MY TIMELINE
If you’re reading this, I hope this timeline reminds you to just keep going. The journey may be filled with challenges,
setbacks, and a sea of “no’s,” but don’t let them define your path. Every rejection is just a redirection, shaping you for the right opportunity, the one that will not only open doors but create a ripple effect of possibilities. Stay patient, stay persistent, and trust that the right "yes" is on its way. And when it comes, it will be worth every moment of the wait.
Keep believing! Keep building! Keep striving! Keep thriving!
2025
2025 - TBA - Tribeca Film Festival (The Off-Brands)
2025 - REJECTED - Film Independent Episodic Directing Intensive
2025 - REJECTED - Atlanta Film Festival (The Off-Brands)
2024
2024 - ACCEPTED - Jitterbug ($4.5MM Feature Film)
2024 - ACCEPTED - American Cancer Society (National Commercial)
2024 - TBA - No Place Like…
2024 - TBA - Southern Fried Rice
2024 - FINALIST - Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative Program
2024 - REJECTED - Film Independent Episodic Directing Intensive
2024 - REJECTED - Film Independent x Netflix Amplifier Program (NOMINATED)
2024 - REJECTED - American Black Film Festival (Heaux & Tell)
2024 - REJECTED - American Black Film Festival (Cuzzin M)
2024 - REJECTED - Disney Short Film Launchpad
2024 - REJECTED - Sundance Catalyst
2023
2023 - ACCEPTED - Design Essentials Masterclass
2023 - ACCEPTED - What’s Hidden Feature Film
2023 - ACCEPTED - Cuzzin M
2023 - ACCEPTED - What We Watch Film Festival (Robyn Hood)
2023 - ACCEPTED - SC Film Commission Indie Grants Recipient
2023 - REPRESENTATION - Received Management/Representation and signed with The Ogunlesi Group & Granderson Des Rochers
2023 - FINALIST - Film Impact Georgia Grant
2023 - SECOND ROUNDER - Austin Film Festival (The Off-Brands)
2023 - FINALIST - National Black Arts Festival Horizon Award Grant
2023 - SECOND ROUNDER - Sundance Producing Lab (Maia Miller w/ Off Brands)
2023 - TBA - Sweeter The Knowledge
2023 - TBA - Bless Your Heart
2023 - TBA - Swirl
2023 - TBA - Director of Beautiful Curly Me Commercial Spot
2023 - REJECTED - NBCUniversal Female Forward Directing Program
2023 - REJECTED - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Commercial Spot (Top 5 out of 500 Directors)
2023 - REJECTED - Shore Scripts Film Fund
2023 - REJECTED - BendFilm BIPOC Grant
2023 - REJECTED - Kodak Film Grant
2023 - REJECTED - DGE Directing Program
2023 - REJECTED - Black Film Space Grant
2023 - REJECTED - TSL Free Screenplay Contest (Coverfly)
2023 - REJECTED - Black Girl Day Off (Hoorae Media)
2023 - REJECTED - Film Independent Screenwriting Lab
2023 - REJECTED - Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition (The Off Brands)
2023 - REJECTED - Operation: Aunties (Feature version of The Lifted short I directed in 2021)
2023 - REJECTED - Cannes Lion Festival Writing/Directing Opportunity w/ Talenthouse
2023 - REJECTED - Ryan Murphy Half Initiative Program
2022
2022 - ACCEPTED - SCREAMFEST FILM FESTIVAL (Robyn Hood)
2022 - ACCEPTED - Micheaux Film Festival (Robyn Hood & The Lifted)
2022 - ACCEPTED - Lead Director of Heaux & Tell Series
2022 - ACCEPTED - Director of Criblore: Da Cut
2022 - FINALIST - SeriesFest x Shondaland Women’s Directing Mentorship
2022 - REJECTED - National Capital Emmys Nominations
2022 - REJECTED - The Blacklist Feature Film Lab
2022 - REJECTED - WIF/Blacklist Feature Film Lab
2022 - REJECTED - BlackStar Film Festival (Robyn Hood)
2022 - REJECTED - American Black Film Festival (Robyn Hood)
2022 - REJECTED - Tribeca Film Festival (Robyn Hood)
2022 - REJECTED - Atlanta Film Festival (Robyn Hood)
2022 - REJECTED - SXSW (Robyn Hood)
2022 - REJECTED - Pan African Film Festival (Robyn Hood)
2021
2021 - ACCEPTED - John Singleton EmbRACE - The Lifted Short Film
2021 - WINNER - Homestead Entertainment x Comcast Xfinity (Riverment)
2021 - ACCEPTED - ABC/Disney Shadowing Opportunity - The Wonder Years
2021 - HIGHLIGHTED - Issa Rae’s Color Creative Writer Crush Wednesday
2021 - ACCEPTED - FOX SOUL’s The Screening Room w/ Vivica Fox (Riverment Short Film)
2021 - REJECTED - Project Greenlight
2021 - REJECTED - Sony Television Pictures Diverse Directing Program
2021 - REJECTED - First Time Directors Initiative - MTV Entertainment Studios
2021 - REJECTED - ABC/Disney Directing Program
2021 - REJECTED - Sundance Development Track (Screenwriting - The Off Brands)
2021 - REJECTED - OWA - Miramax Pitch - Ella Enchanted Remake
2021 - REJECTED - WeScreenPlay Diverse Voices (Robyn Hood)
2021 - REJECTED - WeScreenPlay Diverse Voices (En Avant)
2021 - REJECTED - Mentorship Matters Fellowship
2020
2020 - ACCEPTED - The Phillips Collection Documentary Directing Opportunity (Second Wave of the Great Migration)
2020 - FINALIST - SeriesFest x Shondaland Women’s Directing Mentorship
2020 - REPRESENTATION - Received Management/Representation and signed with Inner Voice Artists
