The Hosts
Shukree Hassan Tilghman (aka SHU)
Shukree Hassan Tilghman mined the depths of the reality-show world as an editor cutting “redneck reality” and house flipping shows until he was saved by a job as a writer on the USA drama series SATISFACTION. He went on to write on the CW series The VAMPIRE DIARIES and penned the pilot TEMPEST for UNIVERSAL CABLE PRODUCTIONS and NBC. Recently, Shukree spent two seasons as a writer and Producer on the hit NBC series THIS IS US and developed and wrote drama pilots at both HBO and HULU. Currently, he is a writer and Supervising Producer on the TNT drama ANIMAL KINGDOM and is writing and developing a drama series at HBO MAX.
Shukree has also produced and directed non-fiction projects including the PBS documentary film MORE THAN A MONTH, a tongue-in-cheek journey to end Black History Month, and THE MARCH @50, a PBS.org short documentary series about the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. Shukree received a B.F.A. in Film and Television from New York University and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from Columbia University.
Sherman Payne (aka The GSwOAT)
Sherman Payne is a screenwriter, originally from Ohio, now living and working in L.A. He attended Wright State University, where he received a B.F.A. in Film Production, and later Columbia University, earning an M.F.A. in Screenwriting. Sherman has written projects for MTV, BET, The CW, Warner Bros. TV, Sony Pictures Classics, Blumhouse, and Amazon, among others. In 2020, his debut feature film CHARM CITY KINGS premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it was awarded a Special Jury Prize. It will air on HBO Max later this year. Currently, Sherman is a writer and producer on Showtime's hit series SHAMELESS. In his spare time, Sherman enjoys listening to rap, concocting complicated cocktails, and spending time with his wife, son, and dog.
The Producer
August K. Burton (aka AKB)
August K. Burton is a producer, director, music supervisor and composer currently enrolled in the MFA program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He is the producer of SCA JOURNALS, a podcast that explores the culture of the School of Cinematic Arts by the interviews of the students, faculty, staff and alumni. In film, he is the Creative Producer for two films that are in pre-production: RELICS, a 2D animated short, and HOME, a 3D motion capture animation.
As a director, Burton uses the device of comedy to investigate social issues in novel ways. His mockumentary BEETS about a Black music producer’s fiasco with an aspiring middle-aged White, female rapper was well-received by audiences and has garnered recognition at several festivals including the Portland Comedy Film Festival and NÒT Film Fest. He music supervised THE CYPHER which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and can be viewed on HBO Max and was the composer for THE DOPE YEARS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF LATASHA HARLINS, which won Silver in the Documentary category of the 47th Student Academy Awards and a DGA Award for Outstanding Directing.
August K. Burton attended Oakwood University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Biochemistry and minor in Biology. On his free time, August enjoys writing poetry and producing music. He is a professional bassist and can’t wait for the pandemic to end so he can play at improvisational jams around the greater Los Angeles area.
The Social Media Coordinator
Tia Wren
Tia Wren is a sophomore in the B.F.A. Film and Television Production program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She enjoys writing, directing, and editing her own narrative fiction short films. Tia has also experimented with 2D animation and is currently giving documentary a try. Tia has worked as a videographer and editor for different companies to produce marketing content such as virtual tours, event recap videos, and project highlight videos. In high school, as part of her school news team, she produced both scripted and unscripted video segments for monthly episodes. In the future, she hopes to continue to write and direct narrative fiction.
Tia also enjoys computer science and programming and has developed multiple iOS apps for school competitions. Currently, she is working on developing an augmented reality app.
In her free time, Tia enjoys reading and going for long walks.