Kiana Butler Jabangwe was born and raised between Long Beach, California, and the Lakewood Mall, the oldest daughter of two people from Compton. A former editor for the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), she left the music industry in 2020 to write about the everyday lives of Black women and girls. Kiana is the co-creator of the web series "Mixed," and her writing has appeared in Los Angeles Times. In 2022, she was selected as a recipient of Hartbeat and the Sundance Institute's Women Write Now comedic screenwriting fellowship. Directed by Tika Sumpter, Kiana's short film "Night Off" premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.