president Jeff Clanagan

Most successful entrepreneurs have had ample opportunity to display their leadership capabilities early on in their lives and their youthful endeavors may have included a lemonade stand, selling magazines, navigating a newspaper route or washing cars.

Like his adolescent contemporaries, Jeff Clanagan, the visionary President of UrbanWorks Entertainment, also demonstrated the business acumen required to create a thriving business; however, Clanagan bought to 'another level.' While still in high school, Jeff became a promoter of parties attended by his classmates and others in his San Jose environs. The first party he organized attracted so many participants that authorities were forced to close the streets. Eventually, Jeff's success snowballed, and soon he began approaching local radio stations not only to solicit their sponsorship but also to negotiate contracts. All this taking place while he was preparing for his upcoming SAT's and sweating his geometry exams. "The problem was, I wasn't able to sign contracts because I was still underage. So, my father would have to come to the radio stations and sign the contracts on my behalf," Jeff reminisces with amusement.

Jeff was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He and his family relocated to San Jose, California after his father became a marketing executive for a Silicon Valley-based company, and his mother took employment as a registered nurse. He credits both parents, especially his father, as being his most ardent supporters. "My father is one of my greatest role models. He provided me with the stability at home that enabled me to pursue my dreams, and he always supported my dreams," says Jeff who at the age of 14 was a notable athlete in track, and was named National Champion for his gravity-defying triple jump. "Sports have been the mental underpinning or theme that has driven me and motivated me to be independent. The sports arena nourished my entrepreneurial spirit," remarks Jeff. “Being that track is essentially a 'solitary' sport, it taught me the value of focus and discipline."

Upon graduation from high school, Jeff entered the University of Washington on a football scholarship, but his college career as one of the Washington Huskies' stellar running backs was cut short due to a knee injury. He completed college, earning his bachelors degree in Business Administration. In 1985 Jeff set his sites on becoming a concert promoter. Long before hip hop's widespread appeal, Jeff was promoting concerts featuring such artists as Will Smith, MC Hammer, LL Cool J, Mary J. Blige, and, Ice Cube, in addition to such R&B luminaries as Patti LaBelle, The Isley Brothers, Luther Vandross, and New Edition. His reputation as one of the nation's most respected concert promoters allowed him to secure corporate sponsorship from companies such as Citibank, Budweiser, Sprite/Coca-Cola, and Snapple.

Later, Jeff entered a new arena and added theatrical production and promotion to his professional dossier with the stage plays, "The Diary of Black Men," "Mama, I Want to Sing," and "A Good Man is Hard To Find." He also promoted the successful "HBO Def Comedy Jam" tour which featured comedians Bernie Mac, Martin Lawrence, and Chris Tucker.

Jeff eventually moved into film and television production - first as the President of Master P's No Limit Films. Under his direction, No Limit Films generated over $40,000,000 in sales revenues. While at No Limit Films, Jeff spearheaded the production of "Foolish," starring comedian Eddie Griffin. The film, distributed by Artisan Entertainment, grossed $6,000,000 in box office revenues. He also produced "No Tomorrow" featuring Master P and Pam Grier, which later aired on USA Networks. His credits also include "Hot Boyz" featuring Snoop Dogg, the first hip-hop themed film to air on network television station UPN. His last project at No Limit Films, "Lockdown," was released theatrically through Columbia Tri-Star in the spring of 2003.

Jeff eventually left No Limit Films to become President of Mandalay Urban Entertainment, a division of Mandalay Sports Entertainment. At Mandalay, Jeff executive produced three original made-for-cable movies for BET's "Arabesque" series - "Fire and Ice," "Commitments," and "One Special Moment." In 2002 "Fire and Ice" was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for "Best Dramatic Movie. "Having produced three movies for BET on very tight budgets and having them all come in under budget is something I'm enormously proud of," says Jeff. "All three films had strong production values and received the highest ratings of all the films in BET's Arabesque series," he adds.

Jeff also produced the drama "Civil Brand" which is being distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment and stars Mos Def, Da Brat, Lisa Raye, N'Bushe Wright and Clifton Powell. "Civil Brand" is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2003. The film has won numerous awards at prestigious film festivals around the country including the American Black Film Festival, the UrbanWorld Film Festival, and the Pan-African Film Festival. Civil Brand was also invited to participate in the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

In May 2001, Jeff launched UrbanWorks Entertainment where he's brought into play his 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur in music and film. UrbanWorks Entertainment, in partnership with Ventura Distribution, is the engine, which has propelled the success of the immensely popular Time-Life video series "Def Comedy Jam." Since its release in 2001, the series has sold more than 1,000,000 units. "The goal of UrbanWorks Entertainment," says Jeff, "is to produce and acquire content, niche product for the urban audience." He adds, "I want UrbanWorks to be an outlet for African-American producers for the distribution of their product. The company is geared to be a springboard from which urban filmmakers will launch into a broader mainstream market."

With this goal in mind, UrbanWorks Entertainment's strong 2003 production slate has grown to include new Platinum Comedy Series concert films featuring Cedric The Entertainer, Steve Harvey, Mo'nique, Bruce Bruce, Joe & Guy Torry, Adele Givens, and D. L. Hughley in addition to "Sinbad's Soul Music Festival," a well-attended annual summer event showcasing performances by icons in the R&B genre for the home entertainment market.

Jeff also has begun production on "Beauty Shop," a film written by Sherri A. McGee and Andrea Wiley starring comedian Mo'Nique. "Beauty Shop" tells the story of a woman who flees a troubled situation in her hometown of Baltimore and lands in a Beverly Hills beauty salon run by her estranged sister. The core of the film is about family bonds and how two sisters come together despite their differences. Jeff Clanagan and Magic Johnson Entertainment's Nikkole Denson are producing "Beauty Shop". Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Mo'Nique's manager, Steve Imes of Big City Artists Management are executive producing.

Jeff's vision also includes UrbanWorks acquiring an exclusive North American distribution partnership with Viacom-owned BET. Through this partnership UrbanWorks Entertainment will release a slate of urban-themed programming owned by BET. UrbanWorks Entertainment will also expand BET's after-market lineup, offering a library of titles to home video customers. BET programming to be distributed include the network's signature biography series "Journey's In Black," BET's annual "Celebration of Gospel Concert Special," BET's popular series "Walk of Fame," and BET Pictures' slate of made-for-tv movies adapted from BET's Arabesque line of romance novels.

Clanagan's business savvy, entrepreneurial spirit, and his reputation as the "Go-To-Guy" has garnered him some enviable media coverage. Over the last 3-years, Clanagan has been profiled in the New York Times, GQ, Savoy, Upscale, Vibe, and Variety. He has also been featured in Source, a major publication widely considered to be the hip-hop communities version of Time, and has been profiled in Video Store Magazine on two separate occasions.

With his eye to the future, Jeff's ambitions include creating a major theatrical component within the next two to four years focused solely on producing feature films budgeted between $1,000,000 and $7,000,000 exclusively for the DVD market, the fastest growing segment of home entertainment. "These films will be specifically targeted to a niche audience. The goal is to 'out-niche' the studios," offers Jeff.