Deborah Jane Burke is a dynamic filmmaker, writer, hip-hop recording artist, and producer. As the daughter of Guyanese immigrants who grew up as one of the only Black families in a predominantly white Orange County suburb, Deborah Jane found refuge in writing and hip-hop, igniting her passion for social justice and storytelling through music. Her journey led her to Stanford University, where she penned an award-winning hip-hop musical inspired by a childhood nightmare of being trapped in slavery. The play was later developed into a short film and is now in the process of becoming a feature-length film about racial reconciliation called, Strange Fruit: The Hip-hopera.

Deborah Jane enjoys a successful Hollywood career, and has contributed to major networks such as FOX, TBS, BET, and PBS. Independently, she founded the House of Deborah Jane Studios with a mission to disrupt the status quo, amplify multi-cultural voices, and affect spiritual and social change through dynamic TV, film, theater, and music, with a particular emphasis on musicals. She is a proud alumna of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts where she holds her MFA in screenwriting.

https://www.strangefruithiphopera.com/