Sonya Winton-Odamtten

Sonya Winton-Odamtten is an American playwright, executive producer, documentarian, professor, and television writer. She is for known her work as a writer on shows like NCIS New Orleans, The Whole Truth, Touch, and Oasis (Pilot), and as a co-executive producer of Lovecraft Country.

Early life and education Winton-Odamtten grew up in Los Angeles, California. She later earned her Bachelor of Arts with honors from Spelman College, majoring in political science. Subsequently, she received her Master's in Public Administration from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs as well as a Master of Arts and a Master of Philosophy in African American studies and political science from Yale University. She later earned her doctorate in African-American studies and political science from Yale University.

Theater In 2001, Winton-Odamtten helped found the non-profit theater company Adam, Eve, & Steve Productions (AES) while at Yale. She directed and produced numerous theater productions and took a hiatus from her studies in 2003-2004 to complete the documentary Battleground for a New Generation.

Career Transitioning from academia and theater to television, Winton-Odamtten attended the Warner Brothers Television Writers Workshop in 2010.

In 2016, Winton-Odamtten NCIS New Orleans episode "Rock-a-Bye-Baby" was nominated for a GLAAD Award and, in 2021, she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series for Lovecraft Country.

In 2019, Winton-Odamtten signed an overall deal with HBO, continuing her work as a co-executive producers of the HBO series Lovecraft Country. She was a finalist for the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Dramatic Presentation in 2021, joined the Advisory Council of WarnerMedia Access Writers Program, joined the LA Theatre Works Board of Directors, and received a pilot order from HBO for their series adaptation of the novel Fledgling. She was also engaged in the development, writing, and executive producing the limited series Say Their Names.

Philanthropy Winton-Odamtten was involved in the initiative "Feed Black COVID-19 Health Workers Challenge". After partnering with Frontline Foods, she helped recruit over 40 other African-American Hollywood writers in order to support healthcare workers in underserved African-American communities around the country. The outreach helped to feed hospital, nursing home, and health clinic staffs in Downtown Los Angeles, St. Louis, New York, Dallas, Houston, Durham, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Providence, Inglewood, Boston, Memphis, and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Filmography

Television

Theater +TitlePlaywrightDirectedProduced"There Must Be A God Somewhere"Jonathan I. Kidd - (Adam, Eve, and Steve Productions)"Shaka"Jan Henson Dow and Robert Schroeder - (Adam, Eve, and Steve Productions) "Matri-focal Concentric Zones of Violence Revisited: Part One"Sonya Winton-Odamtten - (Adam, Eve, and Steve Productions)

Acting YearShowRoleEpisodeNotes 1988The Facts of Life"Annie""On the Edge"Season 9, episode 211987227"Carla Brown""Got a Job"Season 2, episode 13