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TINA ANDREWS is an international award-winning writer, producer, director, as well as author, playwright, and multi-media visual artist. She is currently the book writer for the new musical I'm Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical coming to the West End in London. Casting has begun for the workshop production.

 

Her nonfiction book, Sally Hemings An American Scandal: The Struggle to Tell The Controversial True Story (The Malibu Press), won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literary Nonfiction" and the Literary Award of Excellence from the Memphis Writers Conference. The book was based on her award-winning CBS miniseries, Sally Hemings: An American Scandal which she wrote and Executive Produced. It was the highest rated, most watched miniseries of its season garnering Tina the Writers Guild of America Award for "Outstanding Long form Television," She is the first African American to win the award in Long form) She also won the NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding TV Movie, Miniseries or Special." CBS bought the miniseries based on her play The Mistress of Monticello, which Tina originally wrote and directed at the Chicago Dramatists Workshop. Tina's work in film and television has led to other accolades, including a Proclamation from the City Council of New York.

Currently, Tina sold the audiobook rights to her successful historical fiction novel, Charlotte Sophia: Myth, Madness & The Moor to Recorded Books. The audiobook and its trade paperback and eBook editions are available wherever books are sold. In addition, the book's film and television rights have been sold to HBO Max for an original series on which Andrews will serve as creator, executive producer, and writer. It will be produced by her company TAO Entertainment Group alongside Whoopi Goldberg. The story chronicles the true tale of Britain's Queen Charlotte Sophia who was arranged into a marriage to "mad" King George III and soon after she was discovered to be of African descent. Andrews first adapted her novel into Buckingham, a play that she directed to sold-out audiences at Santa Monica's acclaimed Highways Performance Space; and in New York at the Southampton Cultural Center. The East Hampton Star called the play "...beautiful and brilliant writing..."; "...told magnificently and with much wit," and The Southampton Press said it was "...destined for the Broadway stage..." The play is being prepped for a London run and a commercial run in New York to be Co-Produced by Miss Goldberg.

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Andrews is also adapting her new novel: Princess Sarah, Queen Victoria's African Goddaughter (The Malibu Press) into a feature-length motion picture. The novel examines the unknown life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, an African princess rescued from beheading in Dahomey by a British naval officer, and brought to London where she became goddaughter to Queen Victoria on whom she had an enormous influence. 

 

Tina wrote and executive produced the CBS miniseries, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, and wrote the Warner Bros. film, Why Do Fools Fall in Love starring Halle Berry. She also wrote, produced and directed the popular Showtime series Sistas 'n the City; and has an essay in the book, The First Time I Got Paid for It: Writers Tales From The Hollywood Trenches (Public Affairs). Tina has published essays in the Los Angeles Times, The WGA's Written By and Creative Screenwriting magazines among others.

 

Additionally, Miss Andrews has just signed a three-book publishing deal with British publishing company Jacaranda Books (an imprint of the Hachette Group, UK).  Her first book with them will be the hardcover 10-year anniversary edition of her Charlotte Sophia novel entitled Queen Charlotte: A Royal Affair due in 2023. 

After New York University where she majored in theater, Tina performed as an actress in over 100 film and television roles including Conrack, starring Jon Voight; Carny starring Jodie Foster; and originated the seminal role of "Valerie Grant" on Days of Our Lives in daytime television's first interracial romance. But it was the role of Kunta Kinte's girlfriend "Aurelia" in the acclaimed miniseries Roots which led to an incredible relationship with her literary mentor, author Alex Haley. Together they collaborated on the PBS miniseries, Alex Haley's Great Men of African Descent. It led to Tina's' first script sale to Colombia Pictures.

Tina has been a guest on Oprah; CBS This Morning;  Frontline (PBS) and more.  She has lectured on writing at New York University, University of Southern California, UCLA, Indiana University and the University of North Carolina. She serves on the board of directors of the Writers Guild Foundation, the famed Southampton Cultural Center; and on the advisory board of Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, CA.

Tina has directed the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, and Venus in Fur by David Ives at the renowned Guild Hall Theater in East Hampton. Her play, The Mistress of Monticello--which she also directed--based on her award-winning CBS miniseries, had a successful run at the Southampton Cultural Center. Additionally, Tina directed her one-woman show: Coretta: Promise to The Dream, in which she starred as Coretta Scott King at the Southampton Cultural Center where she is a Playwright-in-Residence. Miss Andrews has also been named an "Associated Artist" at The Playground Theatre in London where she will be presenting her plays "Across the Pond."

Among many other accolades throughout her career, Tina had been named one of 50 To Watch by Variety.

 

Miss Andrews divides her time between New York and London.

 

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