Filmmaker | Writer | Director | Producer | Entrepreneur
Kevin Sharpley is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, director, producer, entrepreneur, and creative executive whose career spans more than 25 years across film, television, documentary, animation, and emerging media. He is the Founder and CEO of KijiK Multimedia and KijiK Holdings, and co-founder of Xavatar, CineVisun, the Black Film & Media Group, and Screen Heat Miami. A Sundance Institute Fellow and 2014 inductee into the Miami Dade College Alumni Hall of Fame in Film, Sharpley has built a career distinguished by original storytelling, multidisciplinary creative production, technological innovation, and a commitment to developing opportunities for emerging talent.
As a filmmaker, Sharpley has written, directed, produced, and developed projects spanning narrative features, documentary filmmaking, animation, music, and transmedia entertainment. He directed and co-produced the feature film Deadly Night Out, a KijiK Multimedia co-production, and directed, co-wrote, co-produced, and co-edited the award-winning animated film Above Ground, which screened at fifteen film festivals, received five award nominations, and won four awards. He also produced and edited The Incredibly Short Life of Peter Panties, an animated short presented at Slamdance Emergence and recognized through numerous international festival selections and awards.
Sharpley is the creator, writer, producer, and director of The Beach Chronicles, an ambitious science-fiction property developed across animation, live action, music, comics, podcasts, virtual reality, and immersive entertainment. An official selection of the Miami International Film Festival, the property has screened to sold-out audiences at the Miami Beach Cinematheque, appeared on PBS’s Art Street, and earned recognition from HBO Los Angeles, which described the production as “a provocative and daring production.” Its virtual-reality experience, featuring Daryl Hannah as Aurora, was selected for the Miami Film Festival’s Virtual Escape program and featured on NBC’s Six in the Mix.
Over its development, The Beach Chronicles has brought together an extraordinary range of performers and creative collaborators, including Daryl Hannah, Michael Chiklis, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Jean-Louis, JoMarie Payton, Jordi Vilasuso, Nancy Sinatra, James McCartney, Donovan, MC Lyte, Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters, Jakob Dylan, Ky-Mani Marley, Steve Gibb, and Arlene Tur. The property’s expansion into comic books, podcasts, and immersive experiences has also taken it to major fan and entertainment conventions, including New York Comic Con, San Diego Comic-Con, and C2E2.
His documentary work reflects a longstanding interest in history, culture, identity, social impact, and the human experience. Sharpley produced and directed Sove Nou, narrated by Danny Glover and featuring Wyclef Jean, and Download for Good, narrated by David Lynch and featuring Peter Gabriel and Dave Stewart. His additional work includes Nou Sove, involving Jimmy Jean-Louis, Josh Brolin, Diane Lane, and Maria Bello; Embrace the Legacy, featuring Wesley Snipes; and Red Ribbon, White Party, featuring Billy Bean, Janice Dickinson, Carson Kressley, Junior Vasquez, and Guinevere Turner.
Sharpley’s documentary Purvis Young, Young Purvis, exploring the life and legacy of the celebrated American artist, was selected for the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program’s Miami Story Development Workshop. Following his participation, Sharpley was invited by the Sundance Institute to author Ask Yourself These Questions When Developing Your Documentary Film, sharing his insights into documentary development and the creative process. His work documenting Purvis Young also contributed historical imagery to national coverage of the artist’s legacy, including The Washington Post Magazine.
His broader production portfolio includes directing and adapting an animated version of the popular iHeartRadio series War of the Roses, with development toward television; the feature film Deadly Night Out; LIFELINE, a project developed from earlier short-form storytelling into a larger true-crime narrative and documentary property; and REJOICE!, a documentary series exploring the history, evolution, and cultural influence of gospel music. His work also encompasses music videos, commercials, branded entertainment, and productions involving major recording artists, athletes, and cultural personalities. Among these is Here Comes the Hurricanes, a music video celebrating the University of Miami’s 2001 national championship football team, as well as projects featuring Grammy-winning musicians Sly and Robbie.
Sharpley’s creative background extends beyond filmmaking. Before establishing his career in media production, he worked internationally as a professional model represented by agencies including Wilhelmina, Ford, Major, and Boss, with experience across the United States, Europe, and Africa. His foundation in visual arts, design, fashion, and performance contributed to a multidisciplinary approach to composition, storytelling, character, and the relationship between artistic expression and audience experience.
An early advocate for the convergence of entertainment and emerging technology, Sharpley co-founded Xavatar, an experiential media and technology venture exploring autonomous AI-powered avatars, digital humans, virtual environments, and interactive storytelling. His work in this field has involved collaborations with technology companies, academic institutions, and researchers across North America and Europe. Xavatar was selected as a finalist in the Altada AI Accelerator and showcased at international technology and entertainment events. Sharpley also produced an HP-sponsored Planet X/Xavatar activation at the Cannes Film Festival, demonstrating immersive entertainment and virtual-human technologies. His related work has explored applications in education, accessibility, communication, and social connection.
Throughout his career, Sharpley has been equally committed to advancing the entertainment industry and expanding access to creative careers. He co-founded CineVisun, a nonprofit organization dedicated to media arts education, mentorship, and workforce development, and the Black Film & Media Group, which supports independent filmmakers and diverse creative voices. He also co-founded Screen Heat Miami, a multimedia entertainment platform and podcast connecting filmmakers, artists, industry executives, educational institutions, and audiences through interviews, original programming, and events.
Sharpley previously served as Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Film and Entertainment Advisory Board, contributing to initiatives supporting the growth of South Florida’s film and entertainment industry. His professional service includes serving as a Miami Film Festival Judge and Selection Committee Member, a judge for the International Emmy Awards, a National YoungArts Foundation Cinematic Arts Judge (2009–2012), and a West Palm Beach Student Film Showcase Judge (2016–2021), as well as involvement with the American Black Film Festival and other major industry organizations. He has also served as an advisory board member of the University of Miami’s Norton Herrick Center for Motion Picture Studies and a mentor through the university’s Launch Pad entrepreneurship program.
His commitment to education and mentorship has extended internationally, including work with emerging animators and artists in Kenya through Ada Animation. Several artists from that initiative subsequently contributed to KijiK productions, demonstrating his belief that creative development and professional opportunity should advance together. Sharpley was also selected by sports and entertainment executive Diane McGraw to contribute his professional experience to Behind the Scenes: Explore and Navigate a Career in Sports and Entertainment, a career-development publication designed to guide emerging professionals.
A graduate of Miami Dade College and the University of Miami, where he earned a bachelor’s degree with studies in motion pictures and psychology, Sharpley was inducted into the Miami Dade College Alumni Hall of Fame in Film in 2014, recognizing his professional achievements and contributions to the industry and community.
Today, Sharpley continues to lead KijiK Multimedia’s creative development and production activities while expanding the broader KijiK enterprise across original intellectual property, animation, film and television production, artificial intelligence, immersive entertainment, education, and emerging distribution platforms. His work includes developing new production infrastructure, entertainment experiences, and technologies designed to connect storytelling with audiences in increasingly dynamic and participatory ways.
Across every medium, Sharpley’s work is guided by a central conviction: storytelling is more than entertainment. It is a means of connecting people, exploring the human condition, preserving culture, expanding imagination, and creating opportunities that extend far beyond the screen.