Bios
Marlon Franklin was born on June 1st in Caracas, Venezuela and is the youngest of 7 brothers and sisters. Marlon immigrated to Los Angeles, California over 25 years ago with the dream to play water polo, but ultimately pursued a career in radio and television production after college. Marlon has worked in television as a producer, director, showrunner and engineer, in both the Spanish language and English speaking markets.
When creating “Simply Salsa”, Marlon recognized a market that hadn't been tapped. In the last few years, Salsa has become a worldwide phenomenon. It is enjoyed in countries around the world that one would least expect. With his personal love of the dance genre, he knew that traveling around the globe exposing a worldwide audience to how Salsa is interpreted in different countries, would be a wonderful experience and a show that the entire family would enjoy. Salsa transcends generations and Marlon knew “Simply Salsa” would be a ratings hit.
Duke Media Entertainment, helmed by actor, director, producer, writer and humanitarian, Bill Duke, is dedicated to bringing quality “Edutainment” to audiences around the globe. Formerly Yagya Productions, Duke Media has successfully produced
critically acclaimed film and television content for more than 30 years. Additionally, Duke Media is in process of expanding the brand to involve itself in the development of new media technologies, i.e. cellphone apps, games, and virtual world experiences.
Since the early 70s, Bill Duke along with industry veterans Michael Shultz and Gordon Parks, have long paved the way for African Americans in the industry. Mr. Duke excels in front of and behind the camera. His acting and directing credits are
extensive and include stints on such ground breaking television series as Falcon Crest, Fame, Hill Street Blues, Knotts Landing, Dallas, and New York Undercover. His feature acting credits include American Gigolo, Car Wash, American Satan, Mandy, Get Rich or Die Trying, Predator, Menace II Society, The Limey and Not Easily Broken, to name a
few. His most recent directing credit is the feature film, Created Equal, which follows the journey of a nun in the catholic church, who wants to become a priest. Some of the other films he has directed include Deep Cover, Hoodlum, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, and Cemetery Club.
He has recently completed production on Blexicans, a new television pilot that takes a comedic look at a mixed race family. His documentaries, Dark Girls and Light Girls, both NAACP Image Award nominees, aired on OWN and were two of the most
successful documentaries on the network. Bill Duke's invaluable contributions to the industry have been recognized by both his peers and the entertainment community. He was appointed by former President Bill Clinton to the National Endowment of Humanities, he was appointed to the Board of the California State Film Commission by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and he has been honored by the Directors Guild of America with a Lifetime Achievement
Tribute.
Walter E. Smith is the best-selling author of “The Black Mozart: Le Chevalier de Saint-
Georges. Smith was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, where he attended North Carolina Central University, majoring in French. There, he was a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. After graduation, he moved to New York City. He taught French and Spanish in the NYC Public Schools for several years. Later, he attended graduate school at Laval University, in Quebec.
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Having written a few short stories, after college, he headed to Los Angeles to pursue a writing career and eventually landed a writing gig on Good Times, then Magnum P.I and Diff'rent Strokes. Smith was nominated for the Humanitas Award and is a memberof the Writers Guild of America.
Sydney Chandler has written, produced and filmed documentaries on military challenges for the
US ARMY ROTC and received the Commander's Award from the University of Southern California and the US Army, recognizing her work on the documentary “A Ranger's Challenge". Sydney also received a special pin and acknowledgment from the Department of Defense.
She's written and filmed additional documentaries; "The Nighthawk", chronicling the
life and career of NASCAR driver Felix Giles; a four part documentary - "The Forgotten
Women - A Series of Firsts" and currently in development on documentaries - "They
Don't Know What We Do", "The Invisible Royals", "The Truth In Music" and "The Fair
Play, Fair Pay Act".
In addition to documentaries, Sydney has written and executive produced a Sci-Fi TV
series titled "The Becks" and a period drama set in Hollywood during the late 50's, "The
Flesh Peddlers"; short films -"The Friend Corps." and "The Type-A Murderer's
Handbook"; feature films - "The Cote", an action/adventure film set on the French
Riviera that spans from the 60's to the 70's; "The Maids of Saragossa"; Empress Wu";
"The Orbiters", a horror film; and a Sci-Fi drama "The Timekeeper's Handshake".
Sydney is at the helm of SCM Entertainment and Media, Madd Peach Productions and
served on the Board of Directors of the Global Doo Wop Coalition/Doo Wop Music Hall
of Fame. She is the chief negotiator for a contingent to bring the Doo Wop Hall of Fame/Vocal Group Hall of Fame to Los Angeles. Sydney also manages and serves as a publicist for various music, film and TV professionals, as well as artists and entertainment related organizations. As a freelance journalist, she's covered award shows, movie premieres, red carpets, the Summer and Winter Olympics, in addition to the Special Olympics and general assignments.