Foster Corder
Co-Executive Producer / Director
Foster Corder lays claim to many 'firsts' in his long and successful career as an award-winning photographer, filmmaker, producer and entertainment executive.
Armed with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, Corder opened Fosters Pet and Animal Photography studio, becoming the first African-American to do so. The business was an instant success. His high-profile clients included the Kal Kan companies and Carnation. The latter putting Corder on a nationwide tour to photograph racehorses and award-winning canines.
Seeking new creative challenges, Corder dissolved his company and created Blackbird Films. He assembled a team of established and up and coming directors for such clients as Mc Donalds and the California Lottery. His staff included world-renowned director Gordon Parks as well as then newcomers Kevin Hooks, Forrest Whitaker and Bill Duke, among others.
Concurrently, Corder began a professional relationship with the legendary NBA star Wilt Chamberlain that would last until Chamberlain's death. Besides co-writing a number of films with Wilt, Foster co-produced the documentary "The Amazing Feats of Wilt Chamberlain" and served as a consultant on many projects involving 'The Big Dipper.'
Never one to pass up an opportunity, Corder was commissioned by Paramount Pictures to pen a screenplay entitled 'The Cats,' based on his life story. Having forged his birth certificate at just fifteen years of age, 'The Cats' chronicled Foster's 13 months of active duty in Vietnam — a true survival story.
As a member of the WGA, Foster has written and sold other film screenplays including 'The Paper Boy,' 'Smokey,' 'The Sons of Dolemite,' and 'Heads You Win / Tails I Lose' (The Ike Turner Story).
Based on the success of Blackbird, Capitol Records made Corder a career offer he couldn't refuse when he was named Director of Video Production, becoming the first African-American hired as a film executive in the record industry. During his tenure at Capitol, Corder supervised a staff that would swell to hundreds of cast and crew members. He produced music videos for Tina Turner, Paul McCartney, Bonnie Raitt, and the highly successful 'Too Legit to Quit' and 'Addams Groove' starring M.C. Hammer.
Feeling the entrepreneurial spirit once more, Corder left Capitol Records to produce, direct, and photograph 'The Legend of Dolemite,' starring the aforementioned comedic legend. He then formed Daughters 2 Feed Productions in 1995 to focus on new media technologies and various projects he wanted to develop.
In recent years, Corder has acted as Producer, Director, Director of Photography, or Gaffer on 45 shorts and 23 features, including:
- "The Amazing Feats of Wilt Chamberlain" 1985 — Documentary — Co-Producer, DP
- "The Cats" 1983 — Paramount Pictures — Feature Screenplay
- "The Sons of Dolemite" 1989 — Cannon Pictures — Feature Screenplay
- "Heads You Win / Tails I Lose" 2000 — The Ike Turner Story — Feature Screenplay
- "Smokey, I'm Not Lassie" 1997 — CBS Hour TV Pilot — Screenplay, Producer
- "Too Legit to Quit" 1991 — Long Form Video, Capitol Records — Executive Producer
- "Addams Groove" 1991 — Long Form Movie Trailer, Paramount Pictures — Executive Producer
- "The Legend of Dolemite" 1994 — Zenon Entertainment — Director, DP
- "La Mission PSA" 2004 — Featuring Ernie Hudson — DP