Morenike Joela Evans is an Emmy-Nominated Director, Writer and Creative Producer known for her calm leadership, clear vision and positive vibes on set. She’s passionate about directing stories for TV & Film that are compelling, provoking and have heart.  She’s currently one of a handful of African-American women actively working as a multi-cam director  and also directing single cam comedy and dramas.   

 

In 2022, she directed two pilots—Disney’s Saturdays, a single cam show highlighting the Black roller skating culture and MGM/Bounce TV’s multi-cam comedy Act Your Age, which has been said to be a “Black Golden Girls” starring icons Tisha Campbell, Kym Whitley and Yvette Nicole Brown. She was nominated for a 2022 Children & Family Emmy for directing the hit Disney series Raven’s Home.

 

Morenike launched her episodic directing career on the NAACP Image Award-Winning and Emmy-nominated hit series Family Reunion created by Meg DeLoatch. She’s gone on to direct several episodes of that series along with other shows including CBS’ number one hit comedy, The Neighborhood, the successful reboot of iCarly for Paramount +, and multiple of episodes of the Emmy-nominated supernatural series The Secrets of Sulphur Springs for Disney.

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In 2021, she was selected to participate in the DGA Women’s Steering Committee’s inaugural mentorship program and was paired to be mentored by the iconic and legendary Debbie Allen. She is currently a co-chair of the The WSC Squad, ushering in Cycle 3 of the mentorship program.

 

Morenike transitioned to directing scripted TV after an impressive career producing entertainment and docuseries for MTV News, BET, NBC, TNT, OWN, TV One and PBS. She has launched her own online school, MOJO Academy, teaching Directing and Producing to the next generation of marginalized creatives.

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Originally from the DC area, she earned her Master’s in Film from The American University and is a proud Prairie View A&M undergraduate. She is married and raising two children in Los Angeles. If she wasn’t working as a triple threat in the entertainment industry, she’d be Janet Jackson’s backup dancer, a detective, or an archeologist--in that order.

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FELLOWSHIPS AND PROGRAMS

 

2021 DGA Women’s Steering Committee Squad Mentorship Program 

2020 CBS Directors Initiative Program

Alliance of Woman Directors 2019-2020 Industry Support

2018 Producers Guild Master of Diversity Program

IFP/NY Project Involve 2000