Thedia Samara
Singer, Songwriter, Playwright, Screenwriter, Author, Content Creator, Publisher and Art Director
June 2014
> 2 weeks ago
2
About Thedia
Thedia Samara, PhD is a multipotentialite and interdisciplinary artist : writer, singer/songwriter, producer, playwright, screenwriter, award-winning poet, publisher, writer, artistpreneur, art director and curator. Thedia's love of poetic verse and prose began at age 13, in her latter teen years, Dr. Samara started in the entertainment industry as a backup singer, dancer and model in music videos; and has worked in feature films and on television. In between singing gigs, Thedia was featured in anthologies and honored with writing awards and poetic accolades; among them, a finalist in a poetry competition sponsored by McDonald’s restaurants. Thedia was on a WNBC series that featured her as a finalist in a poetry competition in Hollywood, CA. She won a publishing contract that led to her first book of poetry and was also featured in an anthology, "The Solace of Night." The McDonald’s poetry competition led her to join their gospel choir with whom Thedia performed at the former Westbury Music Fair, Madison Square Garden, The Paramount Theater, Radio City Music Hall, The Apollo Theater, the Soul Circus, and Rockefeller Center, and on TV programs appearing on ESPN, NBC, ABC, and their Emmy nominated special, Gospelfest, on UPN; as well as recording a radio commercial for the company at NY’s Hit Factory studio. Thedia was also a backup singer for Grammy® and Tony®-award-winning gospel artists and was offered a major recording contract with Sony Records. At the request of a designer's assistant, Dr. Samara modeled for a high-end fashion designer; cosmetics and hair care companies, and photographers. Never abandoning her writing roots however, Thedia began screenwriting and playwriting shortly thereafter as a way to combine her passions and was thrilled to have been awarded a scholarship from “X-Men” director, Brett Ratner, to attend the NY Film Academy. Her unscripted TV pilots were green-lit for a channel on the Cox Network. Thedia garnered interest in her web series by an Oscar-winning producer from the movie, "Sling Blade," and in her 1st feature-length screenplay by the makers of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” who judged the Christian Screenwrite competition eventually leading to the sale of her first play. Thedia is the creator, writer, producer and host of YouTube's "Playtime Toy Party." In the midst of it all, Thedia graduated magna cum laude with degrees in Business, Organizational Leadership, a Ph.D. in Music with a focus on pedagogy and education and also has honorary doctorates in Biblical History and Gospel Music. Dr. Samara is a member of Sigma Alpha Pi and her current field of research involves creativity and neuroaesthetics through the Aspen Institute and Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics. Dr. Samara is also a member of The Nova Institute for Health and The Sound Health Network, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the University of California, San Francisco, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Thedia is a creative arts advocate and philanthropist with a charitable heart and one of her goals is to establish a charity that supports marginalized children interested in the arts and to continue to use her time and talents to combat child sex trafficking and systemic racism.
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything You gave me'."
- Erma Bombeck
Unique traits: Sports nut, know more than I should about forensic science, I sing in shower & the car, and I say hello to (some) strangers. Currently striving in the Big Apple.
Badges
Links
Loglines
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Cory in the House - Disney Network Spec Script Other Cory and his friends sneak into the White House to try to meet a famous young rapper during his visit. Of course, things don't go according to plans.
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Buppies - Sitcom Pilot/TV Comedy The "Buppies" are two erudite art columnists, Langston Jackson and Thurgood Simpson, have uptight tendencies and appreciate the finer things in life. Their lives and careers take an unexpected turn when the owners of "Art du Jour," the magazine they work for, accept a large endowment from an investor, but in return, have to change the magazine's format to the world of contact sports.
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Beauty for Ashes - Play Drama “All I want is to be loved, for myself and for my talent. First, I'm trying to prove to myself that I'm a person. Then maybe I'll convince myself that I'm an actress.” - Marilyn Monroe
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