Director | Writer | Producer

About Thaliya Martinez

Thaliya Rosa Martinez was born on August 5th, 2000 in Chicago, Illinois (on her grandmother Rosa's birthday), and was raised in Evanston, Illinois. As the middle child of five siblings, she was primarily raised by her mother. She has a diverse cultural background, being Puerto Rican, Spanish, and Dominican from her mother's side, and Trinidadian from her father's side. She has a stronger connection to her Puerto Rican and Trinidadian roots. She is an American film director, writer, and producer based in Chicago and Los Angeles, and is also a U.S. Army Officer. As an athlete and Army Officer, she specializes in sports and military content.

Furthermore, she played the violin and viola in her youth and has continued to sing, play the piano, guitar, and ukulele since then. She is self-taught in acrobatics, a skill she has practiced since childhood. Her mother, who trained for the women’s Olympic gymnastics team, taught her how to tumble and perform handstands. In addition to her musical and acrobatic talents, she is also a marathon runner. She is a marathon runner who enjoys rucking, which involves wearing a full combat uniform and carrying a backpack weighing 35-40 pounds while running or walking a designated distance. This activity is similar to marathon running but adds the challenge of extra weight.

Martinez currently holds esteemed positions at FloSports and as a junior contributor for MileSplit Illinois, now known as MileSplit Heartland, where she serves as the state sports videographer and video editor. Furthermore, she is a freelance photographer for Getty Images, showcasing her best work.

During her junior year at Evanston Township High School in 2018, Martinez embarked on her professional journey at MileSplit. Throughout her time at MileSplit, she has dedicated herself to visually documenting the journeys of middle school, high school, Olympic, and collegiate runners.

Martinez’s passion for photography extends beyond her work at MileSplit. She has been freelancing as a photographer at the Chicago Marathon, capturing countless athlete annually since she was a child. Martinez’s talent extends beyond sports photography; she is known for her versatile photography style, specializing in lifestyle and candid shots including portraits, engagements, graduations, family moments, and senior pictures.

Martinez’s love for film and photography blossomed from a young age, setting her on a path toward a career in these creative fields even before she entered Evanston Township High School in 2015. While her early focus was primarily on photography, it was during her time at ETHS that her passion for capturing sports moments through film truly ignited. She felt a calling from God to capture these sports moments at ETHS, guiding her film journey.

She competed on the women's soccer, cross country, and track and field teams, where she began creating videos for her high school's teams. This experience allowed her to hone her skills as a sports videographer and video editor. With the help of God, she was able to further explore this passion by working for MileSplit and the ETHS athletic department in 2019, filming ETHS sports.

After completing her studies at ETHS in 2019, Martinez embarked on her educational journey at Olivet Nazarene University, a Christian institution. She holds a bachelor of science degree in multimedia communication with a specialization in film studies. Martinez’s academic pursuits also include double minors in military science and military affairs.

During her time at ONU, Martinez not only excelled academically but also participated in athletics. She competed for the ONU women’s cross country and track and field team, making the nationals team, running for Jesus Christ and continuing her passion for sports from her days at ETHS. Furthermore, she worked for the ONU athletic department, where she filmed ONU Tigers sports.

In her final semester at ONU, she took classes at the LA Film Studies Center in Los Angeles, California, where she honed her craft through film production courses at Sunset Gower Studios, deepening her understanding of herself as a filmmaker.

U.S. Army

In the fall of 2021 to 2022, Thaliya Martinez took on a significant role within the ROTC program at ONU as the head Public Affairs Officer (PAO). In this capacity, she had the opportunity to narrate the compelling story of the Rolling Thunder Battalion Army ROTC Cadets through photography and managing social media. She felt a calling from God to take on the position as PAO, guiding her in this important role.

During Martinez’s sophomore year fall semester in 2020, she embarked on her role as an assistant civilian Public Affairs Officer for the RTB Army ROTC, volunteering for the position. Later, in the spring semester of her sophomore year in 2021, she made the pivotal decision to join the program. While at ETHS, Martinez had contemplated military enlistment, and her exposure to ROTC solidified her aspiration to become an Officer. She felt a calling from God to join the program and serve her country, which now sees her holding the rank of second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and serving with the California National Guard.

In the summer of 2023, Martinez seized an internship at the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Public Affairs Office. Here, with God's guidance, she embraced the role of an Army news photojournalist, capturing and narrating the compelling stories of Cadets as they underwent rigorous training to become Future Army Officers at Cadet Summer Training. Her impactful work was featured multiple times on prominent U.S. Army platforms, earning her recognition and an award from Major General Munera, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Cadet Command.