Valorie Quarles

Biography

Valorie Quarles has worked in media production and education for more than three decades. She has spent her career focusing on bringing diversely talented individuals together and creating cohesive production teams to serve stories that matter.

Her love of storytelling stems from an undergraduate degree in English and teaching creative writing. Here, she also discovered the power of media when asking her students to develop their short stories into films. This led her to pursue an MFA in Motion Pictures from Florida State University. After graduation, she started a non-profit film company where she wrote and produced projects for the educational market and received grants from the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs to do so. Valorie relocated to Nashville where she continued to write, direct and produce projects. For her work, she received grants and recognitions from the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Southern Arts Council and film festivals. As a leader in the film community, she served as the president of the Nashville Film Festival and a guest speaker for film festivals, universities and conferences. Furthermore, she had the opportunity to serve as the unit production manager on the distributed faith-based feature film Love Again.

Valorie has also taught both undergraduate and graduate students at the Watkins College of Art and Lipscomb University. She is a member of Women in Film and Television, Catholics for the Creative Arts, the University of Film and Video Association and contributes as a volunteer for the Nashville Film Festival. This allows her to collaborate with other creatives and to remain current with industry trends.

Valorie enjoys spending time with her husband, two children and their dog, traveling and learning about other cultures, and enjoying the outdoors. She is active in her church which directs her moral compass in her personal and professional life.