While growing up, Fridays often meant taking trips to Hollywood Video with my father, who also kept a large VHS collection of recorded movies and music videos. In high school, I created a short documentary about children and adults who had experienced foster care, however, it wasn’t until I watched American Gangster that I became interested in making narrative films. It seemed rare at the time to see a large Black cast on screen for close to three hours and I felt hooked by the opulence, drama, characters, and time period. After reading the script, I wrote my first dramatic screenplay and began studying media production in college. Writing stories became a way for me to express emotions and thoughts that I have about life and the world, and I hope they resonate with others and even inspire change.

In addition to Steven Zaillian, who is shown above signing my nearly 20 year old script of American Gangster, writers who have inspired me include John Singleton (another filmmaker I’m grateful to have sat down with), and Misha Green (who kindly let me fan out upon meeting her).

After years of only writing drama, a TV comedy class at AFI helped me discover my ability to write funny and my love for doing it. My professor suggested that I lean further into comedic writing, and I did by following up a very well-liked spec of Ted Lasso with my first comedic feature screenplay. I happened to be taking a helpful Improv for Writers class at the same time, yet wanting to strengthen the comedy in the script even more, I took a Level I comedy course at Flappers Comedy Club. At the end of the course, students were required to perform a five minute set in a real show that we had to promote, though I was completely oblivious to this when I signed up! Still, I would do it again.

My favorite comedic films include Boomerang, The Wedding Singer, Life, and just about anything with Steve Martin in it.