Donta Storey hails from the mean streets of Compton, California, but they weren't as mean as you think. Growing up the oldest of six children in a single-parent household, they had no choice but to flex their creative muscles to entertain a modest household. Donta grew up with a natural love of acting, films and telling stories. Spike Lee's Clockers, and F. Gary Gray's 'Set It Off" were two of the films that inspired Donta to sit down and write his first short story. Their love for film introduced them to the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Wes Craven, and Martin Scorsese. During high school, they experienced a slight shift in focus from writing to the performing arts. In High school and College Donta took several acting classes that enhanced their love for the art of storytelling. Instead of segregating their love for acting, writing and directing, they choose to helm the title of Storyteller. As a nonbinary black queer human, Donta wants to tell stories that start conversations that add to the narrative that we all matter. Through storytelling, they believe they can change the world.