Born in St. Louis, MO, Shelton's first professional job in the entertainment industry was as a wardrobe production assistant on the set of Spike Lee's groundbreaking drama, "Do the Right Thing" (1989). By the early '90s she found herself directing music videos for some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B, including Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, and Aaliyah. Shelton continued working with singers throughout the remainder of the decade, having helmed the now iconic video for Salt-n-Pepa's "Let's Talk About Sex" in 1991, before briefly turning her attention to movies with her 1998 feature debut, "Ride." The film, a comedy about several aspiring rappers and hip-hop stars taking a coastal trek to sunny Miami, received mostly negative reviews, however. Undeterred, by the mid-2000s Shelton had reinvented her career yet again, although this time she turned her focus to the small screen. Over the course of the next several years, Shelton directed over three dozen TV shows, spanning all types of tastes and genres, including episodes of the popular cable shows, "Californication" (Showtime 2007-14) and "Leverage" (TNT 2008-2012). A career highlight came in 2009 when Shelton became the first African American woman ever to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for directing a comedy series. The nomination came for a hilarious 2009 episode of "30 Rock" (NBC 2006-2013) called "Apollo, Apollo."