About Us
| |
OBS has hundreds of
members in the Los Angeles area, all across the United States,
and around the world. Members come from various backgrounds and
range from those just beginning to pursue their passion
for screenwriting to those who are well-established veteran
writers working regularly in Hollywood. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Mission
Statement
The goal of this non-profit organization is to
develop great writers. We desire to empower our members with intense
training, hands-on experience, expansive resources and extensive
industry exposure. We encourage freedom of expression via quality
writing and filmmaking, without compromising the image of people of
color.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Officers
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Jennifer Williams, President
Writer/Editor/Author and now Producer - Jennifer graduated from CSU,
Long Beach with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management but has
always had a passion for writing. Jennifer worked as a freelance
journalist for local community newspapers in Los Angeles – she’s
served as Editor & Chief and Head Writer for the Coach Ken Carter
Foundation Newsletter and Director of the Mentoring Program.
Jennifer’s the author of the book "Coach Carter - The Real-Life Coach
Ken Carter Story", as well as one of the script editors for the movie,
"Coach Carter" that starred Samuel L. Jackson and was produced by
Paramount Studios/MTV Films. She’s an award winning writer with
several works in progress. Currently, she’s completing her third
screenplay and shopping her novel. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Kim Allen, Vice President
Kimberly Allen relocated from Detroit, Michigan in 1998 and became an
active member of OBS the following year. Acknowledgement for her
writing includes being named semi-finalist in 2002 for the Fox
Diversity Writing Program and finalist for the Disney/ABC
Screenwriting Fellowship in 2005. Kimberly and her writing partner Zelie-Dember Slack were semi-finalists in the Scriptapalooza
International TV Writing Competition and were finalist for the 2007
OBS TV Pilot Competition. In 2008 she was accepted into the Guy Hanks
and Marvin Miller Screenwriting Fellowship Program, sponsored by Drs.
Bill and Camille Cosby. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Lisa Bolekaja,
2nd Vice President
Born in Kittery, Maine (the only
black baby in the history of that town!), Lisa is a 2008 Blue
Cat Screenplay Contest Semi-Finalist and a 2008 Blue Cat
Screenplay Lab Finalist with her script "The Midnight Midwife".
She is also a 2007 Austin Film Festival Second Rounder, as well
as a 2005 Film Independent Fellow with her surreal New Orleans
set script “Iko Iko”. Her horror script “Skin” was optioned in
2006. In 2002, Lisa was a Guy Hanks & Marvin Miller Fellow. She
wrote the Dance/Drama/Multimedia Presentation The New World
Africans for the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Teye Sa
Thiosanne Drum & Dance Company which was produced by the San
Diego Lyceum Theater in 2002. Currently living in Los Angeles,
she can be found at Venice Beach on any given weekend walking
her Fox Terrier “Ripley”, named after Sigourney Weaver’s
character in “Alien”, or, curled up in a lawn chair at the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery during the summer watching classic
movies on the side of a mausoleum wall. She is a member of the
Black Science Fiction Society, The Horror Writers Association,
and Film Independent. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Toya Ayala, Treasurer
After
graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 with her
Bachelors Degree in Radio, TV and Film, Toya Blackshear Ayala made her
way back to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of writing and producing
dramas and music variety shows in Hollywood. Although the doors
didn't open up in the producing area, Ayala has been representing
A-list writers, directors, actors and musicians for the last 18 years
as their Business Manager. Married with three children, Toya still
finds time to write and plans to complete her first romantic novel. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Jasheika James, Secretary
JaSheika James attended the University of Florida, pursuing
and obtaining a Bachelors of Science degree in Telecommunications with
an emphasis in Television Production. Upon graduating from college, JaSheika was
accepted into the ABC Talent Development Production Associate program
in Burbank, California. In the year-long position, she was exposed to
all aspects of production (Management, Finance, Creative Development,
Casting, Business Affairs, etc) working for Production Executives and
assisting on various TV series and pilots. When the program concluded,
upon recommendation from an ABC Executive, JaSheika went on to work on
the hit series Desperate Housewives. She followed that experience
working on another critically acclaimed hit, Showtime’s Dexter. Currently, JaSheika works as a Coordinator in
Post Production for ABC Studios. She aspires to write for television,
hoping to create and develop shows that inspire, motivate, enlighten
and entertain. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Angela T. Akins, Assistant Treasurer/Finance Committee
Chair
Angela Akins is a graduated of CSU,
Fullerton with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Arts. Angela was a
backup writer for Tyler Perry, a finalist for Nickelodeon, and
completed the Guy A. Hanks & Marvin Miller Screenwriting Program –
Cosby Fellow. She writes and directs and is currently working to
complete a solo show. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Emill
Shavoz, Financial Secretary |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|