Charysse Tia Harper was born and raised in Oxnard, California. She graduated from the University of Southern California with Bachelor degrees in Cinema and Journalism. She also earned a Master’s in International Relations and Management & Leadership at Regent’s University London in England. Charysse is of Trinidadian descent and has focused three projects on topics of that culture: award-winning film, "The Other Side of Carnival" (2010), "T&T 50 in Fifteen" (2012), and "Panomundo: Part 1: The Evolution of the Steelpan" (2015). Her award-winning documentary, "12 Months" (2014), has been an official selection in various film festivals in North America, including the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Europe. She is very passionate exploring other cultures. She has worked and lived in the United States, United Kingdom and Trinidad & Tobago. She is producing Not In Our Culture, a series about tribal weddings in Nigeria; making a short documentary to commemorate Newark’s 350th year anniversary entitled "Insurance: Putting Newark on the Map"; and in the post-production phase of "Panomundo Part 2: Pan Worldwide" (expected completion Oct. 2016). Charysse currently resides in New York City.