Stephen Blackmon has been writing and studying film and television since he was a child. Growing up in Cleveland he dreamed of a career in the entertainment industry. He began writing short stories that would become films in the mid-nineties, and was accepted into the script and screenwriting MFA program of Regent University in 2000. Learning how much business and finance controlled the industry he entered business school and earned his MBA in Media Management. He began creating marketing and editing simple videos for churches in 2002.      Stephen launched Consuming Fire Incorporated (CFI), a marketing, book publishing, and now production company in 2005. CFI’s marketing division handles everything from branding and print advertising to radio and television commercials. As a former literary and commercial magazine editor, Stephen has published over 50 books through CFI and offers numerous services for self-publishing authors to improve the quality, presentation and marketability of their work. Stephen released his own first novel, The Price of Paradise, in 2009, and has a longstanding history in writing and ghost writing. He has been editing video consistently since 2002.      In December of 2015 he took over leadership of the Atlanta Independent Filmmakers Meetup, a collective of filmmakers and actors. He rebranded it The Forkshop (The Filmmakers’ Workshop – www.theforkshop.com ), and has since grown its membership from 345 to over 3200. The Forkshop has now also launched two more locations in Nashville and Charlotte. It provides him access to crew at reduced costs, and potential new talent and story concepts to develop.      Foreseeing the need for the streaming services to have profitable new subscriber-attracting content, Stephen wrote High Stakes Game, a two hour crime suspense drama that could effectively set up a compelling television series. After an unsuccessful search for capital, Stephen directed and produced the film out of pocket using students and friends from the Forkshop, and a casting call for local talent. The response has been phenomenal.      Stephen continues to create and to draw, empower and train other creators. His consistent goal has been to help people start living their dreams, and to produce extraordinary media that ignites the imagination and inspires true creativity & personal development. Stephen lives in Greater Atlanta with his wife Iko, and their two daughters.