A Stroll Through Harlem with Shaft Director Tim Story

Tim Story (Director / Executive Producer) is one of the highest-grossing AfricanAmerican directors in the world, with his eight feature films collectively grossing more than $1
billion. He is the first African-American director to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office, to
direct a Marvel film and to have seven films open at number one at the box office.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Story began directing at the age of 12, making silent films
with an 8mm camera he inherited from his older brother. His career aspirations expanded when
he began producing talent shows at Westchester High School in Los Angeles. He was voted
President of his class in his senior year and was classmates with jazz pianist Eric Reed and actresses Regina King and Nia Long. While still in high school, Story briefly flirted with the music industry as a rapper and performed with rap legend Ice T’s group, Rhyme Syndicate. However, just before signing a record deal with Warner Bros., Story chose to no longer pursue performing, after
learning that his close friend and fellow group member had been fatally shot.

After graduation, Story attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he
studied Cinema Production at the School for Cinema Arts. He honed his storytelling skills in USC’s
prestigious film school while his twin sister, Tamryn, became a star on the school’s women’s
basketball team. He then returned to the music industry, this time by directing music videos. His
cinematic style was showcased in videos of artists who represented diverse music genres, ranging
from R&B to pop, including N-Sync, K-Ci & JoJo, R. Kelly, Tyrese and India Arie.

During this same time period, he and his wife, Vicky, founded The Story Company, an
entertainment production house, where Story financed, produced, wrote, edited and directed two
feature-length independent films: “One Of Us Tripped” (1996 winner of the Black Filmmaker’s Hall
of Fame Film Festival) and “The Firing Squad” (1998).

In 2002, Story made his studio feature film directorial debut with the smash hit comedy
“Barbershop,” starring Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Anthony Anderson and Michael Ealy. It
was his first film to open at number one at the box office. He followed that success in 2004 with
the action comedy “Taxi,” starring Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Esposito.

Immediately after “Taxi,” Story directed the epic superhero adventure “Fantastic Four,”
based on the popular Marvel comic and starring Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis. The movie premiered at number one at the box office and took in more than $330 million worldwide, making it Story’s most successful film to date. He also helmed the 2007 sequel, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” which debuted at number one and went on to earn more than $289 million. Story then directed Oscar winner Forest Whittaker in the 2009 independent film “Hurricane Season,” the true story of a high school basketball coach and the team of displaced students that he led to the New Orleans State High School Basketball Championship in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

In 2012, Story helmed the smash hit romantic ensemble comedy “Think Like a Man,” starring Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Michael Ealy, Gabrielle Union, Romany Malco, Regina Hall, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good and Terrence J. The film adaptation of Steve Harvey’s best-selling book Act Like A Lady, Think Like a Man was number one at the box office for two weeks. Story’s next feature film was 2014’s “Ride Along,” starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. The film opened at number one at the box office over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. To date, it is one of the biggest January opening box office tallies of all time. The film went on to be number one at the box office for three consecutive weeks and grossed more than $154 million worldwide. Later that year, Story directed “Think Like a Man Too,” which also topped the box office in its opening weekend. His most recent film, “Ride Along 2,” grossed over $125 million.

In addition to his directing work, Story produced the 2008 urban comedy “First Sunday.”
For television, he served as an executive producer on the FOX television series “Standoff”; the
Showtime series “White Famous,” starring Jay Pharoah; and, most recently, the Netflix series
“Prince of Peoria.” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences invited Story to join its Director’s branch in 2013 making Story one of the few African-American directors in the historic organization. Story lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Vicky Mara Story, and their three children.