Justice A. Whitaker

Justice Whitaker was born and raised on the sunny shores of California where he developed, at an early age, a passion for storytelling and performing arts. The son of an interracial couple, concepts of race, identity, and history were ideas that Justice began to question from an early age. In High School Justice explored photography and his passion for the camera lens drove him to New York City where he received his Bachelors degree in Film and Television Production from New York University, 2006. The first of his parents three children to graduate from college, this was a career accomplishment on its own. During his time at NYU, Justice began to work with diasporic communities, while living and studying in Johannesburg, Accra, and Rio De Janiero for more than half of his undergraduate degree. This immersive approach to media production aimed at telling Black stories and stories of the African diaspora has become the core focus of Justice's artistic career. In 2007, Justice developed a video technology program for The Green School, which was focused on the themes of community sustainability and environmental careers. Justice implemented this curricula for four years and expanded the curriculum to include themes of urban sustainability, identity development, and cultural studies through media production for underrepresented youth. Justice's Video Technology program was awarded a $10,000 dollar grant from Best Buy Tech Awards to support the program and curricula. After leaving The Green School, he began an artist residency at the Bronx Academy of Letters. In the Spring of 2012 Justice conceptualized "Aqui En Cuba, a documentary that gives an authentic perspective to life in Cuba. The Fund for Teachers awarded $10,000 for professional research in Cuba where the principal photography for the film was shot. In early 2013, Justice shot and directed "What to the American Slave is the 4th of July" an experimental short film which has since been a jury selection in two film festivals in New Mexico, and been used as an educational resource in media programs throughout New York City. In late 2013, Justice moved to Santa Fe, NM and took a position teaching cinematography, directing and documentary storytelling at Santa Fe University for Art and Design, where he taught for three years while developing several personal projects. Justice regularly travels lecturing on film and media education as well as race and cinematic arts. In 2016, Justice completed the "HandsUp" song and music video which recreates viral murders by police in honor of the Black Lives Matter Movement and victims of police brutality. The album featuring the track was awarded Best Hip Hop Album of 2016 at the NM Music Awards, as well as nominated for Best Music Video at the Las Vegas Black Film Festival. His first feature length screenplay was a 2015 winner of the Shoreline Screenplay competition and he has since been a finalist in the Sesame Writers Workshop, and a semi finalist in the 2020 Screencraft Writers Fellowship Competition. He has written two feature screenplays as well as two television pilots currently available for development. Justice is committed to social justice through his work as a writer and is invested in sharing his craft with young creators in the interest of expanding the reach of cinematic storytelling. Justice most recently directed the documentary film "Kut to be the Best" an official selection of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. He was recently married and lives with his wife in Brooklyn, NY, until he gets a job in Hollywood.