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Founder Biography : Allen Maldonado

Multi-talented actor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Allen Maldonado, is one of young Hollywood’s busiest men. He stars in several film and TV projects due for release this year, including Sony Pictures action thriller, THE EQUALIZER. It is directed by Antoine Fuqua, (TRAINING DAY, OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN) and features Maldonado as Marcus, opposite Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. The film is adapted from the television series of the same name and follows Robert McCall (Washington), a solitary, monastic figure with a mysterious past who despises injustice and devotes himself to helping victims of criminals. The film will be released in theaters nationwide on September 26th.

Maldonado will also be seen in the upcoming feature, CAKE, alongside Jennifer Aniston, Sam Worthington, Anna Kendrick and William H. Macy. CAKE will bow at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival in September. Additionally, he recently joined the cast of Universal’s upcoming NWA biopic, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, produced by Ice Cube and helmed by F. Gary Gray, which releases August 2015.

On July 17th, FX premiered their new original comedy, You're The Worst, from writer and executive producer Stephen Falk (Weeds/Orange is the New Black), which centers on two toxic, self-destructive people who fall in love and attempt a relationship. Maldonado stars as Honey Nutz in this new sitcom that puts a dark twist on the romantic comedy genre. The show airs Thursday nights at 10:30pm on FX.

Adding another hilarious sitcom to his credits, Maldonado will also appear as Young L.I.L. in Adult Swim’s newest live-action series titled “Black Jesus” premiering on August 7th. Created by Aaron McGruder, the mastermind behind "The Boondocks,” this hilarious, yet controversial series centers around ‘Jesus Christ,’ a present-day Compton resident spreading messages of love and kindness with the help of his apostles.

Of African American and Puerto Rican descent, Maldonado is a native of Rialto, CA, a city just outside of Los Angeles. He was raised by his single mother; having lost his father to cancer at a very young age. Growing up in a tough neighborhood, he was inspired by his mother’s passion and determination. This platform of support has proven invaluable for him to achieve his goals. At the age of 21, Maldonado landed a year-long role in the daytime series “The Young & the Restless,” until his career was briefly interrupted when he was involved in a near-fatal car accident, caused by a drunk driver. After a brief, yet arduous recovery, Maldonado continued to build his resume, landing roles in the Emmy® nominated CBS drama "Judging Amy" and FX's "The Shield." He was also featured in “Detroit 187,” “Chase,” and “Rizzoli & Isles,” just to name a few. Additionally, his film credits include LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, THE UGLY TRUTH, THE NEXT THREE DAYS and most recently the Marvel Studios short film ALL HAIL THE KING.

Outside of his acting career, Maldonado is a successful entrepreneur, as he runs a record label: Get It Done Records, a production company: Only Son Productions, and a clothing line: Vineyards Phinest, where a portion of the proceeds go toward providing free classes for inner-city youth. As a staunch advocate for higher education, community service, and encouraging youth to pursue the arts, Maldonado is the founder of Demo Nerds, the foundation he created that provides free acting classes, tools and services for at-risk youth and foster children in the inner cities of Los Angeles. Additionally, the organization frequently collaborates with other city programs such as “The Boys & Girls Club,” “The Dream Center” and the “New Village Girls Academy”.

During his rare free time, Maldonado enjoys working out, playing basketball and spending time with his family.