LEA ZORA SCRUGGS

Whether it’s in a sweat filled boxing gym in Brooklyn, an overcrowded orphanage in Ghana, a Santa training academy in Dallas or in a coven of new age witches, Lea Zora Scruggs enjoys unearthing impactful and entertaining stories. As an Emmy Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker, with a Masters of Science degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Scruggs has a solid editorial foundation and a history of long-form programming, digital video, field producing, production management, shooting/editing, investigative reporting and breaking news coverage.

Scruggs has worked as a documentary executive for William Morris Endeavor's Film 45 production company, she served as a reporter, producer/director for Vice Media’s Vice News Tonight, an on-camera host for BuzzFeed, a field producer for National Geographic Studios and a freelance reporter/producer for various outlets including the Village Voice, Quartz, Tina Brown’s Women in World summits, T-Brand Studios and Radical Media.

Her accolades include an Emmy award for 2020 news coverage at Vice News, a Planned Parenthood Media Excellence Award for Nat Geo’s Jailed For Miscarriage story documenting extreme fertility laws in El Salvador, an NABJ Salute to Excellence award for Best General News Reporting for The Harlem Quartet - a documentary about Black classical musicians, two Gracie Awards and several awards and festival screenings for her independent boxing film, Born Into This, including Best Sports Documentary at the Atlanta International Documentary Festival.

She is a graduate of Spelman College and holds a Master's degree Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she concentrated in documentary film. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her googly-eyed Japanese Chin named Toby. When she's not storytelling, she's fostering community as the CEO and Founder of Kuumba Club, an arts and crafts events company that empowers participants to explore their creativity and nurture their wellbeing through workshops and retreats.