Five creatives plus Issa Rae have been appointed to Television Academy’s executive committee.
The Insecure creator and actress will join the Academy simply known as the Emmys and help guide the direction of the organization in 2021. According to a press release by the company, they are excited to bring diversity to the company.
“We are thrilled to be able to leverage the collective expertise of this talented group of Television innovators as we navigate this extraordinary time in the history of our industry,” said chairman and CEO of the Television Academy, Frank Scherma.
Read More: Issa Rae developing comedy series ‘Nice White Parents’ at HBO
“Their leadership provides invaluable insight that will allow the Academy to play an integral role in shaping the evolution of the medium.”
Along with Rae, Award-winning writer, producer, director, and actress Gloria Calderón Kellett will join the committee and Co-Head of Television at Amazon Studios, Vernon Sanders. Chief content officer and head of worldwide video for Apple TV+ Zack Van Amburg will join the team along with ABC Entertainment Senior vice president Robert Mills and Dawn Olmstead, the CEO and partner of Anonymous Content.
Rae’s 2021 looks very busy. As previously reported by theGrio, she has another project on her hands. Rae is about to serve up another comedy series on HBO. The Insecure star is teaming with Succession EP Adam McKay to bring Nice White Parents to the small screen.
The pair will adapt the successful 5-part podcast of the same name into a comedy series and will co-executive produce.
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The project has already received a pilot commitment at HBO. The half-hour comedy is described as ‘a satirical look at the conflict and comedy that arise when highly resourced white parents, who claim to have the best intentions, wield their influence over generations of black and brown students within the NY public school system.’
An earlier report on theGrio noted that Rae revamped her production company to “raise the profile of other artists of color.”
“It’s more about using the platform to build other mini-businesses and collaborations,” she said. “Hoorae Media consists of Raedio, a music label and audio company that works with artists and songwriters. We have ColorCreative, a management company dedicated to boosting and shaping the careers of writers and multi-hyphenates. And of course Hoorae Film & TV, which serves as the production company.”
Additional reporting by Blue Telusma.
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