In December 2018, Serve Daily published a story about a Spanish Fork father of three by the name of Yahosh Bonner, who was a rising star.
At the time, he was working on several musical and artistic projects, including a movie titled “Green Flake Movie” where he played the title character, who was a black pioneer who played a key role in Mormons crossing the plains.
Serve Daily recently caught up with Bonner in a new “Where are they now” feature that will follow up on individuals previously written about.
Not only is Bonner continuing to do much of what he was doing in 2018, but he has continued to rise as an artist, entertainer, and valued community member.
Starting off where we left off, Bonner completed filming “Green Flake,” which was viewed at many film festivals, and won several awards, including Best Film at the Los Angeles Film Awards. Bonner was also able to take home the honor of best actor at the American Filmatic Arts Awards in Brooklyn. According to Bonner, this was an experience of a lifetime, and he is excited for the movie to be brought to everyday viewers.
“Filming Green Flake was such an honor,” he said. “To be able to play the role of Green Flake, and to shed light on black slaves in the early days of the church was such an important thing to do, and I am so grateful to have been able to help share his story. My brother Mauli wrote, produced and directed the film, and I was able to act alongside several family members, as well as my son who played Green Flake as a child. I just can’t wait for people to be able to see it!”
The film is set to release this June, with details available on the Green Flake Movie Facebook page.
Not long following the completion of filming the movie, Bonner accepted another role, this time as TV host for the BYU TV show “Family Rules.” In this new role, Bonner has been able to travel the country visiting families and learning how they make things work. He said it has been a rewarding experience that has helped him as a father learn new things to bring back to his home.
“Being a host on Family Rules has been such a fun experience,” Bonner said. “I have traveled all over the country to visit with and get to know so many different families — and learn from them!
“I remember one family in particular where the father would lay next to each of his kids at night individually before they went to bed, to talk about the day,” Bonner continued. “He said that it gave him time with each of his kids and allowed them to open up about things that were going well, and things that weren’t. I have tried to implement that in my home with my children.”
Bonner has a full-time job as a teacher at American Heritage Academy in American Fork, releases music on his YouTube channel, sings with his family “The Bonner Family,” and books individual gigs when he is able.
In fact, on May 8 he will be performing at the Waterfall Amphitheater at Thanksgiving Point with the Lyceum Philharmonic.
And while life is definitely busy for him, Bonnor is quick to acknowledge family as his main priority.
“I teach at the school my kids go to, and my wife and kids appear in many of my music videos,” he said. “We spend a lot of time together. It’s a busy life, and life is good.” (Brown is a Serve Daily contributor.)
