We had the good fortune of connecting with Dianah Wynter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dianah, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
Risking one more call to an ABC exec on a upcoming TV movie. He was already tired of hearing from me, but I felt in my gut that was my shot. And it was.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Please tell us more about your art.
I started out as a Stage Director and thought I would supplement my stage work with TV work, and TV directing ended up taking over. I graduated from Yale drama school, where I did Shakespeare and Ibsen. Broadway Director Lloyd Richards was Dean and I had opportunities to watch him work when he was directing world premieres by August Wilson. I manage rehearsals when it went to the Goodman theater starring James, Earl Jones. I staged the second company of the Broadway production of Fences at Seattle Rep with Samuel L Jackson. I was only 26. Directed the world premiere of “Interrogation of Nathan Hale” in Costa Mesa South Coast Rep, workshops for the New Work Festival at the Mark Taper forum here In LA for 10 years, while I was directing TV during the same 10 years. Today, I am excited about a new documentary I’m producing a documentary on a Harlem Renaissance artist —the most important woman artist no one’s ever heard of.

What sets me apart?
I was directing TV in the late 90s when very few black women were. I didn’t know that at the time. The DGA held a big tribute in the late 90s celebrating Black women directors, and I was surprised to be one of them. I asked one the DGA event managers, “Why am I being celebrated with Debbie Allen and Helaine head?” He looked at me and said, “well they’re only 15 black women directors in the guild.” Out of the 10,000 members?! Today 20 years later, it’s a different story, thanks to recent DGA presidents who helped to advance women. I’ve had a couple few young women directors come up and call me a trailblazer, stand on my shoulders, it’s very moving.

How did I get to where I am today?
I’ve directed two feature films, a TV movie, nominated for Best Director Emmy award. My new doc
Being at CSUN became a long-term endeavor. I was Chair of the Film & Television department during the pandemic. Because we were on lockdown, so few students know that I was Chair. But students feel the after-effects in the form of a 21-foot LED Virtual Production wall on the TV stage when they returned to school. Lockdown was heartbreaking for student filmmakers. I had to do something significant to make up for the LA Department of health cancelling projects. I’m an active in the DGA and on top of new trends; and the new trend’s were virtual production unreal engine, epic games. That was part of everyday filmmaking but wasn’t taught at CSUN. I reached out to some angels at the DGA: Phil Galler at Lux Machina And the Godfather Dan Gregoire founder & CEO of Halon Entertainment rallied companies like Stype and Roe Visual to build us an LED. They changed destinies.

What do you want the world to know about you?
I want people to know that I made that happen. There were no witnesses. I was coming to an empty campus. I let the press know. Those new technologies led our little Calstate school into The Wrap’s Top 20 Film schools for the first time.
My work is about uplifting people through narratives. I take responsibility for the ideas I put in people’s head. I want them to always be nutritious.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The Broad Museum
Dorothy Chandler Pavillion
Drinks at M
Hollywood Bowl
JG at the Waldorf
Point Dume Malibu
Nobu Malibu
Crypto Stadium
SoFi Stadium
Verse

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Lloyd Richard, Broadway Director – Mentor

Dan Gregoire, Founder and CEO of Halon Entertainment Virtual Production – Angel

Mitch Semel – old college friend who “made that call”

Website: https://imdb.me/wyntertainment

Instagram: https://academics.csun.edu/faculty/dianah.wynter

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/dianah-wynter-66ba9511

Other: https://news.csun.edu/mike-curb-college-of-arts-media-and-communication/led-production-wall-expands-filmmaking-possibilities-for-students/

https://academics.csun.edu/faculty/dianah.wynter

Image Credits
Diana Wynter, CSUN students with Virtual Production Supervisor Daniel Gregoire CEO & Founder of Halon Entertainment CEO Founder, following a Cinematheque screening at the of one of Gregoire’s movies, “Star Wars Revenge of the Sith” at CSUN.

Diana and Lux Machina’s Kristin Turnipseed, playing with our newly installed LED volume.

Soul Food, Showtime Network

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