Mike Ajakwe, Jr. Writter, Producer, Director A first-generation Nigerian-American born and raised in Los Angeles, Mike graduated from Inglewood's Morningside High and later attended the University of Redlands, majoring in English and Political Science. He graduated with honors and was named the Most Outstanding Senior of his graduating class. A two-time NAACP Award-winning Playwright/Producer (Company Policy/Ted Lange's Four Queens, No Trump!), Mike is also an Emmy Award-winning television producer (E! Network's Talk Soup). In February 2000, Company Policy was released, making Mike the first African-American writer to have a play published in the 21st Century. In 2001, South Central Stories - a collection of three critically-acclaimed one-act plays -- was published. Mike's plays have been excerpted in Best Men's Monologues, Best Women's Monologue), Best Stage Scenes,, and Outstanding Monologs and Scenes of the 90s. Over the past 15 years, Mike has written and/or produced for the following TV shows: Soul Food, The Parkers, Martin, Moesha, Between Brothers, The Brothers Garcia, Built To Last, Sister Sister, Entertainment Tonight, Talk Soup and Steve Harvey's Big Time. From 2000-03, he was the TV Professor for the Guy Alexander Hanks & Marvin H. Miller TV & Screenwriting Fellowship Program at USC, sponsored by Bill & Camille Cosby. Fellows Mike has mentored went on to write for shows like Girlfriends, One On One, The Division, My Wife & Kids, The Proud Family, ER, and The District. In 2003, Mike wrote an essay that was published in the "Power & Respect" chapter of the best-selling anthology Souls Of My Brothers. Also in '03, Mike (along with Jamie Foxx Show creator Bentley Evans and legendary actress/director Debbie Allen) traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to develop a sitcom for Picante Pictures. Mike has since co-created the sitcom Mano A Mano (My Brother, My Brother) for Picante that debuted on Brazilian TV April 3 of this year. In 2004, Mike and Picante co-produced Rocket Science & Salsa: The Shayla Rivera Story at the Zephyr Theater in Hollywood. The one-woman show about a Puerto Rican rocket scientist who gave up working for NASA to become a comedian was co-written by Mike and Shayla Rivera (now the host of Lifetime's You're Not The Man That I Married), directed by Debbie Allen, and nominated for two NAACP Theater Awards. After seeing a riveting musical about Jackie Wilson at the 2001 National Black Theater Festival, Mike wrote a play about Motown legends Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell called You're All I Need To Get By. He held several standing-room only free staged readings that attracted everyone from Norm Nixon to Britney Spears. Inspired by the success of that endeavor, in 2004 Mike wrote and directed If You Don't Believe: A Love Story (Featuring the Songs of Deniece Williams) that starred former Fresh Prince co-star Taytana Ali. Mike produced the sold-out show with legendary songbird Deniece Williams and the play received 8 NAACP Theater Awards, winning for Best Music Director. Since 1993, Mike worked on the stage with renowned actors like Glynn Turman, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Ted Lange, Phil Morris, Bill Overton, Robert Ri'chard, Hill Harper, Neicy Nash, Devika Parikh, Howard Love, Tommy Hicks, Art Evans, Aloma Wright, James Pickens, Chrystee Pharris, Mo'Nique, Sicily Sewel, Ra'ven Larrymore Kelly, Estelle Harris, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Lee Garlington, Gary Alan Williams, and Charles Dutton, to name a few. Mike has written and directed 9 plays and has produced 14 that have garnered 20 NAACP Theater Award Nominations. He is currently a writer/producer on the hit comedy Eve (Tuesdays at 8:30 on UPN). Productions Body Language