View all of our profiles here
Former journalist for The Boston Globe, CBS News, The Oakland Tribune and more. Current TV/Film writer with credits including Star Trek, The Burning Zone and Dirty Sexy Money.
Years involved with NABJLA/NABJ: Over a decade.
Social Media: @SkyeDent
Pronouns: She/Her
What piece of work are you most proud of creating?
My first script sale was the episode Phage of Star Trek Voyager. It was loosely based on news stories of Americans visiting foreign countries who were being kidnapped, knocked out, having body parts stolen and sold on the black market by millionaires who needed them to replace defective body parts, and waking up in ice-filled tubs. In Phage, a dying alien race called The Vidiens kidnaps Voyager crew member Neelix and removes a body part. The Voyager crew has to get back and reattach the body part before Neelix dies.
What sparked your interest for joining NABJLA?
Boston Globe journalist Ron Hutson introduced me to NABJ in Boston. One element that I truly liked about the organization was that the members worked together with NAJA, The Latino News Media Association, and the AAJA. I have been a member of NABJ in every city where I have lived or worked. And obviously, although I work in TV and film now, I continue my membership and of course, CBS journalists are members of the WGA West.
What is your favorite quote?
“I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.” By Jessica Rabbit in the film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
What made you want to pursue your career?
[I knew that] being a journalist would allow me to go where no Black female had gone before and write stories so that younger Black writers would be inspired to do the same. There was a time when I was between journalism jobs and instead of whining, I went to London, jumped a ferry to France, tracked down the famous James Baldwin and interviewed him while he and his boyfriend took me on a midnight tour of Paris museums. No other field than journalism allows one to create a marketable article with nothing more than paper, pencil, gumption and gumshoe.