Byron Hurt is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer, anti-sexist activist, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Journalism School, in the Documentary Film Program. He is also a consultant for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Forward Promise initiative, a storytelling project for boys and young men of color. Hurt is also an Emmy-nominated TV show host. His critically acclaimed documentary, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and broadcast nationally on PBS’ Emmy-award winning series Independent Lens.

Byron’s more recent film, Soul Food Junkies, won “Best Documentary” at several film festivals, including, the CNN Best Documentary Award at the American Black Film Festival, and Best Documentary at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York City.  Soul Food Junkies  also aired nationally on PBS’ Emmy-Award winning series Independent Lens in January 2013, and broadcast in more than 20 millions homes on TVOne.

A member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, Hurt is in production for his upcoming film, Hazing. It has been commissioned by ITVS, and funded by the MacArthur Foundation, Firelight Media, Black Public Media, Artemis Rising, Impact Partners, The Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention, and the International Documentary Association (IDA).