Biko Eisen-Martin

Biko grew up right in the heart of San Francisco, surrounded by art, protest, and a mom who never let him forget the power of his own voice. Seriously, his childhood was like a crash course in creativity and rebellion—think poetry slams one day, heated kitchen table debates the next. He hit the national stage young, spitting poetry with Youth Speaks, even making it all the way to the Youth Against War conference in Bosnia. Not your average after-school activity, huh? College took him to Brown, where he doubled down on Africana studies and picked up a Masters in Teaching, too. Clearly, the guy doesn’t do things halfway. After a stint teaching history at Berkeley High—bet his classes were anything but boring—he kept the Bay Area buzzing with performances before heading back to school for his MFA at the National Theatre Conservatory. Gotta love someone who just keeps leveling up. Stage-wise, Biko’s been everywhere: Off-Broadway, top regional theaters, you name it. When it comes to the screen, he’s popped up in AMC’s “Dietland,” Amazon’s “Modern Love,” and a handful of indie shorts. One of those, “Buck,” actually made its debut at Sundance in 2020. Not bad for a kid from San Francisco raised on art, grit, and the idea that creativity could shake up the world.