Hollywood Wouldn’t Champion Black Stories—So They Built ABFF | Power Couple Jeff & Nicole Friday

Hollywood wouldn’t make room—so Jeff and Nicole Friday built their own table. The powerhouse couple behind the American Black Film Festival joins Melyssa Ford to unpack 30 years of championing Black storytellers, the industry’s retreat from culturally defining Black films, and ABFF’s major move to Los Angeles in 2027.

They also get candid about building a business while sustaining a 24-year marriage, surviving financial crises and the pandemic, and why working with your spouse can either strengthen the partnership—or consume it. Plus: the compliment that changed their relationship, the truth about streaming residuals, and their essential advice for the next generation of Black creatives.

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