Deborah Young(I)

Writing under the pen name of Ola Vay, Deborah is the 5th of six children. Born in Long Beach, she was raised in a mid-upper class Afro-American family. Her father worked for the Aero-industry, and her mother was a homemaker when the family moved during the Watt's riots to the mid-west. At an early age, she fell in love with writing winning awards, becoming a freelance journalist, and author. After the tragic loss of her mother, she hand wrote her first novel, "Beauty of A Black Woman" - a fictionalized account of her childhood growing up in a religious family as Jehovah's Witnesses. An abuse survivor, she volunteers her time and resources to several non-profit geared towards helping those from similar backgrounds. In 2001, her second novel was published, "Georgia Peaches".

During her transition into film, Ms. Young also volunteered her time for Oklahoma Center of Poets and Writers, where she met and assisted the phenomenal Ms. Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and several other well noted authors. It was then she was introduced to writing and producing for film and TV.

I was standing on the bus stop, and I said, "God, where do you want me to be?...Out of nowhere a Greyhound pulled up with the sign, "Los Angeles", and I've been in LA ever since perfecting my art of writing, and producing."

In 2004, Deborah co-created the highly anticipated animation series, "The Roaches". A first in its time as the only collaboration of multi-platinum Hip-Hop voice-over talent, set to everyday living as a Roach American.

After dealing with the simultaneous deaths of her father, uncle, and her best friend, author K.L. Young, Deborah published her sister's memoirs, poetry, post mortem as a touching memoriam.

She currently resides in Los Angeles.