Kenneth E. Nwadike Jr. is an American

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

motivational speaker A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...

, and

peace activist A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world p ...

popularly known as the "Free Hugs Guy". Ken is the founder of the Free Hugs Project. His "Free Hugs" videos have reached hundreds of millions of views on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

and

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Career

In 2014, Nwadike launched the Free Hugs Project with the stated purpose of spreading love in response to the

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

of the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

. The Free Hugs Project gained popularity in 2016, as Nwadike made major news headlines for his efforts towards de-escalation of violence during protests, riots, and political rallies. Nwadike was featured in Google's 2016 Year in Search video as a highlight among some of the year's most defining moments. Nwadike has made many appearances on news programs and radio broadcasts worldwide, including CNN, USA Today, Good Morning Britain, and BBC News. Nwadike is the President and CEO of Superhero Events, LLC, which produces the annual Hollywood Half Marathon. The marathon, held each spring in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, with the purpose of raising funds for local homeless youth shelters. On March 30, 2016, Nwadike released the controversial "Donald Trump Rally Free Hugs vs Bernie Sanders Rally Free Hugs" video to his "Free Hugs Project" channels on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The video became a viral hit and his #MakeAmericaLoveAgain hashtag became a trending topic on Facebook and Twitter. Nwadike's "Free Hugs" videos have reached hundreds of millions views on

and

. During

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 NFL season, 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2019 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City ...

, Ken Nwadike was featured in the

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, a brand of Belgian company AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. Budweiser is a filte ...

Super Bowl 2020 commercial titled, "Typical American" which showcases “the extraordinary people that represent the best of America.”

Occupations

As a motivational speaker, Ken details his former homelessness and states that he overcame insecurities by getting involved in extracurricular activities in school. The support, he says, he received from coaches, teammates, and friends while playing sports and participating in student government activities, helped pave the way for Ken to start a number of businesses and a charitable organization that helps homeless teens. The Free Hugs Project is a program conducted at workplaces and colleges, designed to bridge racial divides and encourage civility. In October 2017, Nwadike filed with the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the United States government that enforces U.S. campaign finance laws and oversees U.S. federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Campaign ...

to run for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

in the 2020 election. He later withdrew from the race.

Live appearances

Aside from YouTube and Facebook videos, Nwadike has appeared on worldwide news programs and radio broadcasts. * April 4, 2012 – Nwadike was featured on an

NBC 4 Los Angeles KNBC (channel 4) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Coron ...

special, titled, Life Connected. * April 5, 2016 – Nwadike interview with Pix 11 news to share why he launched the Free Hugs Project. * March 23, 2016 – Free Hugs Guy interviewed live on set during the Fox 5 San Diego morning show to discuss the Free Hugs Project and give hugs to news anchors. * September 16, 2016 – Ken teams up with the hosts of Good Morning Britain in London to launch Free Hugs Friday. * September 23, 2016 – Nwadike was interviewed live on

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

with Poppy Harlow after Charlotte Protests. * January 24, 2020 - Ken Nwadike visited Fox 5 San Diego to discuss inclusion in the Budweiser Super Bowl 2020 commercial.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

References

External links

*
Free Hugs Project Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nwadike, Ken Jr. Living people 1981 births American motivational speakers American sports businesspeople YouTubers from San Diego American activists of Nigerian descent American nonviolence advocates American anti-poverty advocates African-American activists Activists from California African-American Christians American philanthropists California Democrats Candidates in the 2020 United States presidential election African-American candidates for President of the United States 20th-century African-American people