Kiana “Juanie” Fowlkes is an emerging writer and producer who draws inspiration from her own tumultuous love life to create compelling stories that authentically explore the intersection of love, grief, and Black womanhood. Her short film "Hopeless" is currently making waves on the festival circuit, where she serves as executive producer and writer. She is currently developing two features. One with acclaimed writer/director, Rodrigo Garcia and the other with producer and former Head of Content at Netflix, Pauline Fischer.

Founder of the production company Kinfowlkes Media, Juanie dedicates her time to creating an intimate and safe networking space for emerging Black women in entertainment called Kinfowlk. Passionate about preparing the next generation of storytellers, she is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Cornell University in the Performing and Media Arts Department. Before landing her role at Cornell, Juanie was a Showrunner’s Assistant on season two of THEM on Amazon Prime, a co-EP assistant on HBO’s Lovecraft Country’s S2 Mini Room, and a Hillman Grad Mentee under the direction of Lena Waithe. She also taught at Elon University, Howard University, and California State University, LA.

Juanie hails from Enterprise, AL and was a military brat growing up. She received her BA from a small HBCU, the University of DC, where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and an International Leadership Fellow. She then went on to the American Film Institute Conservatory where she received her MFA in Screenwriting. She spent her early twenties traveling to Eastern Europe, South America, and the Caribbean as a part of the collegiate singing ensemble. She enjoys pasta, romcoms, bi-weekly massages and throwing dinner parties.