Daphne S. Valerius, Producer/Filmmaker/Actress

Meet Daphne Valerius, one to watch as the era of women of color redefining the landscape of media
images –in front and behind the camera—begins to unfold. 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Valerius had dreams of becoming a Flyy Girl on In Living Color or
a back-up dancer for Janet Jackson. But the sudden relocation of her family placed her on a journey to
blaze her own trail into the performing arts. The daughter of Haitian immigrants and the eldest of three graduated from high school knowing that pursuing an education at any cost was the only way to redefine life as she knew it for herself and future generations.


The recipient of several academic scholarships, Valerius went onto St. John’s University in New York majoring in Mass Communications and beginning her production career, as the Director and Producer of a play entitled, The Revolution Continues: Changing Times Call for Changing Minds. Graduating magna cum laude and a Ronald McNair Scholar, under the mentorship of Dr. Lez Edmond, Valerius studied media images in her research entitled, Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence: The Effects of Mass Media on Women of Color…Forgotten. This research marked the beginning of Valerius’ critical examination of her own personal self-image issues and how they had been influenced by media images. Upon graduation, Valerius enrolled into the Broadcast Journalism Master’s Program at Emerson College. While enrolled at Emerson, Valerius was awarded an Associated Press Award for Public Affairs for the production of a news program entitled, The Film Life while she also continued to pursue her acting endeavors.
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