Ava DuVernay and Autumn Riley

Ava DuVernay is a Californian born in Long Beach on the 24th of August, 1972. DuVernay was motivated to pursue her love of art by DuVernay's aunt Denise as a young kid. Aunt Denise worked as an overnight nursing assistant in order to give her an opportunity to study and literature, or even theater. She showed DuVernay the 1961 film West Side Story and DuVernay became enthralled by the film. DuVernay was educated by her mother about how art can be used to engage people. DuVernay grew up with an aunt who was socially conscious and taught her to make use of art as a method to express herself. DuVernay was raised living with family members in Compton and spent her summers in Lowndes County Alabama in the family home of her father. Her father recalled the civil rights marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the Selma town that was nearby, Alabama. The time spent in Selma, Alabama during the summer, inspired her later to write a script for a film based on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. DuVernay received her Saint Joseph High School diploma in Lakewood California. She went to the University of California Los Angeles for a degree in English and African American Studies. DuVernay began to produce in broadcast journalism when she was still at college. Her career began as an assistant for CBS News in the O.J. Simpson trial. DuVernay recalls being asked to look over the rubbish inside the house that belonged to a member of jury. After being disappointed in journalism due to the work she was assigned and deciding to go after a career in publicity. DuVernay joined a small studio as a Junior Publicist shortly after graduating from college. Her private PR company, The DuVernay Agency was established in 1999. In addition to PR, the company has created lifestyle networks and advertising campaigns such as the Urban Beauty Collective. Autumn Riley.............................Autumn Riley was born in Los Angeles United States. Autumn Riley was born under the sign of. Autumn Riley is an American actress, best known for American Experience (1997) and A More Perfect Union (2009). Autumn has played the roles of Rose and Anna Payne for A More Perfect Union.