Life as an Artist

A Visual Journey

Toy’s Story

Filmmaker, Actress, Toy Connor was first introduced to audiences through her breakout performance as Tyreeka Freemon in David Simon’s three time Emmy Award Winning HBO series The Corner. Her raw, unforgettable debut launched a career that would span decades across film and primetime television, with starring and guest-starring roles on iconic series including ER, CSI, and General Hospital, among many others.

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While her on-screen presence established her as a formidable actress, Toy’s evolution behind the camera has defined her as a visionary storyteller. She is the CEO and Executive Producer of Blackskirt Entertainment, where she develops bold, character-driven films that sit at the intersection of psychological tension, social realism, and darkly seductive storytelling.

As a director, producer, and screenwriter, Toy brings an actor’s intuition, a producer’s precision, and a director’s command to every project she touches.

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A proud AFI Lifetime Alumna, Toy was selected for the highly competitive AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) and further refined her voice through UCLA’s Screenwriting Program. She also studied under the late, two time Emmy Award Winning writer-producer David Mills, whose mentorship helped sharpen her narrative instincts and deepen her commitment to fearless, uncompromising storytelling.

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Toy’s work is defined by its authenticity, edge, and dark humor; stories rooted in lived experience, shaped by emotional truth, and unafraid to confront uncomfortable realities. Drawing from “the trenches,” her perspective blends grit with elegance, vulnerability with power, and entertainment with meaning. Whether directing intimate psychological thrillers or socially charged dramas, Toy Connor creates work that lingers, challenging audiences, elevating marginalized voices, and leaving a lasting cinematic imprint.