Tim Ongwela
Writer. Producer. Director. Mission
Give life to culturally relevant stories that challenge the way we understand and experience society.
Reimagine universal themes using diverse voices with unique perspectives, highlighting cultural, social, and historical motifs, that have potential to enlighten, inspire, empower, and move the culture forward.
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Bio
Tim Ongwela’s passion for storytelling began sitting at his parents feet soaking in history and folklore from Kenyan oral traditions.
That passion was reignited while witnessing his mother lose a harrowing battle to cancer, during which she emphasized the importance of prioritizing one’s passion before it’s too late. That realignment led to 8+ years writing, producing, directing and acting for indie films, digital series, and podcasts.
Tim’s most recent experience comes from working on the Netflix Hit Drama The Lincoln Lawyer and HBOmax series Made for Love.
He is currently based in Los Angeles and developing a docuseries on a relatively unknown HBCU with a rich musical history, fighting for increased funding, their legacy, and their future; this project provides a window into the soul of America, revealing the zeitgeist of pop-culture in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
As the son of Kenyan immigrants, Tim went against the grain and family pressure, circumvented eight “long” years of medical-school and residency, and instead opted for eight “short” years of business administration, theology, and nursing school…followed by additional years of insurance and real estate licensure, achieving his goals: to be in school long enough to be an MD without actually being one, experiencing the Midwest, East-coast, West-cost, and South as home, and most notably having more careers than DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can.
Featured
“Alexia Wright Promo”
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Projects
“Next Level Students With Jeremy Anderson”
Episodic Digital Series
Producer, Director
“NPR Tiny Desk Concert Contest: DEQN SUE”
Story Producer, Writer, Director
“Next Level Students Segment”
Producer, Director
“Tiffany Deveraux Public Performance”
Writer, Producer, Director