Bryan G. Thompson

Bryan G Thompson was born in Detroit, Michigan, where he discovered his love for both the arts and business, later relocating to Miami, Florida and also Quito, Ecuador, for his work in international business. In his free time, he sang in bands and acted in independent films, training videos and commercials. He joined the Army in 2003 and was stationed in Hampton Roads, Virginia and El Paso, Texas. After his deployment to Iraq in 2007, he began to pursue writing and production. To accomplish this, Thompson surrounded himself with experienced filmmakers, allowing him to polish his technical skills while bringing his own vision to life. Since 2008, Thompson has produced eight (8) feature films, two web series and one short, with his production company Imani Films. The company's first production exposed audiences to the often misunderstood "wet-foot-dry-foot" law, a former US immigration policy that stated that anyone who fled Cuba and entered the United States would be allowed to pursue residency a year later. "Noventa" is a story about Cubans with conflicting opinions about how to execute a dangerous plan to escape the Communist island country. "Noventa" won Audience Choice in Film Miami Fest 2015, Best Actress (Margarita Romero) in Film Miami Fest 2015, Best Short Film in the Miami Independent Film Festival 2015, and Official Selection at the 2016 Hollywood FL Film Festival. Next, Thompson produced the sci-fi/action series, "The Cell", which exposed audiences to the delicate ethical balance between protecting the nation at all costs and the protection of human rights. "The Cell" received multiple international accolades including Best Directing and Best Visual Effects at the Los Angeles Web Series Festival 2013, Official Selection at the Hollyweb 2013 (Hollywood, CA), and Official Selection at Carballo Interplay 2013 (Spain), Best Action Sequence at the NYC Urban Action Film Festival, Best Web Series at the Hollywood Independent Film Festival, Best Web Series at the Film Miami Fest, Best Stunts at the Baltimore Web Series Festival, and Best Action Sequence at the Baltimore Web Series Festival. In 2014, Thompson founded Florida's first international film festival for web series; the Miami Web Series Festival (aka "Miami Web Fest"), a non-profit 501c3 organization. The exposure from this event has contributed to the success of several independently produced web series who subsequently secured distribution and/or development deals with Netflix, Vivendi, BBC and other prominent networks. The event features productions from around the world and is judged by network executives from companies like Paramount and Viacom. Thompson has also used the platform to promote the arts as a means for veterans to cope with stress. Thompson was awarded the Key to the City of Miami for his contributions to the city's artistic community as well as the veteran population. In 2016, Thompson tackled the issue of immigration law reform, producing the feature film "El Sueño", which highlights the heated debate about the Dream Act. Co-directed with Humberto Castro (about whom the story is loosely based), it won Best Feature Film at the Festival de Cine Latinoamericano (Latin American Film Festival). The film was selected for distribution by American Cinema International and is available at Walmart and on multiple digital platforms. In 2018, Thompson met the CEO of Maverick Entertainment through his work at Miami Web Fest. This meeting led to a major deal between Imani Films and Maverick Entertainment resulting in the production of "Rogue Cell" (based on "The Cell"), "Rogue Cell 2; Shadow Warrior", "Valentine's Date", "Easter Someday", "Thanksgiving with the Carters", "The Carters Family Reunion", and "Thanksgiving with the Carters 2; Second Helping". The films were subsequently released for streaming on Amazon (streaming and DVD), Roku, Tubi, Redbox, Pluto TV, IMDb TV, Vudu, Xumo, Crackel, several other platforms.