Biography

Jade Bryan is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer, director, entrepreneur, and advocate with more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry. A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Film Production, she is recognized as the first Black Deaf award-winning filmmaker to earn a film production degree from NYU.

Bryan is the Founder and CEO of Jade Films and Entertainment, LLC and the creator of the Deaf Talent® Family of Brands, including Deaf Talent® Casting, Deaf Talent® Media & Entertainment Consulting, Deaf Talent Creative Lab®, Deaf Talent Networks®, Deaf Talent Kids & KODA Film Kamp®, Deaf Talent® Merch, Deaf Talent® Directory, Deaf in Hollywood® and BASL Lit®.

In 2012, she founded the Deaf Talent® Movement, a national advocacy initiative dedicated to increasing authentic representation and career opportunities for Deaf professionals, particularly Black Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and other underrepresented communities across film, television, theater, and digital media. Through advocacy, education, casting, workforce development, and original content creation, the movement has helped elevate conversations around equity, accessibility, and authentic storytelling throughout the entertainment industry.

As a storyteller, Bryan develops original intellectual property spanning feature films, television, stage, and documentary. Her slate includes the original scripts Two Lives to Live (teleplay), Cleopatra’s Desires (feature screenplay), and Silent Vector: Innocent Project (feature screenplay); the proof-of-concept projects Somalia The Musical, Untitled Sketch Show, and The Essence of Two; the documentary series Resist Through Our Eyes; and the award-winning television pilot What Somalia Wants, which began screening on the film festival circuit in 2026.

Her previous work includes the award-winning feature film The Shattered Mind, which screened at more than 40 international film festivals and received numerous awards, as well as the documentaries Listen to the Hands of Our People, On and Off Stage: The Bruce Hlibok Stories, 9/11 Fear in Silence: The Forgotten Underdogs, and Reaching Zenith: A Black Deaf Filmmaker’s Journey.

Beyond filmmaking, Bryan consults with studios, networks, producers, brands, and organizations on Deaf inclusion, accessibility, authentic casting, and culturally informed storytelling. Through her work, she continues to champion stories that expand representation while creating commercially compelling entertainment for global audiences.
- IMDb mini biography by: Jade Bryan