T’Essence is a bi-coastal creative executive, strategist, and community organizer who lives at the intersection of storytelling, equity, and environmental justice. With a background in TV and film development, she’s helped bring bold, inclusive stories to life at companies like Folding Chair Productions, OWN, Gunpowder & Sky, Secret Hideout, and Popsugar Studios. Whether she’s developing content or building community, her mission is the same: to amplify voices that often go unheard.

A proud ADCOLOR Futures alum, T’Essence is passionate about changing the face of media and making space for the next generation of creatives of color. She’s a Network Leader with Outdoor Afro and co-designed California Coast in Color, an artist residency with Black Image Center that supports Black photographers exploring nature, identity, and environmental justice through their work. She also sits on the board of Radical Clothes Swap, a collective reimagining sustainability through a community-driven lens.

T’Essence brings a mix of creative vision and grassroots organizing to everything she does, shaped by her experience in leadership programs like Film Independent’s Project Involve and Colour Entertainment. She’s all about building meaningful connections, crafting stories that reflect the world we actually live in, and pushing for equity not just as a value—but as the norm.

Now, as a member of the ADCOLOR Advisory Board, she’s excited to pay it forward, uplift new voices, and help shape the future of an organization that helped shape hers.