Maya Washington

Maya Washington is a filmmaker (writer/director/producer), actress, writer, poet, Creative Director, and arts educator. She received a BA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Southern California and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. Her work has garnered awards or fellowships from Commercial Directors Diversity Program, McKnight Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Minnesota Film and Television, and others.

Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Washington began her creative career as a dancer turned musical theatre actor in the Twin Cities vibrant theatre community as a child performer. While at USC, she studied acting, directing, film and dramatic writing, which allowed her to explore her passion for storytelling in a variety of mediums. While pursuing her MFA, Washington worked full time as a professional actor and choreographer. She even managed to complete a national tour of William S. Yellow Robe’s Grandchildren of the Buffalo Soldiers, a co-production of Penumbra Theatre Company and Trinity Repertory Company, as she finished her MFA thesis in Poetry.

Her background, on stage/camera and behind the scenes, has given her the opportunity to work on everything from live theatre, commercials and print ads, to web series, films and television. Washington is dedicated to projects that have a sense of “purpose” in the world, selecting stories that illuminate some aspect of the human experience that is untold, rarely seen, or might benefit from new approaches to issues of diversity and inclusion, primarily in America. Her film work has also allowed her projects to have a global reach, including Toronto, Budapest, Hong Kong, Berlin, and Rome.