ABOUT natasha

Being a writer and storyteller started at a young age, not realizing this passion will bloom later in her life. There is no timeline for when passion reveals itself. When Natasha writes stories, her entire being, her soul, is liberated and expressed in words and art, creating a sense of joy. Storytelling helps her cope with her depression by interweaving her feelings and experiences to inspire action, change, and emotions.

 

Writer

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There is a phrase Natasha repeatedly said to herself for many years: hard work does pay off. There are moments she wants to throw in the towel. With the perseverance of commitment, dedication, and trusting the universe, Natasha took steps to write her first play, The Window. She co-produced a staged workshop of the play with WACO Theatre Center and Deaf West Theatre in May 2023. The goal is for the play to become a production in 2024. She also wrote, produced, and acted in her first short, The Multi. 

 

The Multi is one of the proud projects she worked on. She took a chance to invest in her film because she genuinely believed the world needed to see this story. Authentic representation is an important mission for Natasha. Her vision is for the audience to connect with the characters not often seen on the screen, dark-skinned deaf actors. Her creative direction and production ensured her vision came true. During the 2022 film festival circuit, thirteen (13) film festivals selected The Multi. Some were Oscar's, BAFTA and Canadian screener film festival qualifiers.

 

More exciting news for The Multi: the short film was selected for the AGBO x Slamdance Summer Showcase that will take place on August 16, 2023. AGBO is the Academy Award-Winning studio founded by Anthony and Joe Russo, along with Mike Larocca. I am honored and touched that The Multi continues to receive recognition.

 

She worked as a writer in a writer's room for Starz/WBTV with Ava DuVernay's production company, Array. This untitled show will feature Joshua Jackson: The Affairs, Dawson's Creek, Little Fires Everywhere, and Lauren Ridloff: Eternal and The Walking Dead. 

 

Natasha looks forward to writing and producing more stories and bringing them to life. 

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Actor

 

Her first love is acting. That is how it all started when she performed her first monologue called The Hearing Boyfriend, written by DJ Kurs. At that moment, she fell in love with acting. As an actor, Natasha is known for her work in several TV series that are currently steaming: Ryan Murphy's The Politician on Netflix, where she played Principal Karen Vaughn in 4 episodes, and Amazon Originals' Undone, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Pudy, where she played a Deaf Teacher in 2 episodes. In Undone, Natasha is the first Black Deaf Actress to be seen as an animated character.

 

Natasha debuted in a Marvel Studios, Sony, and Insomniac Games video game as the first Black Deaf woman to play a character in a video game. She is honored to play Hailey Cooper in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. 

 

Additionally, Natasha made a special appearance on Saturday Night Live with Coldplay doing an American Sign Language performance of “The Astronaut.”

 

Advocate

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Being an advocate for our disabled community is a natural role for her. If there is anything she can do to make people see people with disabilities as human, she will do it. At the end of the day, we are all humans born into this beautiful, chaotic world. We exist. Her advocacy work includes adding the A – access – to the DEI. Natasha is one of the co-founders of 1IN4 Coalition, an intersectional coalition of disabled creatives currently working in Hollywood focused on long-term institutional shifts to increase employment and authentic representation of disabled people.

 

At the Barbie premiere, she worked with the 1IN4 Coalition team on establishing access points for disabled guests, with much success. She worked as a consultant at the Academy Awards Oscar's 2023 to ensure our Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and guests with disabilities had access. It was such an impactful experience because the guests had access while people from all over the world were watching the American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation of the event, generating over 100,000 views on YouTube. My work with Blackstar Film Festival includes consultation on creating an accessible festival experience. As an advocate for her Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, especially the BIPOC, Black children, youth, and adults, she is currently working on a project with Gallaudet University to spark conversations and the need for impact changes for our Black Deaf community based on the creative project, Am I Next?, co-written and produced by Natasha and Storm Smith. The revelation will debut in 2023.

 

Natasha’s Loves

 

Other than her world of acting, writing, and producing, Natasha loves:

 

• Nature - She enjoys hiking different trails throughout Southern California, Lake Tahoe, Reno, and any new trails.

• Watching old movies for the 100th time.

• Playing board and card games - Sorry, Idiot, The Mind, and Skyjo.

• Dancing and listening to MUSIC! She can dance for hours. It is liberating when she loses herself in the world of music.