De’Onna “Tree” Young-Stephens is an award winning writer, director, and producer based in Los Angeles, California. She is currently a member of Women in Film Los Angeles (WIFLA), The International Documentary Association, The Black Women’s Film Network (BWFN), and the African American Women in Cinema Society (AAWC).

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Born and raised in Walkertown, North Carolina, Tree’s interest in film started at the tender age of eight when she was enrolled as a dancer at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Her artistic vision expanded when she curiously ventured from ballet class and quietly followed a student filmmaker attending the university. A world she never knew existed became something she’d be passionate about for the rest of her life. She told her mother about her exciting discovery of student filmmakers and went on to act in films directed by them. The student films eventually led to her acting in numerous films on Television, but Tree slowly started to realize her passion was located behind the scenes. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Marketing from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Tree officially moved to Atlanta and got her first behind the scenes professional job working as a day player on the film 42. She later went on to work as a personal assistant for Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe on Hidden Figures and as a second assistant director on numerous films and television shows in the Atlanta area.

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Currently, Tree works for the Wondaland Arts Society as a screenwriter and director and also produced the Grammy nominated emotion picture Dirty Computer. She most recently received her MFA from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and received a Student Academy Award and Director’s Guild of America award for her latest short film documentary Not Just a Name.