A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Darryl Wharton-Rigby has worked diligently to create a niche for himself as a writer/director. He hails from a family of poets and storytellers. He has earned awards from the Urbanworld Film Festival, the Maryland State Arts Council, the Painted Bride Arts Center in Philadelphia and the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame for his work.

Wharton-Rigby worked for two seasons as a Writer for the critically acclaimed television series, “Homicide: Life On The Street.” A job which he landed after giving executive producer Tom Fontana a spec script he wrote as a production assistant. While on the show, his teleplay “Sins Of the Father” was nominated for a 1999 NAACP Image Award. Wharton-Rigby also worked as a Writer on the NBC teen dramedy “Just Deal”; and wrote “Table 22,” the first series pilot for B.E.T.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Darryl Wharton-Rigby has worked diligently to create a niche for himself as a writer/director. He hails from a family of poets and storytellers. He has earned awards from the Urbanworld Film Festival, the Maryland State Arts Council, the Painted Bride Arts Center in Philadelphia and the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame for his work.

Wharton-Rigby worked for two seasons as a Writer for the critically acclaimed television series, “Homicide: Life On The Street.” A job which he landed after giving executive producer Tom Fontana a spec script he wrote as a production assistant. While on the show, his teleplay “Sins Of the Father” was nominated for a 1999 NAACP Image Award. Wharton-Rigby also worked as a Writer on the NBC teen dramedy “Just Deal”; and wrote “Table 22,” the first series pilot for B.E.T.

In 1998 Darryl completed his debut feature film “Detention,” which he wrote, produced, and directed. The film has 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 is also the writer and director for the award-winning plays, “Freeda Slave” Mask of a Diva” and “Here Come the Drums” which both had a successful runs in Los Angeles. “Freeda Slave: Mask of a Diva,” about the trials and tribulations of a drag queen, starring Dale Guy Madison garnered awards from the Maryland State Arts Council. “Here Come the Drums,” starring Russell Hornsby (Lincoln Heights), received 8 NAACP Theatre Award nominations in Los Angeles.

Taking a break from then industry, for two years, Darryl worked as an English Teacher in Japan for elementary and jr. high school students, which fueled his creative juices. He shot footage for “Don Doko Don,” a documentary where he followed the students of the Yamakiya Taiko (Japanese drumming) Club for a year. He is gearing up to shoot a short film entitled “Kizuna,” also in Japan. Also, while in Japan Wharton-Rigby found his ultimate muse in wife Aoi and sons, Tonio and Kairi. Darryl Wharton-Rigby is currently earning his MFA degree in Film Direction at Chapman University.