Mason Ewing
in his office in Los Angeles, 2016
Born
Mason Cyrille Elong Ewing

(1982-04-09) April 9, 1982
Douala, Cameroon
NationalityFrench, Cameroon
Occupation(s)Founder CEO of Mason Ewing Corporation, producer, stylist
Years active2011–
Known forcinema, fashion
Awards100 People Influential
(2018)

Mason Cyrille Elong Ewing (born April 9, 1982) is a French, Cameroonian and American producer, director, scriptwriter and fashion designer living in France and the United States.[1] Although he is blind, he has built a thriving business and artistic career.[2]

Biography

Early life

Ewing was born in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon. His father, Frederik Ewing, is an American businessman who died in November 2010. Mason lived until age four with his Cameroonian mother,[3] Marie Francesca Elong, who was a model and seamstress. She inspired him and gave him a taste for fashion.[4] Mason spent a lot of time with her as she made clothes for her children. His mother died in March 1986.

His great-grandmother Élise then took care of him for three years. In 1989, he moved to the Paris region where he lived with his uncle and aunt[5] Lucien and Jeannette Ekwalla,[6] where he suffered extreme child abuse.[7] Not only was he locked in a room for eight years and beaten, but also chili pepper[8] was thrown in his eyes for a number of years. In 1993, distraught, he ran often away to seek help from the police and judges, asking to be removed from the care of his uncle and aunt.[9]

Due to their mistreatment, Mason tragically lost his sight in April 1996 and fell into a coma for three weeks at the Necker-Enfants malades Hospital in Paris. In 2001, he was homeless and ended up at SAMU (Emergency medical services in France). He won a court judgment against his uncle and aunt, for €5000 (which was never paid) and a one-year suspended sentence.

Career

Alongside his fashion projects, Mason Ewing works on film projects in France and the U.S. He created the children's series The Adventures of Madison highlighting Baby Madison and the Mickey Boom series. In 2011, he moved to America to become a film producer. His holding company, Mason Ewing Corporation, in Los Angeles has various projects in film and TV production. He wrote a television series Eryna Bella[10] and produced Descry, a short film.[11]

Starting in April 2015, his French subsidiary Les Entreprises Ewing, subsidiary of Mason Ewing Corporation is based in Clichy, France.[12] He is a member of the French production trade union UPC.[13]

After living in Los Angeles for a few years, he returned to France to focus on his popular TV series Mickey Boom, supported by French and international channels.[14] This series was inspired by the American television shows he loved to watch as an adolescent.

He produced the feature film Love in Yaoundé,[15] a romantic comedy, in 2019.[16][17]

Awards

In 2018, Mason Ewing was awarded the A.I.M. Award by Afrimpact Magazine in Pennsylvania for his community work. For many years he has supported the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Le Comité Contre l'Esclavage Moderne.[18] He is also an Ambassador for the Humanity & Inclusion NGO and the Le Refuge association for youths LGBTQ+ at risk. He is supported by the Secretary of State for Child Protection Adrien Taquet.[19]

Filmography

Feature film

  • Love in Yaounde (release planned in 2019)

Short film

  • 2011: Descry
  • 2017: Névroses
  • 2017: Comme Les Autres
  • 2017: Le Plus Beau Cadeau de ma Mère

References

  1. ↑ Spiegel, Justine (April 11, 2013). "Mason Ewing : le rêve américain". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Jeune Afrique. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Vox Ladies défile en mode Ewing". Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via YouTube.
  3. ↑ Ziegler, Matilda (April 30, 2012). "Feature Writer Alena Roberts – Think a Blind Man Can't Be a Fashion Designer? Think Again". Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  4. ↑ Haynes, Katelyn (August 17, 2017). "Acting in Style – Blindness and Cruelty Don't Deter Fashion Designer and TV Producer Mason Ewing". actorsentertainment.com. Actors Entertainment. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  5. ↑ Cherfils, Mildrade (May 30, 2010). "The triumph of a blind clothing designer". GlobalPost. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  6. ↑ Rousseau, Valentine (June 15, 2008). "La leçon de courage du styliste aveugle" (in French). Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  7. ↑ Millot, Ondine (April 25, 2001). "Enfant battu et perdu dans les défaillances de l'Etat". Libération.fr (in French). Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Mason Ewing JT 13H France 2" (in French). Mason Ewing Corp. June 16, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Vimeo.
  9. ↑ Pool, Bob (April 22, 2012). "Blind fashion designer aims to make TV shows". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  10. ↑ Starr, Terrell Jermaine (August 27, 2012). "Blind, African-Born French Designer Hopes To Make It Big in Hollywood". NewsOne. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  11. ↑ Ounane, Naïma (September 28, 2015). "Le talentueux Mason Ewing matérialise l'improbable" (in French). Oeil d'Afrique. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Mason Ewing Corporation". UniFrance (in French). unifrance.org. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Mason EWING". UPC : Union des Producteurs de Cinéma (in French). Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Creil : Mason Ewing, styliste aveugle prépare une série télévisée". Le Parisien (in French). May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  15. ↑ Mbohou, Azize (October 20, 2016). "Mason Cyrille Elong Ewing: styliste sans complexes". Cameroon Tribune (in French). Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  16. ↑ Arlot, Alexandre (March 18, 2019). "Meaux : le styliste aveugle a tourné " Coup de foudre à Yaoundé "". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  17. ↑ "L'Affiche – CTRV – avril 2018" (in French). Mason Ewing Corp. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via Vimeo.
  18. ↑ de Royer, Solenn (April 28, 2001). "Cyril, enfant battu et négligé par l'administration". La Croix (in French). Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  19. ↑ Taquet, Adrien. "Agenda d'Adrien Taquet (Semaine du 25 mars) – j+3". toute-la.veille-acteurs-sante.fr (in French). La Veille des Acteurs de la Santé. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
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