I’ve always been the one who shows up. The eldest daughter. The planner.

The go-to.

Big ambition & even bigger curiosity.

I graduated from Hampton University with big ambition and even bigger curiosity. I didn’t know exactly where I was headed, but I knew I’d find a way to build something meaningful.

That path led me to Washington, D.C., where I began producing corporate events and learning how to bring experiences to life from the ground up. I became known for pulling off the impossible, staying calm under pressure, and making sure everyone felt like they belonged.

Eventually, I left DC and moved to Los Angeles, and that’s where everything shifted. LA gave me the freedom to dream louder. I stepped fully into the entertainment world, producing events for major film festivals, launching global partnerships, and co-founding Dique Pic Productions, a film company centered on storytelling by women of color.

I directed, I produced, and I built a name for myself by creating work that was bold, human, and true to me.

Finding My Voice in Film

When

Everything

Changed

Marti Hones with a black face mask is lying in a hospital bed connected to medical equipment as she receives treatment for Multiple Sclerosis. A healthcare worker wearing a face mask, gloves, and black scrubs is holding the Marti's hand.

In 2018, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Then came brain surgery. My life didn’t pause, it split wide open. And for the first time, I couldn’t outwork the pain. But what I could do was speak.

What I noticed almost immediately was the silence, and how few voices looked like mine, lived like mine, or spoke to the experience of navigating MS as a Black woman. So I started Marti’s MS Life, a raw, real-time chronicle of what I was living through. No filters. No fluff. Just truth. That platform became my bridge into advocacy. I began working closely with the National MS Society and connecting with a growing community of people who felt just as unseen.

Creating Space

I am committed to creating spaces where women living with chronic illness are seen, heard, and believed, especially those dismissed by culture, their communities, or the medical system. Too many women are taught to doubt their own bodies. Too many are told it’s all in their head. My work exists to challenge that narrative.

Through film, community, advocacy, and intentional gatherings, I hold space for stories that have been minimized or silenced and treat them with the seriousness and dignity they deserve. I believe storytelling is sacred work. When a woman is fully witnessed, something shifts. Shame loosens. Language forms. Confidence builds.

My purpose is to amplify the lived realities of women who have been rendered invisible by medicine and society, and to help them develop the words, tools, and courage to advocate for themselves. In exam rooms. In relationships. In rooms where decisions are made.

I believe being seen is transformative. I believe shared stories create collective healing. And I believe lasting change begins when we stop shrinking and start telling the truth.

I am a nonprofit founder, event producer, filmmaker, and keynote speaker. But at the center of it all is this commitment: making sure women no longer feel invisible in their own lives. 

Marti Hines and female friend standing outdoors in a park-like setting, examining a camera and camera accessories, with trees and a pathway in the background.
Group of women walking outdoors, smiling and enjoying an event for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness, with trees and a road in the background.
Two women, Marti and friend, hugging on a city sidewalk at night, with cars parked along the street and blurred city lights in the background.

  • Creating space isn’t just something I do; it’s who I am.
    After years of producing for major film festivals, I co-founded WanderLuxxe, a luxury concierge brand that redefined how talent, creatives, and industry insiders experienced festivals. We didn’t just elevate the experience, we made it feel personal. Seen. Held.

    That same spirit led to my next venture: Merit Haven. It’s more than an experiential brand, it’s a container for storytelling, impact, and intentional connection. Through curated events, strategic partnerships, and spaces built with purpose, Merit Haven allows me to bridge culture and care in a way that feels rooted and real.

    And then, there’s Disney.
    Becoming a certified Disney travel specialist felt like coming full circle; back to joy, back to play, back to the details that make memories stick. I help families and businesses plan experiences that feel magical, not manufactured. Because joy is part of healing, and fun is part of freedom.

    I also host Grace Through Pain, a podcast born out of everything I’ve lived. It’s a space for truth-telling, unfiltered conversations, and collective healing. It’s not just about MS, it’s about being human in the hard things, and finding your way back to yourself.

  • None of this works without my people.
    My family. My friends. The community that holds me down while I hold space for others. As the eldest daughter, I’ve always carried a lot, but I’ve also learned that strength doesn’t mean doing it alone. The support around me is part of the story. So is the joy. The dancing-in-the-kitchen joy. The magic-is-real joy. The let’s-book-the-trip-and-go joy. That joy isn’t separate from the work. It is the work. It’s what reminds me why I keep showing up.

  • I’m still building. Still healing. Still dreaming up the next big thing.
    Through Merit Haven, I create experiences that move people. I make films that tell the truth. I speak on stages. I write what others are afraid to say. And I stay grounded in this belief: everyone deserves to be seen, and not just when they’re struggling.

Let’s Build Something Real

If you’re here to collaborate, connect, create, or just say, “same,” you’re in the right place.
Let’s make something that matters.

Connect With Me