Purportedly the first African-American woman to make a major studio movie (with Columbia Pictures), directing, writing and co-producing "I Like It Like That" (1994). Martin began her career as 2nd assistant camera on Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing" (1989), after a meeting with Lee's director of photography Ernest Dickerson.

After directing her first short film "Suspect" (1991), which examined the treatment of young black people as assumed criminals, Martin served as assistant camera operator for Jonathan Demme's documentary "Cousin Bobby" (1992), for which Dickerson acted as the cinematographer. "I Like It Like That", which was exhibited in the "Un Certain Regard" section at the Cannes Film Festival, told the story of a black housewife who enters the music business after her husband is jailed for looting. The film was well received from the majority of critics.