.
After returning to professional acting in 2007, Winfrey's career expanded to include African cinema, where he appeared in Paparazzi: The Eye in the Dark and wrote the internationally exhibited feature One Night in Vegas. He became the first American filmmaker to win the NAFCA Award for Best Short Film for Five.
He is the author of The Final Lesson and Beware the Icestorm, and is currently writing Anthem, the concluding volume of the Everybody Wants to Rule the World trilogy. He is developing BLUE, his first feature film as director. He is the founder and CEO of Winfrey Media Group.
Selected Story Angles
Editorial concepts for journalists and media professionals.
Atlanta Before “Hollywood of the South”
A native Atlantan whose creative work began decades before Atlanta became a major international production center.
The Accidental Actor
An acting career shaped repeatedly by unexpected opportunities — beginning with accompanying somebody else to an audition.
Chance Opened Doors. When It Didn’t, He Built Them.
From AHANA Theater to independent filmmaking and publishing, Winfrey repeatedly created opportunities rather than waiting indefinitely for them.
From Screenplay Backstory to Epic Fantasy
The writing that eventually became Everybody Wants to Rule the World began as story development for a film project before expanding into a novel series.
The African Cinema Chapter
An acting opportunity unexpectedly connected Winfrey with African cinema and ultimately led to his writing One Night in Vegas.
BLUE: The Present-Tense Chapter
Decades of experience across acting, directing, screenwriting, psychology, music, and storytelling now converge in Winfrey’s first feature film as director.
