We at the WGF may have hit a pause on our live events, but thanks to technology, we’re aiming to provide more access to advice and knowledge from film and TV writers while we’re all social distancing. Over the last few months, we’ve been hosting free Zoom panels about craft and all things relevant to writers.
For this session, we dive into BET’s hit comedy Twenties with executive producer and showrunner Susan Fales-Hill (A Different World) and creator, executive producer, and writer Lena Waithe (The Chi, Queen & Slim). They’ll discuss how their writers room works, their relationship as showrunner and show creator, and what they’ve learned going into Season 2.
Panel starts at 4:00pm Pacific time.
Space is limited so RSVP now. After signing up, you’ll receive information on how to access the Zoom panel.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at events@wgfoundation.org.
For anyone who was unable to RSVP for the panel, we will record and post it at a later date.
About the Panelists
Susan Fales-Hill is a television writer-producer, author, and arts advocate. Currently, she serves as Executive Producer/Show Runner of the series, “Twenties.” She is also under contract with Amistad/Harper Collins to write a history about her New England ancestors. She began her career as a writer’s apprentice on the “Cosby Show.” At twenty-eight, she became the head writer of its spin-off, “A Different World.” Under her aegis, the show was nominated for the Humanitas Award. Other credits include “Can’t Hurry Love,” “Kirk” (as Executive Producer,) and “Suddenly Susan,” (Consulting Producer.) She co-created Showtime’s first scripted series, “Linc’s”starring Pam Grier. She’s the author of two novels, and an acclaimed memoir about her mother the late actress/singer/dancer Josephine Premice, “Always Wear Joy.” Her writings have appeared in Vogue, Glamour, Essence, Ebony, Architectural Digest, Town and Country (where she is a Contributing Editor) and the New York Times. She hosted a podcast on NYPR, “Icons and Innovators,” celebrating creators who have influenced world culture(guests have included Anna DeVeare Smith, Isaac Mizrahi, Judith Jamison and Robert Battle, among others) her TED Talk is available at Ted Ex Met. She is a graduate of the Lycee Francais de New York and Harvard College. She lives in New York with her husband, her daughter, and their rescue dog, Prince.
Emmy Award winning writer, creator, producer and actor Lena Waithe has proven herself a talent to be reckoned with, who only continues to grow her body of work with diversity and charisma. As a triple threat, Waithe expertly taps into emerging cultural sensibilities with a sharp wit, speaking to myriad experiences from her unique perspective and challenging audiences to think outside of conventional norms.
Waithe marked her feature film screenwriting debut with Universal’s “Queen &Slim,” which was released on November 27, 2019. Directed by Melina Matsoukas and starring Academy Award nominee Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner, the film centers on a man and woman who wind up on the run after their first date goes awry. The film opened to incredible box office success and received rave reviews for its “thought-provoking, profound and deeply affecting” storytelling, as mentioned by The Wrap’s Todd Gilchrist. She was recently awarded with the Variety Producing Honor at the Palm Springs Film Festival on behalf of Queen & Slim, due to her overall work to help shepherd diverse and unique voices to the big screen. Waithe was also selected by the American Black Film Festival Honors to receive the Industry Renaissance Award, which recognizes content creators whose exemplary work in film and television contributes to changing perceptions of people of color in the entertainment industry. The film received numerous accolades including two AAFCA awards, seven NAACP Image Awards nominations, and one award at the annual National Board of Review Gala.
In 2019, she signed a new overall deal with Amazon Studios and will work to create and produce original series which will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Waithe already had a two-season commitment at Amazon for the horror anthology series “Them” which she will executively produce. She had previously been under a first-look deal at Showtime to produce projects through her company Hillman Grad Productions such as the critically acclaimed series "The Chi," where she serves as an executive producer. The Showtime drama series is a relevant, timely, and distinctive coming-of-age story that follows six interrelated characters in Chicago’s South Side. The third season was released June 21, 2020 and a season four pick up was just announced. The show has received a Peabody Award nomination, and Waithe received two 2019 NAACP Image Award nominations on behalf of “The Chi” for the Pilot and The Whistle” episodes. From her numerous television successes, Waithe was named The Hollywood Reporter’s 2020 “TV Producer of the Year,” the youngest to receive the honor.
Waithe recently produced Radha Blank’s groundbreaking film, “The 40-Year-Old Version,” which blends real life and fiction to follow its protagonist, a down-on-her luck New York playwright, who decides to reinvent herself and salvage her artistic voice by becoming a rapper at age 40. The film premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance 2020 Film Festival, winning the festival's Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic, and was quickly purchased by Netflix for distribution. Its debut on the platform was October 9, 2020. The film is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% rating. Blank and the film were recently nominated for two Gotham Awards in the categories of “Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award” and “Best Screenplay.”
Also just announced, Waithe has penned the script for Universal’s forthcoming “Talent Show.” Cynthia Erivo is set to star in the drama with Waithe serving as an executive producer alongside State Street Pictures and Rajani will oversee for Hillman Grad Productions. It was recently announced she will also produce a Sammy Davis Jr. biopic through their Hillman Grad banner along with Sight Unseen’s Julia Lebedev and Eddie Vaisman. The MGM untitled project is based on the 1996 biography “Sammy Davis Jr.: My Father,” written by Davis’ daughter Tracey Davis and Dolores A. Barclay. David Matthews is writing the script. Also upcoming, Waithe and her production company have i teamed with Focus Features, Sight Unseen, and Makeready on the feature directorial debut of A.V. Rockwell, “A Thousand and One”.
