Thomas Freeman Jr.
Thomas Freeman Jr.
Black, African American, or African
Straight (Heterosexual)
Affiliations
Bio
Thomas Freeman Jr. is a writer/producer based in New Jersey. After releasing four
Urban fiction novels, and writing dozens of articles for print and online magazines, Freeman decided to get into the movie business, writing, directing, and producing his debut feature-length documentary “Live 2 Tell: The Lucas Torres Story”.
Freeman’s next project, “Can't Forget New Jersey,” detailed the evolution of hip-hop culture in the Garden State. The documentary was critically acclaimed and earned Freeman a Best Director Nominations at the Newark International Film Festival and the Hip-Hop Film Festival in 2016. Freeman then created a docs-series "The Making of America's Most Dangerous City" which performed well on Prime and caught the attention of Phil Claroni a television producer from A&E.
In addition to writing, producing and directing documentaries, Freeman has penned, produced and directed several independent films. Freeman's latest two films "UNCLE RUFUS' LAST REQUEST," starring Omar Gooding, Michael Colyar and Bruce Bruce, and "Dream's Reality," are both streaming on TUBI. He previously collaborated with Woody McClain and Kevin Hart as the co-writer of the intro for the Laugh Out Loud Network series "Stories with Kev" Freeman is a member of the Los Angeles Film School chapter of the National Honor Society of the Entertainment Arts and graduated with a B.A. in Digital Film Production in July 2018. In November 2019, he graduated from Full Sail University with a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing. He also has several documentaries and features in various stages of production Recently Freeman had a screening for his still unreleased criminal justice documentary, "848: The Criminalization of America" which was sponsored by the Newark Chapter of the NAACP and held at Rutgers Law School. A Harvard Law School screening is scheduled for October 2024.
Projects
848: The Criminalization of America
848: The Criminalization of America
848: The Criminalization of America is a feature-length documentary that explores the kingpin charge and other drug conspiracy laws that can cause a person to spend life in prison for a non-violent offense. The documentary highlights two men in prison for non-violent drug charges, Wayne "Akbar" Pray and Anthony Stutson. It also features former drug kingpins such as Randy Lanier and Rick Ross, as well as activists, prosecutors, and lawyers who all agree that life in prison for a non-violent offense is over-sentencing. One of the attorneys featured, Isaac Wright Jr., was falsely charged and convicted of being a drug kingpin and spent nearly 10 years in prison before representing himself and being set free.
After Wright was released from prison, he passed the bar and became a practicing attorney. His life was dramatized in the 50-Cent-produced show For Life, which ran on ABC for two seasons. At a screening for the 848: The Criminalization of America hosted by Rutgers Law School, Isaac Wright Jr. promised the crowd that he would bring Wayne "Akbar" Pray home from prison - a bold statement. In just over a year's time, Isaac made true to his word, and on September 30, 2024, Wayne "Akbar" Pray was released from federal prison. Anthony Stutson is still serving life.
848: The Criminalization of America is streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi.
Can't Forget New Jersey
Can't Forget New Jersey" is a documentary that details the rise and development of the hip-hop culture in the Garden State. "Can't Forget New Jersey,” is complete and features interviews from Redman, Naughty By Nature, Lords of the Underground, DJ Red Alert, and a host of Jersey’s finest MCs, DJs, and producers.
