Thedia Samara

Thedia Samara, PhD is a multipotentialite and interdisciplinary artist—a dynamic force in the creative arts as a writer, singer/songwriter, producer, playwright, screenwriter, award-winning poet, publisher, content creator, art director, and curator. With a voice as versatile as her pen, Thedia moves fluidly across artistic disciplines, merging her passions with purpose.

Her journey began with a love for poetry at just 13 years old. By her late teens, she was working in the entertainment industry as a backup singer, dancer, and model in music videos and later appearing in feature films and on television. Her early literary success included national poetry awards and being featured on a WNBC poetry competition series in Hollywood, which earned her a publishing deal for her debut poetry book and a feature in the anthology The Solace of Night.

Thedia’s artistry took center stage when she joined the McDonald’s Gospel Choir, performing at prestigious venues like Madison Square Garden, The Apollo Theater, Radio City Music Hall, and on television networks including NBC, ABC, UPN, and ESPN, even recording a commercial at NYC’s legendary Hit Factory studio. She went on to perform with Grammy® and Tony® Award-winning gospel artists and was offered a major recording deal by Sony Music.

As a model, Thedia graced campaigns for elite fashion designers, beauty brands, and photographers—but she never strayed from her storytelling roots. Her screenwriting and playwriting pursuits led her to win a scholarship from X-Men director Brett Ratner to attend the New York Film Academy. Her TV pilots were greenlit for the Cox Network, and her web series garnered interest from an Oscar-winning producer of Sling Blade. Her first feature-length screenplay drew the attention of the makers of The Chronicles of Narnia, and her play was later sold following recognition in the Christian Screenwriters competition.

Academically, Dr. Samara graduated magna cum laude with degrees in Business and Organizational Leadership, earned a Ph.D. in Music with a focus on pedagogy, and holds honorary doctorates in Biblical History and Gospel Music. She is a proud member of Sigma Alpha Pi and is actively researching creativity and neuroaesthetics through the Aspen Institute and Johns Hopkins’ International Arts + Mind Lab. She also holds memberships with The Nova Institute for Health and The Sound Health Network, an NEA initiative in partnership with the NIH, UCSF, and the Kennedy Center.

As CEO and Founder of Samara Creative Ventures Group, LLC, Thedia champions faith, creativity, and community through entrepreneurship, education, and advocacy. Her heart beats for philanthropy—with goals to launch a charity supporting marginalized youth in the arts, and to continue using her platform to combat child sex trafficking and systemic racism.
In her downtime, Thedia enjoys traveling, watching sports, and immersing herself in arts and culture with her husband, Daniel, the love of her life.

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything You gave me.'"
— Erma Bombeck