Ugonna Okpalaoka

Storyteller Guest Expert Fall 2023

Ugonna Okpalaoka is facilitating the Storytelling for Change community of practice in fall 2023.

Ugonna is an Emmy award-winning journalist who made her directorial debut in 2020 with Gloves Off, a documentary short that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Her directing work features vibrant, intricately woven, and inspiring stories that disrupt the status quo and put under-tapped communities front and center. Ugonna’s goal as a Black, queer, first-generation immigrant woman is not to be inclusive but to be expansive and encourage audiences to embrace the rich complexities of our shared human experience. 

With this ethos in mind, Ugonna helps brands and media outlets craft mission-driven non-fiction, documentary, and branded content with fresh originality and style. Past clients include Comcast and NBCUniversal, P&G, Cole Haan, and Viacom. Prior to that, she was a producer at the TODAY show, where she earned several awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Morning Program in 2019.