A Rising Star Blossoms Out from One of Brooklyn's Most Notorious Unsolved Murder Housing Projects to Give Back and Embraces Gentrification Head on
Actor, director, screenwriter, producer and TOMI film festival Co-founder Ephraim Benton announces the first annual New Leafs For Old Causes Benefit, taking place on Saturday, January 12, in Bed-Stuy at 7PM. The benefit will help raise funds to develop more youth programs at the newly established 123 Community Space in his rapidly changing Brooklyn neighborhood, and honor one young person with an award.
Brooklyn, NY, January 11, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Ephraim Benton is the oldest child of seven kids and always had to lead by example for his younger siblings in order to survive inside the notorious Tompkins Houses. After getting into serious trouble at the age of sixteen, he was given a second chance to change his life around when a judge ordered him into a one year redevelopment program. Still dealing with peer pressure and with a strange twist of faith he took up acting at a new school which led to his first commercial in 1995. For the past thirteen years he has worked with some of the most gifted directors including Spike Lee, John Singleton, Lee Daniels, Lisa France, Ridley Scott and Micheal Bey. His credits include the movies 'Baby Boy', 'Bamboozled', 'Mickey Blue Eyes' and 'Push', as well as television roles on 'Dave Chappelle's Show', 'Sopranos', 'NYPD Blue', 'Law & Order' and 'Third Watch'.
He started Black Beret Entertainment with a longtime childhood friend, also an inspiring rapper named Jason "Brooklyn Hooks" Jackson who was gunned down in 2005 inside Tompkins Houses. Recently a thirteen year old boy made headlines after he was gunned down to death two months after his sixteen year old cousin was also murdered. "Sadly it's an all to common situation as violence among the young generation increases and they steadily become lost causes" said Ephraim. Benton plans on working together with the new community space at 123 Tompkins avenue to find a resolution that can create opportunities of hope for the youth. Also, he will honor his best friends memory by bestowing one young person as the first recipient of the Brooklyn Hooks Black Beret Trailblazer Award to inspire kids to stay on the positive path, and will show his two short films 'Brown Paper Bags' and '3 Quarters Of Face Value' that he wrote, directed, produced and stars in along with his fellow cast mates.
Like other neighborhoods everywhere facing gentrification, he feels being an inspiring role model for the youth is his responsibility. "In five years this area will have totally changed for the better, but at what price if the true residents feel like outsiders where they've lived all their lives" said Benton.
Suggested donations are $15 to attend benefit.
About 123 Community Space:
123 is a new community space in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. It was formed by four grassroots groups (A New World In Our Hearts, Freegan Bike Workshop, Misled Youth Network, Anarchist Black Cross) and many individuals who pooled time, energy, and funds to build the space. 123 was started primarily by young people from outside the neighborhood. However, their goal is not to make a center to serve themselves, but rather to open up the space to people of Bed-Stuy as a place to make their voices heard, learn together, share, and organize.
About Black Beret Entertainment:
Black Beret Entertainment was founded in 1998 by Ephraim Benton and Jason Jackson as a way to utilize our talent, energy and real life street pain to get our families out of the hood. Black Beret Entertainment has evolved from a music company into a film company that has produced two short films and screenplays looking to be developed.
123communityspace.org/
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He started Black Beret Entertainment with a longtime childhood friend, also an inspiring rapper named Jason "Brooklyn Hooks" Jackson who was gunned down in 2005 inside Tompkins Houses. Recently a thirteen year old boy made headlines after he was gunned down to death two months after his sixteen year old cousin was also murdered. "Sadly it's an all to common situation as violence among the young generation increases and they steadily become lost causes" said Ephraim. Benton plans on working together with the new community space at 123 Tompkins avenue to find a resolution that can create opportunities of hope for the youth. Also, he will honor his best friends memory by bestowing one young person as the first recipient of the Brooklyn Hooks Black Beret Trailblazer Award to inspire kids to stay on the positive path, and will show his two short films 'Brown Paper Bags' and '3 Quarters Of Face Value' that he wrote, directed, produced and stars in along with his fellow cast mates.
Like other neighborhoods everywhere facing gentrification, he feels being an inspiring role model for the youth is his responsibility. "In five years this area will have totally changed for the better, but at what price if the true residents feel like outsiders where they've lived all their lives" said Benton.
Suggested donations are $15 to attend benefit.
About 123 Community Space:
123 is a new community space in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. It was formed by four grassroots groups (A New World In Our Hearts, Freegan Bike Workshop, Misled Youth Network, Anarchist Black Cross) and many individuals who pooled time, energy, and funds to build the space. 123 was started primarily by young people from outside the neighborhood. However, their goal is not to make a center to serve themselves, but rather to open up the space to people of Bed-Stuy as a place to make their voices heard, learn together, share, and organize.
About Black Beret Entertainment:
Black Beret Entertainment was founded in 1998 by Ephraim Benton and Jason Jackson as a way to utilize our talent, energy and real life street pain to get our families out of the hood. Black Beret Entertainment has evolved from a music company into a film company that has produced two short films and screenplays looking to be developed.
123communityspace.org/
###
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