Tonia Kempler Bio

Tonia Kempler lives in New York, though her roots run deep in a rural south still steeped in the occult traditions of the Gullah Geechee and the animism of the Cherokees. Surrounded and empowered by the lore and practices of these supernatural cultures, Tonia leans toward macabre worlds with isolated, damaged, and yet capable and empathic female leads. This personal connection drives her concentration on Supernatural Horror/Thrillers, and dark comedies, including features, pilots, shorts, web series, and podcasts. 

Her approach to storytelling and understanding audience engagement is fortified by a career in the Music Industry, including concert production and managing Grammy Award-winning producers, engineers, and songwriters. 

Recent accomplishments include a No. 1 best-selling comic, multi-award winning short films, placement in Page Awards, The Austin Film Festival, and The ScreenCraft Fellowship among others. 

Tonia  has several projects currently in development and pre-production. In  addition, she hones her skills as a reader for the Austin Film Festival,  The Cinestory Foundation, and more. 

Tonia is an inspired Top Tier Roadmap Writer and an active 51/50 international workshop member with the Academy of Film Writing.