2019
2019 - WINNER - Student Emmy/Student Production Award - National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences - National Capital Chapter (Fiction Long-Form - Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED - LA Intensive Program (Never attended - canceled by pandemic)
2019 - ACCEPTED - Damn Write Originals Digital Series Directing Opportunity (Southern Fried Rice)
2019 - ACCEPTED - Diaspora Festival of Black & Independent Film (Riverment)
2019 - WINNER - The Artemis Women In Action Film Festival (Best Student Short Pro-Action - Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED - Indiana Black Expo Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - WINNER - Denton Black Film Festival (Best College Short - Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED - Newark International Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED - New York Latino Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED - Columbus Black International Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED - The Roxbury International Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED - Orlando Urban Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED - Maryland International Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED - National Black Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED (Nominated - Best Narrative Short) - The Pan African Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED (Honorable Mention - Best Student Narrative) - Black Harvest Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - ACCEPTED (Did Not Screen) - NOVA Fest (Artist Circle - Riverment)
2019 - FINALIST (Did Not Screen) - Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Harlem International Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Diversity in Cannes Short Film (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Maryland Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - RiverRun International Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Phoenix Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - SAG-AFTRA Foundation New York Short Film Showcase (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Seattle Black Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Atlanta Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Bermuda International Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Indie Grits Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Cinequest (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - Athena Film Festival (Riverment)
2019 - REJECTED - ATT Hello Lab w/ Lena Waithe (En Avant)
2018
2018 - ACCEPTED - American Vision Awards: Media That Matters (SONY PICTURES Sponsored: Best Graduate Thesis - Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - Black Warrior Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - Color of Conversation Film Series (Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - Parallel Film Collective (Riverment)
2018 - WINNER - Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (Outstanding Narrative Short - Riverment)
2018 - WINNER - TIVA-DC Peer Awards (Student Production: Fiction Silver Award - Riverment)
2018 - WINNER - March on Washington Film Festival (GRAND PRIZE: Best Student Narrative & Cassandra Butts Award - Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - Toronto Black Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - Beaufort International Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated Legacy Film Showcase (Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED (Nominated - Tally Shorts Favorite Award) - Tally Short Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - NC Black Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - WINNER - Charlotte Film Festival (Social Justice Award - Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - Afrikana Independent Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - WINNER - BronzeLens Film Festival (Best Student Short - Riverment)
2018 - WINNER - DC Black Film Festival (Best Student Short - Riverment)
2018 - WINNER - Chesapeake Film Festival (Best Emerging Filmmaker - Riverment)
2018 - ACCEPTED - BlackStar Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - WINNER - Las Vegas Black Film Festival (Best Cinematography; Best Drama [Nominated] - Riverment)
2018 - GRADUATED - American University Film School
2018 - REJECTED - Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - Washington West International Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - SCAD Savannah Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - International Black Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - Urbanworld Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - NBCUniversal Short Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - Student Academy Awards (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - Montclair Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - New Voices in Black Cinema (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - HollyShorts Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - DC Shorts Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - San Francisco Black Film Festival (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - LunaFest (Riverment)
