BK Fulton’s love for his younger sister Shauna helped shape him into the man he is today – personally and professionally.
Shauna was born with Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological disorder affecting females more than males that leads to severe impairments, including the ability to speak, walk, eat, and breathe easily.
“Watching her struggle with Rett syndrome made me work harder to look out for her,” says Fulton, author, entrepreneur, and founder of Soulidifly Productions, a Richmond-based media and investment company. “I did not know that in helping her I was also developing perception and empathy skills that would serve me for the rest of my life.”
Unable to walk without support or communicate in normal English, Shauna gave signs and made noises when she needed something. Paying attention to her taught Fulton to “be so much better with my talents as a creative and as a leader,” he says.
Fulton’s Commitment to Literacy and Creativity
Fulton’s sister served as the inspiration for his children’s book, Shauna. Ten percent of the proceeds for the sale of that book go to the International Rett Syndrome Foundation.
Fulton’s wife Jackie Stone, with whom he has twin adult sons, encouraged him to write the book after reading the poem Fulton wrote about Shauna when he was sixteen. He built upon the success of Shauna by writing a series of children’s books about his life growing up called Mr. Business: The Adventures of Little BK. His latest books are aimed at young adults and older.
Fulton believes readers become leaders. He advocates for diversity in literature.
“When children can see themselves in a book or on the cover, they are three to ten times more likely to believe they can do what the character does,” he says. “If you don’t relate to a character, the impact of the story is different. You want them to feel good in their skin.”
A board member of the National Center of Women’s Innovations, Fulton believes young girls need to be encouraged to succeed, especially in STEM fields. He points to Dr. Gladys Brown West, the Black mathematician whose mapping of the world enabled GPS. West, a Virginia Tech and Virginia State graduate, is being honored by the organization in October for her accomplishments.
“It’s one thing for girls to see girls winning, but it’s also important for guys to see girls winning,” Fulton says.
Author for Kids and Families
When Fulton was a young boy, he loved all sorts of stories and was writing them with his family as central characters. He also loved movies and any medium that told a good story. He rediscovered that same passion for storytelling when he turned fifty and had some time on his hands after retiring from his position as president of Verizon Virginia and West Virginia and vice president of the Mid-Atlantic region for Verizon Communications.
Since then, the Hampton native has written ten children’s books, co-written a non-fiction book with Jonathan Blank, The Tale of the Tee, about how the friendship of these two men and acts of kindness resulted in a brotherhood, and just released his latest book, The Blueprint: Lessons for Living your Best Life, which debuted at number one in the arts section of Amazon. He is currently working on the sequel.
In 2017, Fulton, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, master’s degree from the Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy and a law degree from New York Law School, started his production company – Soulidifly.com, which produced four feature films in its first year (River Runs Red, Atone, 1 Angry Black Man and Love Dot Com: The Social Experiment).
His two latest film endeavors — Freedom’s Path, a historical war drama, (in theaters and streaming) and The Kill Room, a comedic thriller that was picked up at the Cannes Film Festival after a bidding war— are scheduled to open this summer and fall, respectively. The film features Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Joe Manganiello
He’s also co-written Final Four: The Miracle Season, a story about North Carolina State University’s run to the national basketball championship in 1983, and is now shopping it to studios.
Fulton on Films, Books, and Broadway
Fulton enjoys dividing his talents between his artistic endeavors – books, movies, and plays. He has invested in Broadway shows to include Thoughts of a Colored Man and a revival of The Piano Lesson by August Wilson.
Fulton recently co-wrote a musical based on a true story about Wilson’s life titled From August with Love. The musical will debut at The Attucks Theater in Norfolk, the oldest theatre in the nation which was completely financed, designed, constructed and operated by African Americans. The production is slated for late 2023 or early 2024 in collaboration with the Norfolk State University Drama program under the direction of Anthony Stockard. It will head to Broadway in 2025.
His latest Broadway show, the revival of The Wiz, wizmusical.com, will open on September 23 in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre. It will make its way across the country before its Broadway debut in 2024 for a 20-week run with a celebrity cast featuring Wayne Brady as the Wiz, Deborah Cox as the Good Witch, and “fingers crossed Bruno Mars as the scarecrow,” says Fulton.
Teaching the Next Generation of Storytellers
When you are dealing with the entertainment industry, it’s important to know the market. That’s why Fulton wants to teach young people the craft of movie making. He is partnering with film producer and executive Adam Leipzig (March of the Penguins, Dead Poets Society, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids), founder and CEO of MediaU.com, to help teach the craft. The two hope to launch the school by the end of the year.
“This is the first online film school with university credits and transcripts,” Fulton says. “Adam and I are building the school together. We want to make the skills of filmmaking available to the masses. We want to train the next million media makers.”
And, if that wasn’t enough, Fulton is an investor in the release of MoviePass 2.0, a subscription app that includes movie theaters across the country.
Juggling all of these projects would be overwhelming for some, but not for Fulton. He embraces each and every day, he says.
“I was trained by my parents to take it on and if I am unsure about something, to look it up or ask someone who knows. I surround myself with people who know,” he says. “I am willing to do the work.”
Growing up, Fulton learned to believe he could do anything and also to appreciate his place in the world.
“What I have become is a person who can apply my skills to whatever challenge. I am a person who uses my left and right brain interactively and instinctively,” he says. “In my head, I am just getting started.”
