Based in Houston, Jamal Daniel oversees the Crest Investment Company as chairman and also guides the Levant Foundation. The nonprofit highlights monotheistic religions, history, and culture of the Middle East. Jamal Daniel additionally is the founder of Levantine Films, a New York production, financing, and development firm.
A recent Levantine Films project, Hidden Figures explores the story of pioneering female African-American mathematicians who engaged with NASA in enabling key U.S. achievements during the Space Race. Working as "human computers,” the women were tasked with collecting and studying thousands of glass plates with images of stars.
Since the 1940s, African-Americans had engaged in this work in a segregated situation and at less pay than their Caucasian counterparts. With unparalleled creative capacity, protagonist Katherine Johnson broke barriers in providing critical support that enabled John Glenn to complete his 1962 orbital mission around the globe.
Released by Fox 2000 in late 2016, the movie earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture due to its accurate portrayal of the progressive efforts of scientists amid a broader landscape of racial unrest.
