Bursting into this world 2.5 months premature, the only mixed kid in her San Fernando Valley neighborhood, and already knowing three languages by the age of 6, Shari Coleman always wanted to be a superhero…or ninja…or Hogwarts student. Fitting in was never Shari’s strong suit but fantastical worlds were. Delving into magical stories where it was celebrated to be different really resonated with her but being half Austrian Jew-half African American, she never really saw herself represented. The magic began to crumble, and the idea of assimilating grew. She tried to do so by competing in every sport under the sun, but her mom cut her off when she tried to go for football. She did somewhat find a sense of community through dance which spanned 18 years, five of which were also spent directing various studio, high school and collegiate teams. A shift came in form of volunteering in the rainforests of Costa Rica, befriending the elephants of Thailand and creating a charity movement in India. A lot of her life being colored by travel and trying to pick up new languages, made her enamored by people and their stories. Stories that she also felt were being unrepresented. So, she decided to get her B.A in Film Production at Cal State Northridge (CSUN). CSUN offered her the opportunities to work the Cannes Film Festival, direct her first short film, intern for Academy Gold, edit an animated special for Creepshow, P.A on Disney Channel’s Bunk’d before being accepted into the Universal Animation Writer’s Program and most recently completing her role as a Writer’s PA for HBO’s The Last of Us. As a storyteller, Shari believes she has a responsibility to create stories that incite strength for the underrepresented, promote culture, and speak on the problematic natures of societal norms.