"A lot of production companies who decide to do stories about people of color are not used to having the people of color they hire coming in with an opinion. Coming in contradicting them on certain things." — Neema Barnette REWIND EPISODE: Happy Summer! We made it to August. This is our last rerun episode of the summer. In a few weeks we’ll be bringing you brand new episodes! We loved rewatching A Different World and learning about the show from our incredible guests. We think this interview with legendary producer and director Neema Barnette is so powerful and timely. We hope you enjoy it, too!
Sharon and Susan welcome legendary producer-director Neema Barnette to talk about her incredible journey from Harlem to Hollywood. Ms. Barnette made television history in 1986 when she became the first African American woman to direct a prime-time sitcom (What’s Happening Now?). She followed this historic milestone with episodes of Frank’s Place, It’s A Living, and The Cosby Show before directing seven iconic episodes of A Different World. With over 50 film and TV directing credits to her name, she was also the first African American woman to sign a three-picture deal with Sony Pictures.
Neema also served as producer-director for Season 1 of Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar. In this episode, she shares stories of making the transition from New York theater to Hollywood sets, fighting for creative integrity, inspiring new generations with the truth, and applying actual "strategies for revolution" to transform the entertainment industry. 🗣️ THE CONVERSATION
BARBARA CORDAY’S INSTANT YES: How one look at Neema’s directing reel prompted the head of Columbia Pictures to demand, "Get this woman a job!"
STRATEGIES FOR REVOLUTION: Taking a college course on revolutionary strategy and directly applying those lessons to navigate, challenge, and disrupt Hollywood's power structures.
MAKING SITCOM HISTORY: Directing the groundbreaking episode of What’s Happening Now? with support from Shirley Hemphill, and helming The Cosby Show episode where Bill gets pregnant.
FROM HARLEM TO THE APOLLO: Growing up in the 1960s, grabbing Sherman’s BBQ, spending 12-hour days at the Apollo Theater watching Aretha Franklin, and bringing authentic New York theater sensibilities to West Coast sets.
THE QUEEN SUGAR LEGACY: Being called away from teaching to produce and direct Queen Sugar, and how Ava DuVernay permanently shifted the industry landscape by hiring only female directors.
📦 AUDIOGRAPHY & RECOMMENDED WATCHING
Watch A Different World -- streaming on Netflix and Philo.
Black History Mini-Docs: Explore Neema’s educational micro-documentaries celebrating Black heritage at BlackHistoryMiniDocs.com.
🛍️ FAMOUS LAKE PARK FREE SCREENING! See Susan at the NYC Film premiere of Famous Lake Park - the wild and hilarious puppet animation comedy short. Premiering at the International Puppet Fringe Festival in the Lower East Side!
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