Chris Stokes

Lifelong Los Angeles resident Christopher B. Stokes is a songwriter, music producer, film producer and artist manager with a keen ear for spotting new talent. The list of acts he has discovered and developed includes 1990s R&B trio Immature, singer Brandy Norwood, and singer-producer and former Immature lead singer Marques Houston. Houston became his production partner and the two signed B2K, the vocal group that included R&B singer and actor Omarion. Stokes's forays into the film industry began with directing music videos, including B2K's "Girlfriend" and Omarion's "Entourage" and expanded to include developing feature-length projects to act as vehicles for the musical acts he managed. He wrote and directed the 2004 urban dance film "You Got Served" --which followed a scrappy Los Angeles dance crew's struggles to win a tournament against a background of class difference and gang violence--as a promotional tool for B2K. Instead, the film ending up being a huge hit in its own right and became a launching pad for B2K lead singer Omarion's successful solo career. In 2007, Stokes wrote, directed and produced the independent urban horror film "Somebody Help Me," with Omarion in the lead role. He followed it up with a made-for-TV sequel in 2010.