About

Having The Heart Of An Actress Makes Her A Great Director

Terri J. Vaughn is a beloved actress who gained recognition for her role as Lovita Alizay Jenkins on The Steve Harvey Show. Her comical portrayal of the lovable character stole America’s heart during the show’s six successful seasons. Early in Vaughn’s acting career she made two very memorable appearances in the cult-classic films Friday and the Wayan brother’s Don’t Be A Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood. Vaughn’s acting career continued to flourish with notable roles on Will Smith’s executive-produced sitcom All of Us, Showtime’s hit drama Soul Food, and Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns. Currently, she can be seen on Ava DuVernay’s Cherish The Day, Paramount’s First Wives Club, and BounceTV’s Johnson. Vaughn’s multi-guest appearance on HBO’s Insecure led to the spin-off of her character Rose Cranberry and her fictional investigative show, Looking For LaToya, into a scripted podcast series, We Stay Looking, produced by Raedio and TenderfootTV. The show went on to win a Webby Award. With the podcast being such a success HBO and Raedio brought Vaughn back to do it again, and the show again won two more Webby Awards for best scripted fiction podcast. In recognition of her talent, Vaughn has been honored with three NAACP Image Awards for her work on The Steve Harvey Show.

Vaughn has had an impressive career as a director, with a diverse range of independent and studio projects under her belt, and she’s just getting started! Vaughn directed Unthinkably Good Things, filmed in Rome, Italy, which served as the launch for Crown Media’s Hallmark Mahogany brand in 2022. She directed the talents of Michael Beach and Loretta Devine in two episodes of the highly acclaimed Kingdom Business for Paramount, and an episode of Disney’s multi-cam kids’ show Bunk’d. Vaughn made a significant contribution to BET’s TALES, directing their first comedic episode. She has also worked on several Viacom movies, including the romantic comedy Angrily Ever After, the family classic ‘Twas The Chaos Before Christmas starring Sherri Shepherd and Cynthia McWilliams, and the hilarious female buddy flick Christmas Belles featuring Janet Hubert and John Amos. Vaughn made her directing debut in 2015 with the independent comedy #DigitalLivesMatter, which she also produced. The film, a humorous take reminiscent of the popular movie Friday, starred social media comedic influencers DC Young Fly, Emmanuel Hudson, and B.Simone. Vaughn’s latest completed project is the hysterical and heartwarming So Fly Christmas, starring Tichina Arnold and Tami Roman as podcast hosts and best friends.

About the Director, Terri J. Vaughn

As a director, Terri’s latest project, Unthinkably Good Things, filmed in Rome, Italy, launched Crown Media’s Hallmark Mahogany brand in 2022. Terri also directed an episode of Disney’s Bunk’d for their 22/23 season.Other notable projects directed by Terri is the first comedic episode of BET’s TALES and Reuben Cannon Entertainment’s Soul Santa. She’s directed several Viacom movies, including the romantic comedy Angrily Ever After, the fun family classic ‘Twas The Chaos Before Christmas, starring Sherri Shepherd and Cynthia McWilliams, and the hilarious female buddy flick Christmas Belles, featuring Janet Hubert and the legendary John Amos. Terri’s directing debut in 2016, which she also produced, was the hilarious ‘Friday-isque’ independent comedy #DigitalLivesMatter, starring social media comedic influencers, DC Young Fly, Emmanuel Hudson and B.Simone.

And There's More...

Vaughn is a producer as well, having produced over 16 projects through her production company, Nina Holiday Entertainment. In addition to her successful career, she founded the Take Wings Foundation in 1997, aiming to mentor young women in at-risk communities and inspire them to believe in themselves.

Terri J. Vaughn first stole America’s heart as an actress, with her comical portrayal of the lovable Lovita Alizay Jenkins on The Steve Harvey Show. After six successful seasons, she went on to star in Will Smith’s executive produced sitcom All of Us, Showtime’s hit drama Soul Food,
and Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns. Terri currently stars on season 2 of Ava DuVernay’s Cherish The Day, BET’s First Wives Club and BounceTV’s Johnson. HBO’s groundbreaking series Insecure, spun off Terri’s poignant character Rose Cranberry and her fictional investigative show, Looking For LaToya, into a scripted podcast series for Raedio and TenderfootTV. After winning 2 Webby Awards, HBO and Issa Rae brought Terri back as Rose Cranberry for another podcast spin-off, We Stay Looking, which also won a 2022 Webby for best scripted fiction podcast. Terri has been honored with three NAACP Image Awards for her work on The Steve Harvey Show.

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After six successful seasons, she went on to star in Will Smith’s executive produced sitcom All of Us, Showtime’s hit drama Soul Food, and Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns.

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Terri J. Vaughn is a Content Creator and is enthusiastic about the art of Directing. This multi-hyphenated artist relishes in the opportunity to connect with and entertain her audience as the Director. Vaughn aims to tell engaging, enlightening, and humorous stories in an inspirational and relatable way.