The product of Jamaican and Ghanaian parents, Ama Anane grew up in two of the wildest places on earth: Papua New Guinea and Las Vegas. Her scripts, poetry, and standup explore the identities and experiences that divide us—and those that make us whole. Ama is currently a participant in the NBCUniversal TV Writing Program and was named one of the Austin Film Festival’s 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2025. She recently made her directorial debut with the short dramatic rom-com Cottonmouth, which began its festival run with a premiere at the New Filmmaker LA Festival in February. Selected from more than 4,000 short film submissions, Cottonmouth was one of three films nominated for both Best First-Time Female Director and Best Romantic Comedy at Indie Short Fest. Most recently, Ama was staffed on Dig, a new dramatic workplace comedy co-created by Mike Schur and Amy Poehler.

Ama is also the founder of Good Influence Consulting, which works with nonprofits, philanthropy and public institutions. She has directed stakeholder engagement efforts for the 2020 U.S. Census in California, the Hilton Foundation, the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and UCLA. A graduate of Emerson College and Columbia University, Ama serves on the governing boards of Communities in Schools LA and the Moonshot Initiative (formerly known as the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge). She lives in Los Angeles with her wife and daughters.