Listen here, this cast and crew!!!!!!! It’s hard to put into words the depth of which they showed up in this episode. I am immensely grateful to be a card carrying member of the Reasonable Doubt family as the director of episode 303. From my first conversation with creator Raamla Mohamed, the creative alignment was clear and the assignment was understood.
@dramaraamla@kerrywashington@antoncropper@tamaratgreg@onyxcollective thank you for circling back after my maternity leave. Beyond grateful for it all. 💛
@reasonabledoubthulu MY Episode 303, now streaming on @hulu !!!!!
Luke 1:45
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”
It is such an honor to begin my journey in episodic directing on my beloved SNOWFALL. I cannot wait to collaborate with each member of the cast and crew, who I hold so dear!
I would not be here without @sterncofilms , Julie DeJoie, @aminjoseph and Thomas Schlamme. Each of them saw the light in me that years of working outside of directing had dimmed.
I’m overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support I’ve received today and extremely grateful to my village of family, friends, and fellow directors for dusting me off after every rejection and praying me back to life. @wilcthree@allthingsriche@lenorecoer@jetsetlex@emilewashington@tvshaypro@berniceramsey@mrcarlseaton@ccroberson_ pushed me to be my best self for this one when I really really really didn’t feel like it but that’s why they are my people.
Never give up on your dreams.
When @thereeljade asked me to be her doulagrapher (doula + photographer) for her third baby, I laughed because I knew there was no way she could be serious.
Me? The person who gets nauseous at the sight of blood.
Me? The person who never experienced labor, thanks to the trauma of an emergency C-section. No training. No experience. Seriously, why me?
Because my daughter’s birth story had been about survival and my sister wanted me to have what I didn’t get to experience.
I was afraid right up until her first contraction. But then something shifted. It was like a switch flipped, and I moved into protector mode.
Because I knew the stats: Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes in this country. At 39, her risk was even higher.
So for 48 hours, I leaned all the way in. I asked every question. I paid attention to every detail. I learned every nurse’s name. I was there for her. Fully. And when it was time for her to push, I felt it in my body too.
Aiden Austin was brought into this world by a team of women of color, with a Black woman guiding his arrival. It wasn’t planned or expected, but very clearly divinely orchestrated. Look. At. God.
It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. The best gift anyone has ever given me. And in that moment, my sister became the strongest woman I know.
A year later, I was still behind the camera, celebrating Aiden’s first birthday at our favorite beach.
But the truth is, far too many Black women in this country don’t get to that moment.
This is why #BlackMaternalHealthWeek matters.
It’s about making sure more of our stories are held with the kind of care, the kind of attention, the kind of protection, and the kind of life-affirming love that we all deserve. ❤️
#Blackmaternalhealth #blackmothers #birthstory #blackmotherhood
Undervalued. Underestimated. Disregarded. Overlooked...
Still wouldn’t trade being a Black woman for anything!
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, cheers to all of my sisters across races and nations. Keep shining! ✨
#40something #womenshistorymonth #blackgirlmagic
Sandwiched between these two was one of my favorite places to be! Our industry cannot work without collaboration, and the work between the Director, DP and AD can be an amazing trifecta when it works. They helped me to bring forward the best version of my vision, shifting at times, but NEVER compromising. It was such a pleasure to work with these two incredible powerhouses!!
One of my favorite things about joining the @reasonabledoubthulu family was working with my old friend and DC native, the talented @mrryanrichmond . He was one of the first people I met on the festival circuit back in 2011, and I had the honor of directing his incredibly layered episode. Not chance, just God. Check us out THIS THURSDAY, Sept 25 on @hulu ! #dcstandup
Boss chicks, bold lips. Shout out to my fellow DGA sisters in the all female AD Department on @reasonabledoubthulu Season 3. They held me down every step of the way!! On the last day, they (and many of the women on the crew) saluted our collaboration by rocking my signature bold lip. #directher 🫶🏽🫶🏽
Season 3 premieres on Sept 18 on @hulu
So honored to have joined the directing team for Season 3 of @reasonabledoubthulu from @onyxcollective 🙌🏾. Grateful to have worked alongside such an incredibly hardworking and talented cast and crew, all led by the brilliant @dramaraamla and the phenomenal @emayatzycorinealdi .
Season 3 premieres Sept 18 on @Hulu ! My episode (Ep. 3) comes up fast—don’t skip a week!! 👀✨
So proud of my sister @allthingsriche and @evolynbrooks who are sharing their beautiful film @goodhometrainingfilm for the first time today at @mvaaff ! If you’re on the Vineyard, check it out during BLK#9 at 11am TODAY!!!
The film celebrates the legacy and love of how generations of Black women have redefined the home as a powerful site of cultural transmission, creativity, and connection.
For our family it’s such a cool moment that the first film festival that I ever got into and still love so much is where they will also have their debut!!!
After 2+ years of weathering the Hollywood strike and a surprise maternity leave, ya girl is back in the chair on REASONABLE DOUBT S3!!! Grateful, thankful, blessed.