2018 - REJECTED - Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision – CILECT (Riverment)
2017
2017 - FINALIST - ReelPitch Challenge (Riverment)
2017 - FINALIST - WeScreenPlay Shorts Contest (Riverment)
2017 - SEMI-FINALIST - Screencraft Film Fund (Riverment)
2017 - REJECTED - ScreenCraft Shorts Competition
2017 - REJECTED - Women In Film (WIFV) Finishing Fund (Riverment)
2016
2016 - WINNER - NC Black Film Festival (Best Student Film - Life’s Checklist)
2016 - WINNER - Soul 4 Reel Film Festival (Best Local Short - Life’s Checklist)
2016 - ACCEPTED (Nominated - Best Student Short) - Las Vegas Black Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - SEMI-FINALIST (Did Not Screen) - San Francisco Black Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - Atlanta Underground Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - BlackStar Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - LA Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - Cine Soul, The Sacramento Black Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - African American Film Marketplace (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - African American Women In Cinema Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - Indie Grits Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - Women and Minorities in Media Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - Charlotte Black Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - Atlanta Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2016 - REJECTED - Tally Shorts Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015
2015 - ACCEPTED - Parallel Film Collective (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - WINNER - Urban Mediamakers Festival (Best Student Short - Life’s Checklist)
2015 - WINNER - Orlando Urban Film Festival (Phenomenal Women in Film, Best Short Film - Life’s Checklist)
2015 - ACCEPTED (Did Not Screen) - Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - NOMINATED - American Vision Awards: Media That Matters (Outstanding Photography Essay Award - Black Gusto)
2015 - NOMINATED - American Vision Awards: Media That Matters (Best Graduate Short Film - Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Beaufort International Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - St. Louis International Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Baltimore International Black Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Orlando Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - CINE Golden Eagle Awards for Student & Youth Media (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Miami Short Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Raindance Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Hollywood Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Reel Sistas of the Diaspora Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Coney Island Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Charlotte Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - LA Shorts International Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - UrbanWorld Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - HollyShorts Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Montreal Black Film Festival (Life’s Checklist)
2015 - REJECTED - Student Academy Awards (Life’s Checklist)
2014
2014 - WINNER - American Vision Awards: Media That Matters (Best Webseries - Quarter Century)
2014 - NOMINATED - American Vision Awards: Media That Matters (Best Editing - Quarter Century)
2014 - NOMINATED - American Vision Awards: Media That Matters (Best Mash-Up - Director’s Reel)
** Please note - this list does not include the MANY many rejections delivered by WithoutABox (RIP) **
2012
2012 - ACCEPTED - American University Film School
2012 - REJECTED - NYU Film School
PRELIMINARIES
2011 - GRADUATED - Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (Magna Cum Laude)
2007 - 2011 - College Side Hustle: writing and directing promotional videos for campus organizations and Tallahassee businesses.
2007 - GRADUATED - Columbia High School (Go Caps!)
2006? - Wrote Louie High Play (Writer/Director - High School)
2005? - Greek Mythology Film (Writer/Director - High School)
2003? - REJECTED - Apollo (Songwriter - Middle School)
2002? - Wrote a Moving Play (Writer/Director - Middle School)
1999? - Wrote And Performed an Opera (Elementary School)
1995? - A Mud Puddle Jumped On Me Performance (Elementary School)
1989 - A STORYTELLER was born!