Writer-director Travon Free signs first-look producing deal with Endeavor Content

The writer-director became the first Black winner in the best live-action short category when his ‘Two Distant Strangers’ film collected the Academy Award on Sunday night.

Author chief Travon Free has signed a first-look producing deal with Endeavor Content after, alongside co-director Martin Desmond Roe, winning the Oscar for best live-action short for Two Distant Strangers.

“Over the last year, I’ve developed some great creative relationships with some wonderful people at Endeavor Content, who I’ve found to be as committed as I am to making art that is not only entertaining, but challenges our society, our culture and the world we live in. I’m really excited about the road ahead and the chance to create with their impressive team,” Free said in a statement.

Two Distant Strangers tells the story of a Black man, played by rapper and entertainer Joey Badass, who is made a beeline for feed his dog, just to find himself confronted by a white police officer. Free is additionally a two-time Emmy award-winning writer and a stand-up comedian.

Joe Hipps, executive vp TV at Endeavor Content, included his own statement: “We are incredibly excited to be in business with Travon. Between his background as a comedy writer and his revelatory debut as a filmmaker, there is no genre or idea he can’t bring his unique perspective to. We are longtime fans of his work across genres, and look forward to supporting Travon as he builds his company.”

Free is at present writing a feature script that stars Idris Elba for Apple+. His credits remember supervising producer for Peacock’s Wilmore, supervising producer on Amazon Studios’ Harlem, essayist on HBO’s Showtime, maker on Showtime’s Black Monday, and maker on HBO’s Camping.

Free got his beginning on staff at The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.

He is managed by AGI Entertainment and lawyer Jared Levine at Morris Yorn.