An African American film director, producer, screenwriter, film marketer, and film distributor. Some of her work includes Selma, documentary 13th, and a Wrinkle in Time. She is currently the highest grossing black female director in U.S. movie history. She is- Ava DuVernay!
Ava DuVernay has not had your traditional path into the film industry. Instead of majoring in film like most producers, she went to the University of California at Los Angeles and majored in English and African American Studies. Like many of our own Her Campus members her initial career path was Journalism but an internship at CBS quickly changed her mind.
She broke her way into the film industry by doing film marketing. She started her own publicity firm in 1999 and worked with films like “DreamGirls”. She didn’t create her first film until 2010. She also kept her publicity job as a safety net because as black woman in the industry people wouldn’t be handing her money to support her projects.
With a career change that didn’t take place until her early thirties, Ava is the definition of a Girl Boss. Her passion for telling the African American truth could not be contained. She demonstrated perseverance as she kept her day job but continued to work towards her true desires.
Many of us are familiar with her most recent project, the netflix docu-series, When They See Us. This emotion evoking true story of the Central Park Five touched the hearts of each one of it’s viewers and that’s exactly what Ava wanted. She wants her projects to teach and inspire. Watching her films have definitely motivated me to work harder towards my goal of being a film producer.
Our girl boss Ava has worked hard to perfect her craft and get results. Her work has inspired young brown and black girls across America to be that boss in a world that may not accept them. She puts emphasis on becoming your own boss; those same people who wouldn’t help her coming up in the film industry are now the same people asking her for a job! Hard work pays off, and that’s why Ava DuVernay is a girl boss.