Numa Perrier is a Haitian-American actress, artist, director, writer, and producer. She is a co-founder of Black&Sexy TV and started her production company titled, "House of Numa". Her debut feature film, ''

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

'', premiered at

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

in 2019. Her sophomore film, the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

romantic comedy '' The Perfect Find'' premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

where it received the Audience Award for Narrative Film.

Early life

Perrier was born in

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and was adopted and raised in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

state in a family of eight children. In Washington, Perrier grew up on a farm in Cathlamet, Wahkiakum County. The town had a population of around 500 people. Despite the size, Perrier claims living in the small town helped create a deep connection with nature around her. Growing up on a farm helped Perrier's imagination run wild and sparked Perrier's passion for creating. Although Perrier left Washington at the age of 10, and has lived in many other places since Perrier notes Washington as one of the more memorable places she has lived. She got to know her biological mother when she was 17. Perrier moved to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

in late adolescence and did online "peep show" work as a cam girl to make money. Her savings allowed her to move to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to pursue a career in film and visual art.

Career

Perrier co-founded Black&Sexy TV, a creative collective and streaming service for Black millennial audiences, with former partners Dennis Dortch, Brian Ali Harding, and Jeanine Daniels in 2010. Their first collaboration was a film called '' A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy'', which premiered at

Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pl ...

and was picked up by

Magnolia Pictures Magnolia Pictures LLC is an American independent film distributor and production company, and is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment. Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in ...

. Beginning in 2011, they used

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

to post their content. Notable shows include ''The Couple'', ''The Number'', ''Hello Cupid'' and ''RoomieLoverFriends''. Numa starred in ''The Couple'' alongside Desmond Faison, and

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

picked up the series for development. In 2017, Perrier directed her first feature film ''

Jezebel Jezebel ()"Jezebel"
(US) and

'', starring Tiffany Tenille. The semi-autobiographical film draws on Perrier's experience as a "cam girl" performer. Perrier also co-stars in the film, which was shot on location in Las Vegas. ''Jezebel'' premiered at

in March 2019, and received positive critical reception. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' selected ''Jezebel'' as one of its "Best of SXSW 2019" picks. ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'' referred to Perrier as "a very fine naturalistic actor" and gave further praise to her filmmaking, noting her "striking handling and welcome thoughtfulness of style." Array Releasing acquired the film in 2019 with a limited theatrical run and it debuted on

on January 16, 2020. Perrier was awarded Best Director and Best Feature Film for ''Jezebel'' at the 2019

American Black Film Festival The American Black Film Festival (ABFF), originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival, is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film and works by black members of the film industry. The festival is held annually in ...

. Perrier played a recurring guest star role on Showtime's ''

SMILF ''SMILF'' is an American sitcom starring, created, written, and directed by Frankie Shaw. It was based on her short film of the same title. The series premiered on Showtime on November 5, 2017. The series' name, SMILF, is a play on the term " M ...

'' prior to its cancellation. Perrier directed a live magic show, ''The Legend of Black Herman'', as a part of Derek Fodjour's art installation, ''Magic, Mystery, and Legerdemain'', which ran from March 29 to May 7, 2022, at the David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles. She has also directed television episodes for programs including OWN's ''

Queen Sugar ''Queen Sugar'' is an American drama television series created and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, with Oprah Winfrey serving as an executive producer. DuVernay also directed the first two episodes. The series is based on the 2014 novel o ...

'',

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

's comedy-drama series '' Cinema Toast'',

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

's legal drama ''Reasonable Doubt'', and Hulu's comedy series '' Unprisoned''. Perrier also directed the season 3 finale for the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' Young Rock''. For her work on ''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl X ...

'' reboot on

, Perrier was nominated for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series. Perrier's first studio film, '' The Perfect Find'', starring and co-produced by

Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films '' She's All That ...

premiered at the 2023

where it received the Audience Award. Based on the book by Tia Williams and adapted by Leigh Davenport, the film follows a woman in her forties starting a new career only to fall for a much younger man who is also her boss's son. The film released worldwide on

on June 23, 2023, and garnered Perrier an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special. Also in 2023, she directed two episodes of the

comedy series '' Unprisoned'' starring

Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fil ...

, for which she received the Astra TV Award for Best Directing in a Streaming Comedy Series as well as an

nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series.

Upcoming projects

In December 2021, it was announced that she will produce and star in ''The Erotic'', a biopic about poet and author

Audre Lorde Audre Lorde ( ; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, professor, philosopher, Intersectional feminism, intersectional feminist, poet and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "Bl ...

. In June, 2022, it was announced Perrier would produce and direct ''The War and Treaty'', from a script by

Will McCormack William Joseph McCormack Jr. (born January 13, 1974) is an American actor, executive producer, screenwriter, and film director. He is best known for his short film '' If Anything Happens I Love You'' (2020), which earned him the Academy Award f ...

and Craig Borten, based on the life of the Nashville husband and wife vocal duo.

Personal life

Perrier married Gabrey Milner, son of Broadway playwright Ron Milner, in October 2020.

Filmography

Film

As actress

As director

Television

As actress

As director

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Numa Perrier
on IMDb
Black&Sexy TV
Official website
House of Numa
Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Perrier, Numa 21st-century American actresses 21st-century Haitian actresses American people of Haitian descent American women film directors American women film producers Living people 1979 births Haitian women film directors