Crystal McCrary

Crystal McCrary is an award-winning filmmaker, television producer, author, and entrepreneur. She began her career practicing entertainment law with the New York City firm Paul Weiss before leaving to pursue a full-time career in writing, producing, and directing. Since that time, she has published two New York Times best-selling novels Homecourt Advantage and Gotham Diaries and written the critically acclaimed non-fiction book Inspiration: Profiles of Black Women Changing the World. She also produced the independent film Dirty Laundry. For six seasons, Ms. McCrary served as executive producer for the NAACP Image Award nominated BET series Leading Women and Leading Men. Ms. McCrary also created, produced, and directed the Nickelodeon Sports series Little Ballers and Little Ballers Indiana. Additionally, Ms. McCrary directed six short films on the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In 2022 she directed a short film about the life and career of Kenneth Frazier, former CEO of Merck. Most recently she co-founded Get To Yes, a full-service production company creating scripted and non-scripted content at the intersection of culture, sports and the socio-political landscape. Current Get To Yes projects include documentaries on the Olympian Allyson Felix, The Drug in Our Pocket, Fatherless No More. To commemorate Ariel Investments 40th Anniversary, she directed a documentary on the journey of John W. Rogers Jr. and Mellody Hobson in building the first Black-owned mutual fund firm in the country.

In 2023, Ms. McCrary along with her son Cole Anthony launched the youth sports app GameUp which is a resource for families to help navigate the highly fragmented youth sports landscape.

Ms. McCrary has appeared on numerous networks from CNN to MSNBC as a cultural, legal, and political pundit as well as co-hosted ABC’s The View. She currently sits on the Board the Paley Center for Media. Ms. McCrary has received numerous honors and distinctions including being honored by The Children’s Defense Fund, Precious Dreams Foundation, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and Urban Tech for her contributions to youth and the arts. She was also named to Crain’s 40 under 40 Young Professionals list.

Ms. McCrary lives in New York City with her husband, financier Raymond J. McGuire and their 11-year-old son Leo. They have two older children: Ella Anthony, who is a junior at Harvard College, and their son, Cole Anthony, who plays for the Orlando Magic. Ms. McCrary received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her Juris Doctor from American University and New York University.