JINHO “PIPER” FERREIRA

Jinho “Piper” Ferreira is a creator, performer, and speaker from Oakland, California. Piper’s accomplishments span from performing on international stages for 100,000 people with his world renowned band FLIPSYDE, to paying his own way through the police academy and giving the commencement speech at the graduation. In response to police killings across the country, one of the victims being his lifelong friend Jihad Akbar, Piper devoted 8 years to affect change from the inside and resigned in 2019. While serving, Piper’s inherent ability to process multiple perspectives led to him creating his debut solo play Cops & Robbers, in which he portrayed 19 characters connected to an officer involved murder.

Piper performed the play at universities, jails and theaters, as well as facilitated public safety conferences around the play with various community stakeholders taking part in workshops and discussions. Piper’s follow up to Cops & Robbers is his timely new play Black MEn EvErywhErE! which is set against the backdrop of a presidential election. Piper’s writing abilities landed him a coveted spot in the SundancE ScrEEnwritErs Lab, which led to a TV series deal with the Mark Gordon Company with Piper as lead writer and executive producer. Piper holds a BA in Black Studies from San Francisco State University where he was recently inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame.