We are so excited to introduce you to Kyra Jones, a queer Black filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago, IL. Kyra received her degree in Theatre and Gender Studies from Northwestern University. She’s the co-founder of Black in Film, an online database created to facilitate hiring Black artists behind the camera. As an actor, she’s appeared on Empire (Fox), Chicago Justice (NBC), Kappa Force (Revry), Seeds (OTV) and more. She’s the co-creator, executive producer, and star of The Right Swipe (OTV), which was an official selection at Austin Film Festival, Urbanworld Film Festival, DC Black Film Festival, and more. In addition to her work in film, TV, and theatre, Kyra is also an educator and advocate, working with survivors of gender-based violence. She’s represented by Stewart Talent.

Black in Film is an online database founded by Ramone Hulet and Kyra Jones, two Black filmmakers from Chicago. The database was created to amplify the importance of hiring Black artists behind the camera and provide producers with an easy way to locate Black filmmakers of all positions in their area. Within the first day of launching, Black in Film received 150 submissions from all across the United States. Going into its second week of existence, the site now has over 500 filmmakers in its database.