WORK

Amazon prime | outlier society

“The Greatest” is the first-ever authorized scripted series about the life of Muhammad Ali.

disney+ | Undisputed Cinema

 A fictional retelling of the formative years, accomplishments, and dueling philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X

festival circuit | Brookland park productions

When a second-time mother gets an unexpected complication post-partum, she must fight to save her life in the fractured American healthcare system.

MARIA WARITH-WADE

From the moment Maria stepped behind the camera filming televised church services as a child, she knew her calling was in storytelling. Growing up in Richmond, VA, the daughter of a sharecropper turned serial entrepreneur, Maria became drawn to Southern folklore and the political complexities of living in the capital of the Confederacy. As a political junkie and history fan, Maria knew film and television could capture the oral traditions and stories she heard in her formative years. Her work is heavily influenced by her varied background - she's the youngest girl of thirteen, raised in a multi-faith house -- Islam and Christianity, and graduated from college at nineteen.

Attracted to social justice and international diplomacy, Maria moved to Barcelona, Spain, after undergraduate studies at Emerson College to earn a Master's in Global Communications from Blanquerna (Ramon Llull University). Returning to America, her professional journey as a writer and producer began in New York at Paramount (MTV, VH1, Comedy Central), producing branded content for Hollywood's biggest award shows. Chasing her hunger for social advocacy, she left for Los Angeles to refine her skill set and learn the studio business.

Maria got her break in television writing on Disney/ National Geographic's Genius: MLK/X, a fictional retelling of the formative years, accomplishments, and dueling philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Her independent films, "Maternity" and "Separated" have been screened both nationally and overseas. Currently, she's on an unannounced period drama on Amazon Prime.

Maria holds a Bachelor's in Political Communications: Politics, Leadership, and Social Advocacy from Emerson College and a Master's in Fine Arts from the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Producing Program within the School for Cinematic Arts. When Maria's not behind the camera, she juggles entertaining her daughter and chasing after her golden retriever mix. Her favorite pastime is talking smack about sports — from the NBA, Track and Field, or NFL, you name it, she has a strong opinion.

MARIA’S BACKGROUND

EDUCATION:

Emerson College, B.S.

Blanquerna University, M.A.

University of Southern California, M.F.A.

AFFILIATIONS + AWARDS:

Writers Guild of America

Women in Film Mentorship Program

Women of Color United #Startwith8 Mentee

Muslim Public Affairs Council / Blackhouse TV Screenwriting Lab

Uprising: Stories from the Frontline Lab - USC

Irvin Kershner Endowed Scholarship for Documentary 

Shriram Family Graduate Scholarship 

USC Peter Stark Producing Program Special Project Grant Recipient