Deborah Jane Burke

Deborah Jane is a screenwriter and hip-hop recording artist with 20+ years of writing and music experience. Daughter of Guyanese immigrants, she grew up feeling invisible in an all-white suburb as the only black family on the block. She escaped the emotional weight of racism through writing, musicals and hip-hop - which sparked her passion for social justice and using music to tell dynamic stories. At Stanford University, she wrote and produced an award-winning hip-hop musical (starring Issa Rae) and founded a black women's magazine, Soul Sistah. After teaching English in South Korea, she jump-started her Hollywood career in film and television production, working at FOX, TBS, BET and PBS networks. A published magazine writer, she also served as Media Director for Pinup Girl Clothing. Deborah Jane is an Act One Screenwriting Fellow, Cosby TV Writing Fellow and placed as a semifinalist in Disney/ABC's writing program. She's a proud alum of USC's School of Cinematic Arts where she holds her MFA in screenwriting. There, her immigrant family comedy, Pioneers, was nominated for the Humanitas award. Deborah Jane launched her production company, House of Deborah Jane to write stories that championed multicultural voices. Independently, she has penned three films, three TV pilots and two webseries, including The HOTT, a hip-hop webseries for youth. She is the producer of Strange Fruit: The Hip-hopera - a hip-hop musical film about racial reconciliation that was featured in VoyageLA Magazine about her journey making the film. In addition to musicals, Deborah Jane is an emcee, currently recording her debut rap album, "Who Is Retro Raptress?" under the moniker, Retro Raptress. She loves mixing pinup girl fashion into her hip-hop style. She is also a passionate activist who creates social justice through entertainment. In addition to speaking at rallies, she launched #DanceProtest to incorporate performance art into activism.