Godfather of Harlem
In search of the American Dream
For their critically acclaimed series, Godfather of Harlem, EPIX needed a Main Title that would portray Harlem in 1963 and the motivations of the lead character, Bumpy (played by Forrest Whitaker), in his pursuit of the American Dream.
Paramount to crafting a title sequence depicting the American Dream from the lead’s perspective was portraying the landscape of the time–the Civil Rights movement, and the struggles that Black Americans faced on a daily basis.
We paid homage to the collages made by African American artist Romare Bearden, drawing upon compositions of torn images from popular magazines that captured historical moments from the Black perspective. Paired with the track “Just in Case” by Swizz Beatz, the result took the viewers into a cinematic perspective of a critical era in modern history.
A depiction of the activism and fight for the American Dream by any means necessary, the Main Title puts viewers in the throws of themes and societal issues that are still relevant today. Our work for Godfather of Harlem was awarded the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Main Title Design.