Tonia Kempler Bio

Tonia Kempler is a multi-hyphenate Producer/Director/Screenwriter, who splits her time between Vermont and 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 mystical cultures, Tonia leans toward macabre worlds with isolated, damaged, 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, podcasts, and graphic novels.

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. “No Scrubs” for TLC and “Survivor” for Destiny’s Child are among over 100 Billboard Chart Topping songs created by her previous clients.

Tonia is the Founder of Bellem Entertainment, a full-service entertainment company with a stable of award-winning Filmmakers and Screenwriters delivering content in all formats across all genres. Bellem Entertainment’s production company specializes in world-building and character development. Current projects include an Unscripted Docu-Reality TV Series and a Coming-of-Age Thriller in pre-production. Radar Pictures and Buffalo 8 has joined Bellem Entertainment with their Found Footage Horror Feature The Leatherface Lady.

Tonia’s accomplishments include over 200 awards, including a Top 10% Academy Nicholl’s script, Top 1% on Coverfly, inclusion in Gotham Week and SundanceLabs/ Collabs, a No. 1 best-selling comic, multi-award winning short films, placement in Stowe’s TV Writer’s Room/Producer Lab, Cinestory, Page Awards, Austin Film Festival, and the ScreenCraft Fellowship among others. 

Bellem Entertainment sponsors fellowships for both Stowe Story Labs Vermont Retreat and Cinestory’s Television Retreat. 

Tonia is a member of the Vine Global Impact, Film Fatale, Women In Film, The Female Screenwriter's Intiative, Gotham, and more.

In addition, Tonia spearheads the Diversity Scholarship for Roadmap Writers. She is an inspired Top Tier Roadmap Writer and a 51/50 international workshop member with the Academy of Film Writing.

She is an industry script reader for the Austin Film Festival, Stowe Story Labs, and Cinestory, among others. 

Tonia is currently organizing a film festival in Rutland, Vermont.