Michael Latt, who was fatally shot, leaves a legacy of uplifting marginalized artists

Marketing strategist Michael Latt was killed Monday in his home. After graduating from Chapman University in 2013 with a degree in public relations and advertising, Latt kick-started his career in entertainment marketing, then, by chance, became the digital marketing director for Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed first feature, “Fruitvale Station.” The film’s release coincided with the George Zimmerman trial. “Fruitvale” producer Sev Ohanian, who founded production company Proximity Media with Ryan and Zinzi Coogler, first began working with Latt when “Fruitvale Station” was selected for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. “I’ve always felt that Mike was a trailblazer in utilizing social media with the model he established with ‘Fruitvale Station.’ It’s not at all surprising to see all these years later what an amazing legacy he established for himself as an advocate of the arts, and issues dear to him.” This became the mission of Latt’s entertainment marketing consulting firm Lead With Love, which he founded in 2019. In 2022, Lead With Love partnered with “Manchester by the Sea” producer Kimberly Steward’s K Period Media Foundation on a campaign to promote Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till.” The film tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley and her pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who was tortured and lynched in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman — whose testimony at the subsequent murder trial was disputed.