VALENCIA, CA (Feb 01, 2023) – Aldis Hodge stars opposite Dwayne Johnson in the blockbuster film that has raked in nearly $400 million at the box office, and he has much more in store for Hollywood. Hodge is an award-winning actor, producer, horologist and entrepreneur who has not only established himself as a highly respected member of the acting community, but he is also actively addressing the imbalance in equity for the African American and BIPOC community in the film industry.
Together with world-renowned artists Phillip Boutté Jr. (Black Panther, Maleficient) and Mike Uwandi (Moon Knight, The Mandalorian) Hodge has co-founded the very first black owned concept art studio comprised primarily of BIPOC designers, artists, and visionaries. Established in 2020, 9B Collective is already disrupting the status quo in the world of film, animation, television, video games, XR, graphic design and more.
“Our goal is to provide a shift in the entertainment landscape by working towards true inclusivity both in front of, and behind the camera. Only by creating innovative pathways and developing diverse talent to bring new perspectives, will our industry ever elevate to a higher level of inspiration, entertainment, and connection,” said Hodge.
With an impressive client roster that includes Marvel, Sony, Netflix, Lucasfilm and more, 9B Collective is producing content and creations for some of the biggest names in entertainment. Although working with powerhouses like Disney, Warner Brothers, and Pixar inherently involve NDA’s and red tape, the 9B founders are always eager to share insight into upcoming projects when possible. Their work on the highly anticipated upcoming film, Blue Beetle is well underway. The blockbuster release will star the first Latin American superhero for DC and the 9B team of artists for Blue Beetle was comprised primarily of Latin artists as well.
Recent 9B Collective projects include:
· To Sleep in a Sea of Stars – Star Trek
· Gearbox/StarTrek
· Tomorrow Wars
· One Night in Miami
· Rebel Moon
· Founders Brewing Co
· Disney Junior
· Wicked
· Black Adam
With two more top secret projects in the works for Sony Animation and Netflix Animation, it appears that 9B Collective’s vision of diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect are long overdue in the entertainment world.
ABOUT THE 9B COLLECTIVE FOUNDERS
Phillip Boutté Jr. is a costume concept artist/production designer for film, music video and television. He has illustrated for a multitude of blockbuster hits including Marvel’s Black Panther, Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, Captain Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers Infinity War, Thor, Man of Steel, Inception, Star Trek 2, The Justice League, Marvel’s Agents of Shield, The Greatest Showman, Jungle Cruise starring Dwayne Johnson, Godzilla Vs. Kong and the highly anticipated live action reboot, He-man: Masters of the Universe.
Mike Uwandi is both a Concept Artist and Art Director for live action film and video games. His client list includes Marvel Studios, Warner Bros, ILM, Disney, CBS, Sony Pictures, 21st Century Fox, MPC, Niantic, Kabam, Mattel and more. Mike’s work for Mandalorian and Westworld were nominated for an Emmy in Outstanding Sci-fi Costume.
Aldis Hodge is an award-winning SAG actor with an impressive resume that includes prominent roles in City on A Hill, Leverage, One Night in Miami, Turn, Hidden Figures and more. He currently stars opposite Dwayne Johnson in the DC Comic blockbuster film, Black Adam and stars as Alex Cross in CROSS for Amazon.