ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Since my debut in Season 3 of HBO's Def Comedy Jam, I have led and managed investments in Black American-themed content and entertainment.
Additionally, I consult on supply chain management platform investments for companies like Praxair and Stellantis and startups like Cart.com. I've been a proud student of Columbia College, Kennedy-King College, Occidental College, and Art Center College of Design, neglecting graduation in every case.
My credits include the original House Party films, three documentaries on Black history, and the feature films 5150 (2003), one of Netflix's first streamed titles, How U Like Me Now (1992,) and Killing Joan (2018.)
I'm also the author of the Black American Mystery novel series The Tales of Elliot Caprice, including A Negro and an Ofay, Ace Boon Coon, and Talented Tenths. I've won short fiction awards. I've been nominated for awards in literary fiction, crime fiction, and poetry.
I live in Los Angeles. I was born in Bronzeville, Chicago. I grew up on 95th & Halsted, near Rev. Wright's Church. I'm John and Wally's little brother. I went to McDade Classical. Go Dolphins.
INVESTMENTS
As Gardner & Son, John Gardner Sr., and Jr. distributed a variety of Black American products across LMI areas, including media like The Negro Digest, Ebony, and Jet Magazines, and most notably supporting The Chicago Defender newspaper throughout the 60s and 70s, which was the newspaper that led my grandfather from Thomas County, Georgia's racial pogroms of 1917 to civic leadership in Chicago. He was inspired by the growth of Black American culture nationally.
I carry on his legacy through our publishing house, committed to independent financing that fosters socially equitable investment. This aligns with his vision for community prosperity alongside the Black American individual. My investment in Universal's "HOW U LIKE ME NOW?" in 1990 reignited his legacy, leading to 35 years of successful ventures in media and entertainment focused on Black history.