Ken Lewis

Sometimes the person is merely a prop in the overall image, at least that's what Chicago-based filmmaker Ken Lewis of UrbanLenz says. With a tagline of "finding the most stunning beauty in the most urban of places", Ken is quite adept at using natural environments to capture stunning backdrops for photo and video compositions. Starting out as a photographer, Ken quickly became obsessed with the video capabilities of his DSLR camera and started to make video compositions for local artists. After posting a quick 7-minute dialogue-free passion project entitled "Jean" (a story about addiction and depression), he was encouraged by many to enter into the film festival circuit. Surprisingly, it was accepted and has been screened at the Cinema New York film festival and was a semi-finalist in both the London and Washington International film festivals. After that project, he decided to take filmmaking much more seriously and began writing several screenplays trying to strategically determine which one of them would be made into his next film. "The Final Interrogation" was the chosen one. "The Final Interrogation" is an innovative film that centers around the consequences of sacrificing your own well-being for other people who may be undeserving. The film was critically acclaimed because it led the viewer to believe that the lead character was being interrogated by a police officer about a murder that he committed when actually it was HIM who was murdered and that the "interrogation officer" was his deceased mother talking to him from purgatory. It seemed that travelling down the dramatic road worked for Ken, as that film was accepted and screened in seven film festivals and even winning an "Award of Merit" from the Indie Film Fest. Looking to expand his reach beyond dramatic films, he decided to go into the realm of comedy with his 3rd film "Miss Represent" which within only 2 weeks after its release won multiple awards including "Best Comedy" from the Los Angeles Film Awards. "Miss Represent" is a satire aimed at social media and covers the importance of just accepting who you are without over-exaggerating your circumstances. Ken holds both an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Purdue University. He is originally from Gary, IN but currently lives in Chicago, IL. He enjoys honing his craft at filmmaking, spending time with his family, and watching professional sports.