Waithe wrote and executive produced “Twenties,” which follows the adventures of a queer black girl, Hattie, and her two straight best friends, Marie and Nia, who spend most of their days talking shit and chasing their dreams. BET picked up the series, which is loosely based on Waithe’s own life when she first moved to Los Angeles. The series which THR referred to as “the playful, immediately winsome BET comedy” premiered March 4, 2020. “Twenties” was also selected as a finalist for MIPCOM’s Diversity TV Excellence Awards in the category of “Excellence Award for Representation of Race and Ethnicity – Scripted.” It was recently just announced that it will return for a second season. Waithe serves as a writer and executive producer of BET’s “Boomerang” revival alongside Halle Berry. Based on the 1992 American romantic comedy film, the revival is a continuation of the original story rather than a traditional reboot and the series follows the lives of Jacqueline Boyer’s son and Marcus and Angela Graham’s daughter as they try to step out of their parents’ shadows and make a legacy of their own. Since the show’s premiere it has received great reviews from critics and tons of fan support. The second season returned to BET in March 2020, and by the end of the season, the show’s audience grew by +22% from season one in L+3 and netted 1.3 million total viewers for the season finale.
In addition to her television and film credits, Waithe developed her own production company, Hillman Grad Productions, that goes against the status quo to give marginalized storytellers the chance to let their voices be heard. The comprehensive slate includes projects at Netflix, BET, Disney, HBO and Amazon. The company goes above and beyond to provide a platform and fellowship for these diverse voices on the rise through a Mentorship program. This initiative paves the way for talent lacking inclusivity and access to make their own ‘protest art’ and create names for themselves within the entertainment industry. The network of mentees and alums is constantly expanding and to date includes roughly 600 actors,120 writers/directors, and 30 producers. Program alums are working and excelling throughout the industry such as Tiffany Johnson who, alongside Waithe, just received a 2020 TRIBECA X AWARDS recognition for “Best Series” for their anthology series, “Girls Room.”
In late 2020, Hillman Grad Productions, launched a new mentorship program called The Hilman Grad Mentorship Lab. The Lab provides opportunities for marginalized storytellers to connect, grow, and accelerate their careers in television and film. While Hillman Grad has already worked with many aspiring creatives to help train and place them professionally throughout the industry, the 2021 Class will be the first group to go through the official Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab. The tuition-free, 10-month annual program, grants 25 fellows the unique opportunity to enhance their creative skillset through personalized instruction from industry professionals. The Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab consists of three separate tracks: television writing, screen acting, and executive development.
In 2018, Waithe joined forces with Macro and The Blacklist to launch a TV script development contest for writers of color. The contest offers the opportunity to develop and produce an original digital or television pilot script, and winners will receive help and mentorship to develop a pilot presentation or sizzle. In addition to her partnership with Macro and The Blacklist, Waithe also recently entered into a partnership with Sight Unseen Pictures to find and develop projects that identify and champion emerging underserved voices. Waithe and Sight Unseen Pictures recently acquired the film and television rights to Such a Fun Age, the debut novel by Kiley Reid. The deal marks the first collaboration under the partnership.
On the acting front, she recently appeared in the third season of “Westworld,” which released on March 15, 2020 on HBO. For film, she was most recently seen in Justin Simien’s horror satire “Bad Hair” which premiered to rave reviews at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was quickly purchased by Hulu for distribution. The film released on the streaming platform on October 23, 2020.
Waithe first made headlines in front of the camera as Denise, friend to Dev (Aziz Ansari) in the critically acclaimed Netflix series “Master of None.” In a role that was originally intended for a straight, Caucasian female, Waithe has made Denise’s experience as a queer black woman uniquely her own. In the second season, Waithe co-wrote the “Thanksgiving” episode, for which she received an Emmy award in the category of “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and a NAACP Image Award nomination. The episode chronicles Denise’s coming out to herself and her family, through the lens of the Thanksgiving holiday over 3 decades. Directed by Melina Matsoukas, the episode is largely based on Waithe’s personal experience. Since then, Waithe has become an advocate for queer representation throughout the industry and has been honored with several accolades such as The New York City LGBT Community Center’s “Trailblazer Award,” a GLAAD “Media Award,” The Trevor Project's “Hero Award,” the MTV Awards “Trailblazer Award,” named OUT Magazine’s “Artist of the Year” and featured on the cover of the OUT 100 annual issue, and featured in numerous LGBTQ impact lists and Pride issues across publications such as The Hollywood Reporter, Fast Company, Variety, and more.
In 2018, she starred in Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One.” The film, which is based on Ernest Cline’s 2011 science fiction and dystopian novel, follows the players of virtual reality simulator OASIS, who are pitted against each other in the search of fame and fortune that will save them from their declining world. Waithe stars alongside Ty Sheridan and Olivia Cooke. “Ready Player One” dominated the box office internationally bringing in $181 million in 3 days. Waithe’s additional acting credits include NBC’s “This Is Us”, Amazon’s “Transparent”, and HBO’s “The Comeback”.
One of VARIETY’s “Top 10 Comics to Watch” in 2014, Waithe was born and raised in Chicago and currently resides in Los Angeles.