About Thaliya Martinez

Thaliya Martinez is a filmmaker who honors heritage, culture, and faith. She has a diverse cultural background, being American of African, Spanish, Indigenous Puerto Rican, Indigenous Colombian & Venezuelan, and Indo-Trinidadian descent. Drawing from her background in sports and the military, she specializes in exploring these themes within those field--not only telling her own story but also digging deep into the legacies of others to reveal the roots of their identity. Throughout 2024 and 2025, she used her time on the sets of Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Dark Matter, and The Chi as an immersive study of production rhythm, working as both a stand-in and background actor to sharpen her technical understanding of high-level industry environments.