Sandra Manzanares is a Black Honduran-American writer, director, and marketing strategist raised in Massachusetts and currently based in New York City.

Sandra is passionate about telling stories that reshape the way we think about everyday life and that reflect underrepresented communities. She is skilled in both narrative and branded storytelling rooted in her 16 years of experience across editorial, marketing, and film — with tenures at a publishing giant, a sneaker museum, a flash-sale retailer, and a series of high-growth tech startups where she led content marketing strategy. Sandra recently spent four years as a marketing leader at TikTok, combining her expertise in both strategy and storytelling to help position the challenger brand into a major platform during the height of its growth. Sandra led global marketing campaigns for the TikTok for Business content channels, product launches, and events like Newfronts and Cannes Lions. She also spearheaded the company’s first business marketing newsletter in North America and its inaugural entertainment partnership with Variety magazine. Her first short film, Like Fine Silk, screened at 12 film festivals and at special presentations for Microsoft, New York University, and WarnerMedia to engage conversations about culture and race. Beyond directing a series of shorts, she has also worked on the production teams for BRICTV’s Brooklynification and the Sundance-award winning short film Ricky.

She received her M.A. from New York University in The Art & Science of Storytelling (catch her alumni feature), holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University in English & American Studies, and completed the esteemed altMBA program.

Sandra’s currently developing several original narrative projects and leads a creative agency where she advises artists and brands on how to produce effective marketing campaigns that inspire audiences and drive impact.