Venus DeMilo Thomas

Venus DeMilo Thomas is a director, producer, writer, actress, and freelance entertainment reporter whose career spans decades both in front of and behind the camera. Most recently, she has expanded her storytelling footprint as a Freelance Entertainment Reporter for the Amsterdam News, where she has interviewed Ryan Coogler for his film Sinners along with members of the cast, and covered nominees for the NAACP Image Awards, continuing her commitment to documenting Black excellence and culture.

 

The question is not why Venus DeMilo Thomas isn’t intimidated by tackling her next documentary film — it’s how could she be? The answer lies in her foundation as an actress. “I’ve been in front of the camera since I was four,” Venus laughs. “So even before I became a filmmaker, I was able to study the craft very closely.

 

”After starring in Nickelodeon’s Salute Your Shorts, Venus went on to recurring roles on The Bold & the Beautiful, Family Matters, My So-Called Life, and Sister, Sister, and appeared in the feature film Life, starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. While attending Loyola Marymount University, where she majored in Film Production with a minor in Africana Studies, Venus simultaneously worked at the family-owned Thomas Talent Agency. It was there that her interest in storytelling deepened beyond performance.

 

“Being in this business and assisting my mother at The Thomas Talent Agency,” she explains, “I began to understand every aspect of filmmaking. I started breaking down scripts I was given and analyzing directors’ stylistic choices on set.

 

”Those studies culminated in her acclaimed short film Did I Wake You? (Sundance, 2001), an ambitious and unflinching look at the lives of African-American teenagers. The film’s success confirmed that Venus was moving decisively in the right direction. She later served as Digital Intermediate Producer on Machine Gun Preacher and worked as a Trailer Producer, collaborating with directors such as Michael Bay, J.J. Abrams, and Gore Verbinski. “That’s when I experienced the full power of storytelling,” she says. “Crafting words and images into something meaningful — it hooked me.

 

”Today, with both her acting and directing/producing careers in full swing, Venus is preparing the post-production of her next documentary film, El Lay, while continuing to appear onscreen. She voices Tina in Netflix’s animated reboot of Good Times and is expanding her creative reach as an audiobook producer and narrator, with multiple releases available on Audible and Amazon, including And Then They Were Gone and The Wright Law, with additional titles forthcoming.

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Balancing acting, filmmaking, reporting, and narration is not a challenge for Venus — it’s a necessity. “I’m the kind of person who isn’t happy doing one thing,” she laughs.