Biography

Chester Toye (b. 1994) is a filmmaker, artist, athlete, creative coach, and producer from South Orange, NJ. He is the founder of WANTGOOD, a coaching company dedicated to helping creatives develop the skills and discipline necessary to confidently and consistently show up for themselves. His practice incorporates narrative and non-fiction filmmaking, anthropology, and branding to explore the human condition. Collaboration and facilitating other artists is an essential part of his practice. His short, Hangtime, premiered in competition for Best Narrative Short at the Atlanta Film Festival (2023) and had its online premiere on Short of the Week where it received a Best of the Month selection. Hangtime was also included in Vimeo’s “Black Artistry in Film” collection. Chester’s previous short Ruby, premiered at the Maryland Film Festival. His debut short film I’m SO Sorry won “Best After Dark Short” at the Indie Memphis Film Festival and premiered on No Budge where it was named to the 2021 No Budge Films of the Year list. Chester received an MFA in Photography from University of California Los Angeles in 2020. He splits time between Los Angeles and Oregon.