Morgan McClure Kokaram has built her career on a simple premise: strong legal foundations and genuine relationships aren’t mutually exclusive. As the legal overseer and one of the producers at RodFather Productions, she’s proven that you can protect the work and protect the people at the same time.
When RodFather Productions’ debut feature, Both Eyes Open bypassed the traditional festival circuit and landed straight into a distribution deal before climbing to the number one spot on Starz, it wasn’t luck. It was the result of infrastructure built with intention. The film, starring Gail Bean, Taye Diggs, Joy Brunson, and Tristan Mack Wilds, announced the family-run production company as a serious new voice in independent cinema. For a first-time filmmaker, this trajectory is virtually unheard of. For Morgan and her family, it was always the plan.
“The success of Both Eyes Open was less about a single film and more about the infrastructure and mindset we built at RodFather Productions from the very beginning,” Morgan explains. “As a company, we focused on creating a sustainable model—one that blends creative ambition with a clear understanding of the business, legal, and distribution realities of independent filmmaking.”
That foundation allowed the company, created by her father, Roderick McClure, and brother-in-law Joshua Ferrell, to move with speed and precision. Rather than waiting for traditional gatekeepers to validate their work, they positioned their projects strategically from the start. The result was a film that resonated with audiences and held its ground commercially without compromising creative vision.
Now in post-production on their next feature, Funny Feelings, a romantic dramedy starring Pretty Vee and Tristan Mack Wilds, slated for a 2026 release, RodFather Productions is operating with even sharper instincts. Morgan sees the upcoming project as an evolution, one informed by the lessons of their debut and guided by a deepening understanding of their audience. But beyond distribution strategies and market positioning, there’s something else driving their approach: a commitment to whose stories get centered and whose voices get heard.
“We’re not just thinking about distribution or visibility. We’re thinking about whose stories are being centered, and whose voices have the chance to contribute,” Morgan says. “The goal is to build projects that provide meaningful opportunities for people who might otherwise be overlooked in the industry—both in front of and behind the camera.”
This philosophy extends to every level of production. RodFather Productions treats its cast and crew like family, not as a casual metaphor but as an operational principle. For Morgan, the legal rigor she brings to every project isn’t separate from that ethos. It’s what makes it sustainable.
“Clear structure, transparency, and strong legal foundations create safety, and when people feel protected and respected, they’re able to do their best creative work,” she notes. “I see the legal side not as a barrier, but as a way of honoring everyone’s time, talent, and trust.”
Wearing multiple hats has taught her that professionalism and relationship-building don’t exist in opposition. At RodFather Productions, treating people well means being intentional about communication, accountability, and care. It means setting clear expectations so that trust can flourish. In an industry that often normalizes overwork and blurred boundaries in the name of creativity, Morgan’s approach offers a different model entirely.
Her commitment to building access extends beyond the film set. While still in law school, Morgan founded The She League, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing women of color in corporate and entrepreneurial spaces. She created it after witnessing a persistent gap: talented, hardworking women who were doing everything right but lacked proximity to the information, decision-makers, and rooms where opportunities actually form.
“What stood out to me early on was how little guidance there was around the next step: who to talk to, how to get in the room, how to advocate for yourself once you were there,” Morgan recalls. “I realized that access wasn’t just about talent or work ethic—it was about proximity to information, decision-makers, and rooms where opportunities actually form.”
The She League creates networking opportunities, career development workshops, and leadership discussions designed to shorten the learning curve for women of color navigating corporate and entrepreneurial landscapes. It’s not about inspiration alone. It’s about practical support—introductions, education around business and legal fundamentals, mentorship, and real exposure to opportunities that move careers forward.
“The goal isn’t just to help women enter spaces—it’s to help them stay, lead, and build power within them,” Morgan says.
Her understanding of access was shaped long before she entered law school or the film industry. At 15, Morgan began volunteering with Heart for Africa, a faith-based humanitarian organization focused on bringing hope to the Kingdom of Eswatini in the areas of hunger, orphans, poverty, and education. Nearly 15 years later, she still serves as a volunteer offering support.
That long-term commitment to Eswatini changed how she sees the world. Being there year after year made it impossible to ignore how much talent, intelligence, and creativity exist in places routinely overlooked—not because they lack value, but because they lack access. That awareness never left her. It shaped her approach to storytelling and her understanding of what it means to create opportunity.
“Right now, there are fewer opportunities for people of color in this industry because our stories aren’t being told—and when our stories aren’t told, our people aren’t hired,” Morgan explains. “Every project we make is an opportunity to interrupt that cycle, not just on screen, but behind the camera as well.”
At RodFather Productions, creating access means giving actors of color roles that allow them to be fully human, not stereotyped or sidelined. It means bringing in crew members who may not have had a clear path into the industry and giving them space to learn, contribute, and grow. It means building sets where people feel valued, protected, and seen.
“There’s a direct through-line between my humanitarian work and our storytelling,” Morgan says. “Both are rooted in the belief that opportunity changes lives—and that when you invest in people who are often overlooked, you don’t just create impact, you create better, more honest work.”
When she’s not working with RodFather Productions or The She League, Morgan can be found traveling the world with her husband, two daughters and son or training for a local 10k in Atlanta. But even in those quieter moments, the through-line remains clear: Morgan McClure Kokaram is driven by a singular belief that opportunity changes everything, and she’s building structures that make opportunity possible for as many people as she can, as best as she can, while she can.
With Funny Feelings on the horizon and an animated series for kids in development, RodFather Productions is scaling its impact without abandoning its principles. Morgan’s legal expertise, her commitment to family-centered culture, and her dedication to overlooked stories are shaping a production company that doesn’t just make films. It creates pathways. And in an industry where access has historically been guarded, that might be the most radical work of all.
Photography by Eric Jordan
