Kevin Epps is a devoted father, award-winning filmmaker, award-winning executive editor of the San Francisco Bay View, journalist, author and beloved community leader.
His widely-acclaimed documentaries Straight Outta Hunter’s Point (2003) and Straight Outta Hunters Point 2 (2012) are unflinching portraits of systemic neglect and structural racism in one of San Francisco’s most marginalized neighborhoods, depicting how residents have navigated poverty, policing and urban redevelopment.
In 2005, Kevin worked with Academy Award winning director, Spike Lee on Sucker Free City, a film shot in Kevin’s home neighborhood. Kevin’s Rap Dreams (2006) chronicles the dreams and the heartbreaks of Bay Area rappers. The Black Rock (2010) documents the essential but previously untold piece of Alcatraz history, the stories of its segregated black inmates. Kevin also authored the compelling companion book The Black Rock: The Darkside of Alcatraz. His 2008 piece for CurrentTV, “Popped in Oakland” won the Telly Award.
For the last two years, he has been the Executive Editor of the San Francisco Bay View legacy black national newspaper. This month he received the prestigious 2025 Silver Heart Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
SPJ NorCal lauded Kevin for revitalizing and stabilizing one of the Bay Area’s last Black-owned newspapers, “reconnecting it to the people it serves” and “ensuring that it remains a vital platform for truth.” They praised him for “amplifying voices often ignored, while mentoring young writers and artists” and said, “his leadership has saved a treasured institution and strengthened the heartbeat of Black media in San Francisco.”
Kevin was a De Young Museum Artist Fellow and has served on the boards of the San Francisco Black Film Festival, the Bay Area Black Journalists Association, and Conscious Youth Media Crew. He has served on panel discussions for film (SF International Film Festival, SF Black Film Festival) and community issues alongside legendary cultural figures (Danny Glover) and elected officials (SF Mayor London Breed).
Kevin’s work has earned nationwide and international attention. Publications who have interviewed him/covered his work and life include the Guardian, Variety, KQED, KRON, KPIX, XLR8R, Script, SF Chronicle, SFGate, SF Examiner, San Diego Voice and Viewpoint, California Black Media, SFist, American Community Media, and many more.
Kevin is an active member of the historic and vital SF hub of faith and community resilience, Third Baptist Church, and attends weekly with his children.
