A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Darryl Wharton-Rigby has worked diligently to create a niche for himself as a writer/director in film, television, and theatre.  He hails from a family of poets and storytellers.  He has earned awards and honors from the Urbanworld Film Festival, the Maryland State Arts Council, the Painted Bride Arts Center in Philadelphia, the NAACP and the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.  He wrote for the critically acclaimed television series, Homicide: Life On The Street, the NBC teen dramedy Just Dea; and wrote Table 2, the first series pilot for B.E.T.  He also was hired by MTV to write a screenplay based on a Japanese manga (comic).  His debut feature film Detention, received numerous honors and awards, including “Best Director” at the Urbanworld Film Festival and the “Audience Award” at the Atlanta Film and Video Festival.  Darryl found his ultimate muse in his wife Aoi and sons, Tonio and Kairi.  Darryl Wharton- Rigby is currently earning his MFA degree in Film Direction at Chapman University.