KALEIDOSCOPE
ka· lei· do· scope
\ kə-ˈlī-də-ˌskōp \
KALEIDOSCOPE is the burgeoning film & TV development, production, and post-production division of JOCMedia + Entertainment, LLC.
KALEIDOSCOPE promotes art that uplifts and inspires, that advances cultural exposure while working towards eradicating prejudice and discrimination against all members of society.
We are globally-focused content creators driven by imagination, an appreciation of culture, and riveting storytelling.
PROJECTS IN ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT
An astute migrant track star escapes poverty in Panama by migrating to the U.S. at the height of Jim Crow in the 1950s, clearing the hurdles of racial injustice to become an unsung Civil Rights activist, serial entrepreneur, international political liaison, and kingmaker.
Click here to view the PAN-AM Teaser video.
PAN-AM: The Untold Legacy of Cirilo McSween
Based on the true story of Cirilo McSween, PAN-AM delves into the history and the making of a son of Panama who, from humble beginnings, would pursue and achieve the American dream, leaving an indelible legacy of dedication and honor against the odds.
Enduring, surviving, and thriving amid the chokehold of Jim Crow in the 1950s, Cirilo was the first African American hired by a major insurance company, New York Life, and the first to join the distinguished Million Dollar Roundtable, a feat never before achieved by an African American at the time. By the 1960s, he became an unsung and prominent American Civil Rights Movement figure, working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Involved in international relations between the U.S. and his native Panama on issues concerning the Panama Canal, Cirilo worked alongside U.S. President Jimmy Carter and was a close confidant to General Omar Torrijos, Commander of Panama’s National Guard, liaising with both men on what would become the Torrijos–Carter Treaties in the 1970s.
By the 1980s, Cirilo was an in-demand political and financial advisor for notable figures who had political ambitions. From Harold Washington’s successful run to become Chicago’s first Black mayor in 1983 to supporting Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, Cirilo was a kingmaker with the Midas touch.
Continuing to break records as the first, Cirilo became a successful restauranteur as a McDonald’s franchisee. His first location in Chicago became the first in the Americas to do $3M in sales in one year. He became President of the Black McDonald’s Operators Association and won the fast food’s highest honor, The Golden Arch Award.
Within the last 20 years of his life, Cirilo continued his work of supporting political figures internationally, from Nelson Mandela to Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who’d eventually climb the ranks to U.S. Congress and presidential candidate, and Martín Torrijos, son of his dear friend General Torrijos who’d subsequently become President of Panama in 2004.
In one of life’s moments of poetic irony, Cirilo succumbs to an illness, dying at 82 on November 4, 2008, just hours before Barack Obama made history as the first African-American President of the United States.
Cirlo was awarded the Belisario Porras Decoration from the Republic of Panama, the highest civilian honor. In honor of Cirilo’s contributions to society, New York Life Insurance, in support of the Rainbow Push Coalition, has sponsored the Cirilo McSween Scholarship Award since 2002, awarding over $730,000 since its inception.
Additionally, New York Life dedicated a conference room in Cirilo’s honor in its headquarters in New York City to commemorate his legacy and inspire the company’s diverse field force, including thousands of agents from the African diaspora and those of Latino descent.