Sharon Yamato is a writer and filmmaker who is a consultant at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Her abiding interest in Japanese American history began in 1998 when she wrote her book, Moving Walls: Preserving the Barracks of America’s Concentration Camps,” focusing on the Heart Mountain camp in Wyoming. As a consultant to the Japanese American National Museum, she has also served as editor of the Museum Magazine and project director of The Encyclopedia of Japanese American History from A to Z (revised edition), An American Son: The Story of George Aratani, and More than a Game: Sport in the Japanese American Community. She also served as interviewer/researcher for a series of oral histories with members of the National Coalition for Redress and Reparation funded by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Project.

Having graduated cum laude from UCLA with a B.A. and M.A. degree in English literature, she began her creative career working in public affairs programming at KNBC, the NBC affiliate in Los Angeles, where she associate produced such award-winning programs as the “Sunday Show” and “At One With.” She went on to segment produce for Westinghouse Broadcasting Company’s “EveryDay,” Universal TV’s “The Toni Tennille Show,” BCTV’s “The Alan Hamel Show,” and KCBS’ “Two on the Town.” Upon leaving broadcast journalism, she developed her interest in issues relevant to Japanese American history and has since written articles on the subject for the Los Angeles Times. She is currently a columnist for a Japanese American daily newspaper, the Rafu Shimpo.

In 2008, she co-wrote, co-produced and co-directed the film, Out of Infamy: Michi Nishiura Weglyn, which was accepted at the Sedona Film Festival, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and the Tribeca Film Festival. She is currently writing a book about the founding president of the Japanese American National Museum, titled Jive Bombers: A Sentimental Journey.

Born in Denver, Colorado, where her family resettled after being incarcerated in Poston, Arizona, she has been a resident of Los Angeles since age 3. She is a devoted marathon runner who has completed fifteen marathons, including the Boston Marathon.