Powering Black stories through equity, ownership & narrative change
DeShuna Spencer is the founder & CEO of kweliTV, a Black-owned streaming service showcasing 900+ indie Black films, documentaries and series from around the world. Through her work, she builds platforms and programs that expand access, shift cultural narratives and create sustainable pathways for underrepresented creators.
A former journalist and radio host, DeShuna’s work spans media, education, live experiences and emerging immersive storytelling. She is also the founder of the Black Indie Creatives Coalition, a nonprofit supporting Black independent filmmakers through development programs, convenings and creative infrastructure, and the creator of Black.Indie.Ignite., a national gathering for Black indie creators.
DeShuna speaks Internationally on media representation, bias in technology and distribution, the future of indie film, social entrepreneurship and how storytelling can be used as a tool for cultural and systems change.
Full Bio
A former magazine publisher and host and producer of emPower Hour on Washington DC’s 89.3 FM WPFW, DeShuna began her career as a journalist writing for The Clarion-Ledger, The Oakland Tribune and The Crisis Magazine. She is a graduate of Jackson State University, where she studied communications and journalism.
She is a Halcyon Incubator Fellow and Voqal Fellow and previously served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA and Chips Quinn Scholar. She is featured in the book How We Fight White Supremacy as one of more than 60 Black leaders advancing equity through their work.
In 2019, she was named Innovation & Inclusion Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Digital Diversity Network. In 2023, she became a prize winner of Black Ambition, founded by Pharrell Williams.
Her work and leadership have been recognized by PCMag, which has listed kweliTV among the Top 10 Best Movie Streaming Services since 2020, as well as ANA AIMM, which named the company Most Culturally Effective Black-Focused Media Brand (Silver Winner). DeShuna and her company have been featured in CNN Business, Fast Company, Refinery 29, TIME, Emmy Magazine & more.