Tina Cesa Ward
telling stories + helping others tell theirs

TINA CESA WARD started her career as a writer and director for the screen and web and also directing for the stage. Her stage work earned her the Jean Dalrymple Award for Best Director. Her short film IN THEIR ABSENCE has screened in over a dozen festivals around the world and was awarded five times both domestically and abroad. And was named one of the best short films of the decade by Festival de cortos MíraLes. Two other short works, have each brought home festival awards. 

Ward is the Executive Producer/Writer/Director of what many call the most watched (100 million views world wide) and beloved independent scripted drama on the web, ANYONE BUT ME. ANYONE BUT ME has brought home nearly ever award in the industry and in 2011 Ward won (along with Susan Miller) the first ever Writers Guild Award for Original New Media. She has been nominated several times for her directing, including a Streamy Award. And in 2013 won an IAWTV Award for Best Directing in a Drama. Ward also directed the branded web series BESTSELLERS. Ward's dramatic mini series GOOD PEOPLE IN LOVE, was hailed by DIGIDAY calling it “...a new milestone for online video series.” 

PRODUCING JULIET, Ward's third original short form series, made its world premiere debut at the Raindance Film Festival to fantastic reviews including The Huffington Post. PRODUCING JULIET has also garnered three Indie Series Award nominations including a nomination for Ward's direction. And Ward won the International Academy of WebTV award for Best Writing (Drama) for PRODUCING JULIET.

In current release is DELEGATES, Ward's jump into the comic book world published digitally with Comixology.  

​​In 2016 Ward became Chair of The International Academy of Web Television and in 2017, after a successful merge with The Caucus and the IAWTV, Ward served on the Caucus Executive Committee overseeing The IAWTV Division until 2019. 

​In 2019, Ward directed the second season of the Emmy Award Winning short form series AFTER FOREVER. In June 2020, Ward won an Indie Series Award for Directing in a Drama and AFTER FOREVER won Best Drama Series.

​Ward has been highlighted in several books on web series as a pioneer in the medium. Just released in February of 2022 is "The Production of Global Web Series in a Networked Age" by Guy Healy. Tina is the topic of the last chapter and also wrote the Preface. 

​Ward is currently the IAWTV Awards Award Director and Executive Producer. She is also producing other short form including Katrina Weidman's TRAVEL THE DEAD and continues to work on the monthly release of her comic book series (with Bin Lee) DELEGATES.