I have powerful, emotional attachments to my past – my family, my childhood…my beginnings. As a child, I was very interested in performing and directing my friends in skits recreating television dramas. 

 

Born in Atlanta GA, I feel lucky to have been exposed to so much history and culture. However, being the daughter of a traveling salesman uprooted me several times, exposing me to diverse cultures and perceptions of the world. My work has been driven by my experiences about how the world perceives minorities. Media has been an integral apparatus for these perceptions.

 

I accept myself as an instrument of the Universe, shedding light on the human experience through storytelling. 

 

After earning my Bachelor of Arts Degree from Georgia State University in 1992, I began working in the film industry under an industrious, young black Director. It was a good time for Black filmmakers. I formed my own film production company ~ one of the first in the South, owned and operated by Black women.

 

Film and Television helped shape my perception of life, as well as my perception of myself. These are powerful mediums and I still search subconsciously for reflections of myself as a Black woman on television and on the silver screen. Over the years, I’ve made it my mission to not only examine representations of Blacks in media but to also work on projects that humanized Blacks and portray us as the multi-dimensional people we are. This mission has also driven my teaching and scholarly research.

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I am most proud of launching three film production companies that have served as vehicles for Black artists and independently produced content. Those companies have housed, developed, and marketed talented Black directors, including myself, in the genres of music video, commercial, and independent film. 

 

Music is the soundtrack of life. It has the ability to penetrate the soul sometimes in a way that nothing else can. My earliest memories in life (which go back to my toddler years) are of feelings and lyrics to Stevie Wonder’s You Are the Sunshine of My Life…I became aware of myself hearing music around me. It was no wonder my film production career began in music video. 

 

As a Director, my lens is from an intersectional perspective as a Black woman. My intense sensitivity to life propels me to seek projects that enlighten as well as entertain. I guess I’ve always been an educator in that way...

 

As a Creative, I simply do whatever it takes to get the project completed. I often describe myself as someone who stumbled into producing. My producing skills were born out of my deep insecurity about becoming a starving artist. I decided to develop my skills in producing so that I could secure work not only for other directors but also for myself. 

 

Creatively I most admire Jean Luc-Goddard, bell hooks, Mira Nair, Gordon Parks, Deepa Mehta and Maryam Malakpour.