ORIGIN STORY

The roots of NICE CROWD trace back to June 1997, when CEO Jeff Friday launched the company’s first event—the Acapulco Black Film Festival—in partnership with the Mexican Government Office of Tourism. Conceived as a gathering place for the “Black Hollywood” community, the festival quickly emerged as a vital platform for networking, creative collaboration, and the celebration of independent Black cinema.

In 2002, the festival moved to Miami Beach with support from the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and was rebranded as the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). Since then, ABFF has become a cultural institution—setting the standard for Black creative excellence, premiering breakthrough films, and helping launch the careers of many of today’s top filmmakers, actors, and comedians.

Now, nearly three decades later, NICE CROWD continues to build on this legacy, expanding its reach with original event properties across the worlds of art, entertainment, business, and lifestyle.