The LAPD has confirmed that on Monday night, Michael Latt, a film marketing consultant who collaborated closely with Common and Ryan Coogler on several social justice campaigns, was shot and killed at his residence.
Latt, 33, founded and served as CEO of the social impact marketing company Lead With Love. Along with Common and Coogler, he collaborated on political projects and events that combined art and activism with Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, and Warner Bros. and Netflix.
He was shot on Monday at approximately 6 p.m. in the 900 block of Alandele Avenue, according to the LAPD. Paramedics brought him to a nearby hospital, where he passed away.
Jameelah Elena Michl, 36, who lived in her car, was taken into custody by the police. On Wednesday, the prosecution accused her of both murder and burglary. Her bail amount is $3 million. No motive has been revealed by the police.
Latt is the son of Michelle Satter, the Sundance Institute’s first senior director of artist programs. Having been employed by Sundance since 1981, Satter is in charge of the labs that have developed a great number of independent filmmakers.
On Wednesday, Satter honored her son via Twitter, stating that he had “committed his career to promoting artists, supporting institutions that developed artists of color, & leveraging storytelling for long-lasting change.”
The creator of the Black List, Franklin Leonard, expressed his sorrow over Latt’s passing on Twitter as well.
“It’s impossible for me to put into words the sorrow and loss caused by Michael Latt’s death,” he wrote. He was the best among all of us. God bless you, my friend.
Latt worked in digital marketing for “Fruitvale Station,” a 2013 movie that dramatized Oscar Grant’s death at the hands of Oakland police, shortly after receiving his degree from Chapman University. Latt stated in a 2019 Forbes profile that it was a pivotal moment in his professional life.
“Working on Ryan Coogler’s ‘Fruitvale Station’ opened my eyes to how pervasive and subtle White supremacy is in our nation and also demonstrated to me the powerful ability of storytelling to transform people’s perceptions,” the man stated.
He went on to promote movies such as Crazy Rich Asians, I Am Not Your Negro, If Beale Street Could Talk, and The Birth of a Nation. Additionally, he was employed by Common’s nonprofit organization Imagine Justice, which promotes jail reform.
In addition, he was the marketing director of Blackout for Human Rights, a network of entertainment industry professionals that Coogler established to protest police killings, and a communications consultant for DuVernay’s ARRAY Now.
Latt’s family posted a message on his Instagram account expressing their sorrow.
“The deep sorrow of losing our Michael has devastated our family, Michael’s amazing friends, and his coworkers,” they wrote. “We can all continue Michael’s legacy of love, compassion, and fierce dedication to positive and lasting change. He will never be forgotten.”