Martin was born in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Marilyn, a dancer of Irish-American descent, and an African-American attorney.

[3][failed verification] In 1994, Martin directed the Columbia Pictures release I Like It Like That, a comedy-drama about a young woman who is trying to love her man, keep her family together, assert her self-worth, and keep her sanity.

In 2011, Martin directed The Lost Valentine, a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Betty White and Sean Faris.

The film was a huge success, winning its time period in viewers (14.53 million, beating out Fox's second hour of coverage of the NFL Pro Bowl and becoming the most-watched Hallmark movie in four years.

Martin has since directed episodes of TV shows such as Law & Order, Grey's Anatomy and The Walking Dead.