2020 Emmy nominee for “Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming” for The Oscars Opening Sequence Routine: Come Alive, Jemel McWilliams, has set out to make his mark as one of the hardest working and creative choreographers in Hollywood. A creative/artistic director with over 10 years of experience with work displayed both, domestically and globally in performances for Hollywood’s biggest artists including: John Legend, Alicia Keys, Janelle Monáe, Nick Jonas, Kelly Rowland, Robin Thicke, X-Ambassador’s, and Tracee Ellis Ross, among others – most recently working as choreographer and co-creative for TIME’s 2019 Entertainer of the Year, LIZZO.Jemel continues to show he is one of the hardest working entertainment innovators in the industry, as he had to adjust to COVID-19 regulations when it came to rehearsing performances, visuals, and overall creative approach to his projects. As the performance producer and choreographer behind the ABC special, “John Legend and Family: A Bigger Love Father’s Day” (ABC, HULU, on-demand) Jemel became the mind behind the first original musical production since COVID-19. His work on John Legend’s video performance for the historic Global Citizen’s Concert, “One World: #TogetherAtHome” that overall raised over $120M in support of frontline health care workers, and UN’s World Health Organization, involved him working with dancers via Zoom for rehearsals and with the editing team to achieve an overall cohesive visual that made the video a success.
Since the beginning of his career, Jemel has been on the forefront of helping dancers attain as much work as possible and with new COVID laws and restrictions work has been scarce for freelancers. He has pushed for the hiring of dancers for every project and to date, worked on approximately 10 projects since quarantine began. He also distributed lunches (100-120) with the help of Janelle Monáe to struggling dancers in NoHo dance studios.
His aesthetic has been showcased in numerous award and television shows such as the iHeart Music Awards, Grammys, Global Citizen, BET Awards, Black Girls Rock! and the European Music Awards along with television show performances on Saturday Night Live, The Voice, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to name a few.
In addition to working on tour and stage, Jemel’s expressive and notable award show performances include: Janelle Monáe‘s “You Make Me Feel,” at the 2019 Grammy’s, John Legend’s “Preach,” at the iHeart Music Awards and many more. Jemel has also served as a choreographer and creative director for national campaigns, working with distinguished brands such as Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Gap Inc., New York Fashion Week’s Moncler Grenoble, and Zara.Jemel is known for creating narratives with his free-flowing moves. He has helped many artists tap into their present moment by creating a space where they feel free to explore and get in-tune with their body, giving them the confidence to own any stage. With an unwavering passion, skill and imagination for dance, Jemel is becoming a pioneering creative force and creating an empire with his production company Jemel McWilliams Productions. His mission is to inspire, spread love and change the world through his passion for creating visual stories that shift the everyday narrative.
As a dancer, his artistry, skill, and attention to detail opened many doors and he soon began working as a choreographer’s assistant. It was in this position that he gained first-hand knowledge on the importance of creativity, leadership, organization, and patience. As a director, Jemel is recognized for his creative and expressive insight. Jemel’s sharp vision and innovative decision-making has been represented in the music videos of artists such as, The Walls Group- “My Life”, Rain & Whitney- “No Worries Step Clap” and MAAD- “Everything You’ve Got”. Jemel’s impressive knack for storytelling is illustrated across multiple platforms in the form of short films and online content.
