Award-Winning Screenwriters Omar L. Harris & Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris win the Fade In Awards Grand Prize for their TV pilot teleplay “One Blood”(based on Omar’s novel “One Blood") on Feb 1, 2021.
“We are extremely grateful to the awards committee at the Fade In Awards for this wonderful recognition. It is an honor to be in the company of other prestigious prize winners,” explained, “One Blood” Screenwriters Omar L. Harris and Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (PRWEB) February 04, 2021
Brother and sister screenwriting team, Award-Winning Author Omar L. Harris and Actor, Screenwriter, and Playwright Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris, announce that their 1-hour “One Blood” TV pilot teleplay won the 25th Annual Fade In Awards Grand Prize for the TV Pilot/Web Series Competition on February 1, 2021. This horror genre teleplay is based on Omar L. Harris’ award-winning novel (“One Blood”, 2011) that was written using the pen name Qwantu Amaru.
Executive Producer, Creator, and Writer Jon Bokenkamp (Award-Winning TV Series “The BlackList”) calls his decision to enter the Fade In Awards, “The most important moment in my career.”
“We are extremely grateful to the awards committee at the Fade In Awards for this wonderful recognition. It is an honor to be in the company of other prestigious prize winners,” explained, “One Blood” Screenwriters Omar L. Harris and Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris.
“One Blood” the pilot is based on “One Blood” the novel by Qwantu Amaru (aka Omar L. Harris), which is an award-winning, bestselling fiction book with over 60,000 downloads, a Kirkus Reviews Book of the Year in 2012, and winner of 9 other prestigious literary awards.
The “One Blood” TV pilot teleplay Logline is: “A lifer at the Louisiana State Penitentiary gets a final chance at freedom -- all he has to do is assassinate the sitting Governor of Louisiana.”
The Amazon book description adds, “‘One Blood’ is a supernatural thriller that will make you an instant fan of this author. Rich themes of voodoo, family curses, political ambitions and a quest for power are dominant in this roller coaster ride set in Louisiana.”
The screenwriters spent part of their childhood in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and know the area well. Omar explains, “We moved to Louisiana when I was 11 and Sameerah was 9. The six years that I spent in this unique state from junior high through high school became the backbone of my first novel, “One Blood.” Omar adds; “I’ve always been an avid reader and Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury were some of my early favorites. Later on, I discovered Stephen King and never looked back! I’ve been fortunate to live all over the U.S. and overseas as well, and this diversity of experience certainly informs my work.”
The brother-sister duo adapted the novel over four months during the pandemic from August-November 2020. Their goal is to have “One Blood” turned into a TV series for a streaming service like: Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Max.
As a result of receiving this Grand Prize for “One Blood,” the screenwriters will receive a 2021 VIP Hollywood Pitch Festival Pass to meet 200 A-list Hollywood Buyers and Representatives, plus $1,000 towards travel and script analysis. The 2021 Hollywood Pitch Festival is currently scheduled for July 30-August 2, 2021, in Los Angeles, California.
The Fade In Awards includes 9 competitions, and this Grand Prize Award is for the TV Pilot/Web Series Competition that “is open to aspiring TV writers of scripted one-hour, half-hour teleplays, limited series, mini-series and movies-of-the-week, and filmmakers of completed (filmed) web series. All genres are welcome.”
In the past, “Fade In Award winners have gone on to sign with major Hollywood talent agencies ICM, UTA, CAA, WME; write/direct hit feature films and television shows, including “The Marksman” (2020), “Your Honor”, “The Blacklist”, “Cold Pursuit” (2019), “Blades of Glory”, “Adam”, “Office Christmas Party”, and “If Only.” After Josh Gordon and Will Speck entered their short “Culture”, both signed with ICM. “Culture” was also nominated for an Academy Award™ for Best Short Film, Live Action, and these Directors/Writers then directed Will Ferrell in “Blades of Glory” and Jennifer Aniston in “The Switch”.
“One Blood” Teleplay is based on this NOVEL:
“One Blood” Book on Amazon by Qwantu Amaru (real name, Omar L Harris)
https://www.amazon.com/One-Blood-Qwantu-Amaru/dp/0982719361/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
“One Blood” Book Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMH5Bh0D6XI
Leadership Books by Omar L. Harris
The Servant Leader’s Manifesto (April 2020)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086Z7HSBT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Leader Board: The DNA of High Performance Teams (Leader Board Series) (2019)
https://www.amazon.com/Leader-Board-High-Performance-Teams/dp/0996531858/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
MEDIA CONTACT:
Liz Kelly, 310-987-7207
ABOUT OMAR LUQMAAN-HARRIS (Charlotte, NC) is an Award-Winning Screenwriter (Fade in Awards Grand Prize for TV Pilot/Web Series), and Bestselling Author of 5 books, Team Leadership Thought-Leader, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, Entrepreneur, Intent Consulting Managing Partner and 20+ year veteran of the global pharmaceutical industry (GSK, Pfizer, Merck, Allergan and more). Based on building high-performance organizations on four continents, Harris shares his team leadership strategies and success stories in 3 new books: “Be a J.E.D.I. Leader, Not a Boss: Leadership in the Era of Corporate Social Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” (May 2021), “The Servant Leader’s Manifesto” (April 2020) and “Leader Board: The DNA of High Performance Teams” (June 2019). He is passionate about leading teams, high-performance coaching and inspiring future leaders today and tomorrow to adopt the servant leader mindset and stop toxic leadership behaviors. While working in corporate, start-up, and entrepreneurial endeavors, Harris developed a compelling roadmap for leadership in the era of stakeholder capitalism, a clear blueprint for servant leadership, and 20 Team Performance Acceleration Principles that leaders at all levels can apply to improve and accelerate group success. His work has been featured on CNN HLN Headline News, Black News Channel, WPXI NBC Pittsburgh, and in Real Leaders, SHRM Blog, Thrive Global, CEO World Magazine, Young Upstarts, Inside/Outside Innovation podcast, Leadership on Purpose Podcast, the Love Ideas Summit and more. https://www.omarlharris.com/
ABOUT SAMEERAH LUQMAAN-HARRIS (Los Angeles, CA) is an Actor, Screenwriter and Playwright. Her feature screenplay, “AFTER”, won Best Screenplay at the 2020 New Faces New Voices International Film Festival and the 2020 BMGF International Film Festival; and placed in the Austin Film Festival, Ojai Film Festival, and Pasadena Film Festival. Her full-length play, "Rapture", was a finalist for a 2020 SPACE on Ryder Farm residency and a Second Rounder in the 2020 Austin Film Festival Playwriting Competition. As an actor, Luqmaan-Harris is best known for “Room 104” (HBO), “Sharp Objects” (HBO), and “Advantageous” (Sundance Film Festival, US Dramatic Special Jury Award). Sameerah played the female lead opposite Sterling K. Brown in Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Father Comes Home from the Wars, Parts 1, 2, & 3” (Mark Taper Forum). She also portrayed Cheryl Strayed in “Tiny Beautiful Things” (Pasadena Playhouse) and was featured on the “The Good Wife” (CBS). Luqmaan-Harris won 6 Best Actor Awards for “The Bravest, The Boldest” (Sundance Film Festival, 49 festival award wins overall). Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris is repped theatrically by MPG Management. http://www.sameerahluqmaanharris.com/
