Shalishah Franklin

Shalishah is a storyteller and creative born and partly raised in Los Angeles, Calif. She is most passionate about telling stories that reflect, confront and, at times, challenge thinking. Having moved between seventeen homes in nine cities, Shalishah's work draws on experiences garnered while living in places like Milan, Italy, Memphis, Tenn., Las Vegas and L.A. Shalishah is daughter to a creative writer and a playwright, and great niece to the extraordinary orator el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz. Encouraged to be creative since birth, Shalishah wrote and illustrated her first book about a mother describing the world to her blind duckling at the age of five. Since then she has written poetry, speeches, a collection of short stories, a short film, a web series and TV pilots. Shalishah holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from The University of Memphis and a Masters degree in Marketing from Domus Academy in Milan, Italy. This education, coupled with her passion for cultural anthropology, serve as the foundation of a 15-year career as a creative marketer for brands including Warner Bros. Pictures. She has been awarded Change Artist of the Year by Urban League of Young Professionals, named one of 20 Under 30 by The Memphis Flyer and featured in the Re:Discover web series for MSN presented by Buick.