Junius R. Hughes, Jr. has spent a lifetime chasing stories—first as a performer beneath bright studio lights, later as the producer and filmmaker shaping what audiences would ultimately see and feel.
In his early years, it was the streets of Brooklyn where Hughes first discovered an innate sense of rhythm, performance, and presence through music, theater, and television. Before entering broadcast journalism, he worked as a child model, commercial actor, saxophonist, and stage performer throughout New York and New Jersey. He later appeared in films and as a day player on CBS’s As the World Turns, experiences that gave him an actor’s understanding of emotion, pacing, and character.
That artistic foundation eventually carried him into radio, where he worked at New York’s legendary WFAN sports station as a producer and co-host, refining the conversational instincts and live-production timing that would later define his storytelling voice.
Hughes began his television career with WNPR and CPTV before moving into national broadcast work with CBS Newspath, ABC News, and ESPN. As part of award-winning production teams, he contributed to Emmy- and Peabody-recognized coverage while producing content for programs including World News This Morning and Good Morning America.
Over the course of his career, Hughes has traveled internationally, directed documentaries in South Africa, and earned recognition for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking. His acclaimed documentary Children of Fire, featuring the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, remains available for free on YouTube—a reflection of his belief that stories capable of healing people should never be hidden behind a paywall.
Today, Hughes continues to work across film, television, documentary, and educational spaces as a producer, editor, writer, educator, and chaplain. Through One Cor Productions, he develops projects rooted in truth, family, resilience, and the complicated humanity often overlooked in modern storytelling.
As an Adjunct Instructor at colleges and universities across Connecticut and Massachusetts, he has mentored aspiring filmmakers and communicators, teaching that story is more than entertainment—it is influence, stewardship, and responsibility.
His work is deeply informed by years in chaplaincy, where sitting with grief, hope, fear, and faith sharpened his understanding of the human condition far beyond the camera lens. That emotional honesty has become a defining characteristic of his creative voice.
Hughes is the proud father of six daughters and one son, including acclaimed journalist and writer Jazmine Hughes. In his spare time, Hughes is pursuing a Ph.D. while continuing to write and develop film and television projects late into the night.
He currently lives a peaceful single life in Williamsburg, Virginia alongside Chance, his dog, and Reena, his cat, finding inspiration in memory, faith, humor, and the beautiful unpredictability of family life.
His latest television project, Just Us, stands as perhaps his most personal work to date—a heartfelt exploration of fatherhood, sacrifice, perseverance, and the enduring power of simply being present for the people you love.
