A Black woman raised by a single mother in Atlanta, Maya Houston graduated from the University of Southern California in 2016 with a B.F.A. in writing for screen and television and a minor in occupational science. Shortly after graduating, she caught the attention of Issa Rae after winning the Project Greenlight New Normal writing contest and worked under the leadership of Rae to create a digital series called "Minimum Wage" about a struggling Koreatown burger joint that must make radical changes to keep its doors open. Houston has worked as the writers' production assistant on The CW's "The 100" and "Arrow". She received her first television writing credit for the sixth episode of "Arrow" season 8 titled "Reset". Most recently, she has been selected as a fellow for NBC Writers On The Verge 2019 - 2020.
