April Maiya
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April Maiya is an American film producer, director and fashion designer.
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[edit] Early life
April Maiya is born of Asian-American Vietnamese, Pacific Island and French descent. Maiya grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California the youngest of two sisters to Buddhist parents. She attended the University of California as a law major until she made her home in New York City in 2003 to pursue her a career as a filmmaker.
[edit] Career
Maiya had a brief stint working in music videos and worked as a Music Supervisor for Paramount Pictures Ladies' Man (2000) starring Will Ferrell and Tim Meadows. In 2002, she launched her own lingerie swimwear clothing line BellaHoney, which featured various hip hop video models and socialite celebrities. The brand was featured in Maxim, Stuff, FHM publications in the U.S. and Patricia Field boutique in SoHo, New York.
She also worked for Black Entertainment Television (BET) as a Producer for the hip hop show, "Rap City" and is most notably known for her directorial debut in the critically acclaimed music documentary Chronicles of Junior M.A.F.I.A. (2004) featuring rappers: The Notorious B.I.G, Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Lil' Kim. In 2005, she declined to direct a follow-up Chronicles of Junior Mafia II: Reloaded DVD.
In 2006, Maiya formed RocDarling Films and released Life After Death: The Movie (2007) featuring Sean "Diddy" Combs and an endless cast of New York's biggest hip hop stars. The film also featured actor Jamie Hector, a/k/a "Marlo Stansfield" of the HBO's television series The Wire, as the narrator.
[edit] Personal life
Maiya currently lives in New York City and Miami, Florida. She is married to Brooklyn, New York born talent manager 'Damion "D-Roc" Butler who was the manager to the late Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim and the now defunct Junior M.A.F.I.A. Butler was allegedlly involved in the New York City radio station, Hot 97, shootout that left him and Lil' Kim serving prison time in 2006 and 2007.
