Charles D. King

Talent agent and producer Charles D. King was born on July 30, 1969 in Harlem, New York City, New York to Frances Minus King and Dr. Winton King. He received his B.A. degree in political science and government from Vanderbilt University in 1991 and his J.D. degree from Howard University School of Law in 1996.

King began working in 1991at the paper producer, Champion International as a salesperson in the newsprint division. After graduating from law school, he worked as a law clerk for the online service provider, America Online, before relocating to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in entertainment. In 1997, he secured an entry-level position at the William Morris Agency and over the years became the first African American person to rise from the mailroom to film and television agent. King’s clients included Missy Elliot, Tyler Perry, and the film director Tim Story. He was named vice president in 2004 and senior vice president in 2008; and, then in 2009, following the merger of the William Morris Agency and its rival, Endeavor, King was made promoted to partner at William Morris Endeavor. He left in 2015 to found his own film production company, MACRO that targeted diverse audiences. His work has included MACRO’s films include Fences, Mudbound, Sorry to Bother You, and Judas and the Black Messiah.

In 2017, King joined the board of the Sundance Institute. He also served on the inaugural board of THINK450, a licensing and business development entity affiliated with the National Basketball Players Association. King received a Trailblazer Award from Black Entertainment Sports Lawyers and from Howard University School of Law. He earned an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Howard University and a Howard University Distinguished Alumni Award.

King has been named twice to Ebony magazine’s Power 100 and , Variety 500lists as well as included on , The Hollywood Reporter’s 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, The Grio’s 100, Black Enterprise’s The Hot List: Most Powerful Players and Top 50 Power Brokers in Hollywood, Fortune magazine’s Most Influential African Americans, Latinos, & Asian Americans, Fade In’s Top 100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know, and The Hollywood Reporter’s 35 under 25. He also received the Honors Industry Leadership Award from the American Black Film Festival, the PGA Vision Award, HPA League Honors from the Hollywood Professional Association, the Innovators and Leaders Award from The Culture Creators, the North Star Award from the National Cares Mentoring Movement, the Game Changer Award from the New Global Paradigm Symposium, the Catalyst Award at the Eighth Annual ADCOLOR Conference and Awards, and the Joseph Papp Racial Harmony Award from the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.

King and his wife, Stacey, live in Los Angeles, California. They have two children, Noah and Julian.

Charles D. King was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on March 22, 2023.