I’m Tige Charity
Wife, Mom, Founder
“Transcending Barriers”
Kids In The Spotlight
KITS is a Black-led, Los Angeles County-based organization that helps foster youth heal and grow from trauma through the power of storytelling and filmmaking.
Production Studio
KITS Production Studio with Purpose [PSWP] to change life outcomes for youth in/from foster care by increasing career readiness, social capital, and resiliency.
IMDB
Casting Director and Producer
Author
Not Your 9-5 Girl
Say YES to your Passion Workshop
Empowering Workshop for Nonprofit and Social Enterprise Startups
Speaker
Expert in her field
Educator/Speaker
In KITS’ flagship Script-to-Screen program, Los Angeles foster youth ages 12-22 write, cast, and star in their own short films under the mentorship of industry professionals from directors and screenwriters to lighting and set designers. The annual KITS Film Awards shares the year’s collection of short films written by and starring KITS youth with over 500 peers, friends, family, providers, personalities, and other stakeholders in attendance. Since 2009, KITS has created over 85 films with more than 800 foster youth.
Author
Charity shares the journey of founding KITS in her book Not Your 9-to-5 Girl. In her book, she reveals how discrimination, rejection, and pain lead her to finding her purpose; namely, to provide a platform where foster youth are heard, seen, validated, celebrated, and employed. The book is available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.
All proceeds from Not Your 9-to-5 Girl benefit KITS.
Creating Impact
Tige Charity is a visionary, a woman of radical faith, and a servant leader. After moving to Los Angeles with her husband, actor Antonio Charity, Tige Charity visited a foster youth girls’ home where her husband was teaching acting classes. “It cracked my heart wide open,” she says. Twoyears later, in May 2009, she founded Kids in the Spotlight, Inc. (KITS). “I want to give foster youth the opportunity to share their story,” she says, “to let the world know their value and the fact that foster care does not define them; and, to show the industry the hidden jewels that are in the foster care system.”
79th Annual Golden Globe Awards
About Tige
Tige Charity (pronounced TIE-jee) is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana who now resides in Los Angeles, California with her husband, actor Antonio D. Charity and their daughter, Ebony Jewel Charity. She is the oldest daughter of Michael & Wilma Johnson. She has one sister, Melanie Johnson.
Mrs. Charity is a graduate of Oral Roberts University with a B.S. Degree in Accounting. In 2014, Mrs. Charity received a Masters of Business Administration in Nonprofit Management from American Jewish University where she was an Adjunct Instructor. In addition to her education,
Ms. Charity has more than 16 years of experience working as a Litigation Claims Specialist for various insurance companies.
In May 2009, Charity created Kids in the Spotlight, Inc. (KITS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides a positive outlet and platform for foster care youths to tell their stories, their way. KITS has produced over 60 short films to date written by, cast by and starring foster youth. Charity shares the journey of finding her purpose in her new book, “Not Your 9-to-5 Girl”.
A Body Of Work
Charity’s work has been recognized by Supervisor Michael Antonovish and the Los Angeles Board of Supervisor, City of Los Angeles; Tom LaBonge, Councilmember 4th District, the California Legislature Assembly;
Assembly member Adrian Nazarian, 46th Assembly District; Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti; and more. She has been honored with various awards such as:
Work Action Team Award, David Lieber Leadership Award, the Whispers from Children’s Heart Foundation Legacy Award, the Community Service Award from the Black Women Lawyers Foundation, Unsung Hero Award, C.O.D.E. of Honor Award, and the Dangerman Hero Award.