Shawn James Writes Hollywood Tell–All Book About Black Actress

Jan. 26, 2010 - PRLog -- FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:
SHAWN JAMES
E-Mail: sjsdirectny@aol.com
shawnsjames.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/shawnsjames



January 26, 2010– Writer Shawn James has published All About Marilyn, the story of a typecast 34-year-old African-American actress desperate to break away from Nikki Desmond, the character she played on the hit 1990’s teen sitcom All About Nikki seventeen years ago.

“Marilyn’s story details the struggles African-American actresses face in the entertainment industry.” James says. “When it comes to black actresses it’s often now you see them and now you don’t onscreen.” Even though they’re often as popular as their white contemporaries, African-American actresses don’t work as regularly. What many don’t know is that African-American actresses face numerous obstacles in finding work such as racism, sexism, misogyny, and studio politics behind the scenes. These numerous barriers to employment often prevent many talented sistas from actualizing their potential as performers. James hopes Marilyn’s story gives readers an insight into the struggles black actresses face in Hollywood on a daily basis.

A free-lance writer for over fifteen years, Shawn James is the author of the novels Isis and The Cassandra Cookbook. Shawn’s long-term mission is to sell enough copies of the screenplay to finance production of an eventual All About Marilyn film. He’d like to follow the model of African-American filmmakers such as Tyler Perry, Robert Townsend, and Spike Lee and finance an independent production of the project.

In addition, he’d also like to use the book to as a tool to help other African-Americans learn more about screenplays and the craft of screenwriting. “Less than two percent of the working screenwriters in Hollywood are African-American.” James says. “And there are next to no African-American executives who can greenlight a project for production .This is why there are so few African-American films or TV shows being produced these days.” According to James, there’s a desperate need for African-American screenwriters and and he hopes the book spurs interest among other African-Americans in pursuing careers behind the camera.

For additional information regarding All About Marilyn, contact Shawn James by email at sjsdirectny@aol.com or his website shawnsjames.blogspot.com. Copies of the All About Marilyn (ISBN 978-0-615-34258-0) are available in paperback for $14.00 each at online retailers such as amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or local neighborhood bookstores.