Projects

QUEEN & SLIM (2019)

While on a forgettable first date together in Ohio, a Black man (Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya) and a Black woman (Jodie Turner-Smith, in her first starring feature-film role), are pulled over by a white police officer for a minor traffic infraction. As the situation escalates, the man shoots and kills the officer in self-defense. The man, a retail employee, and the woman, a criminal defense lawyer, are forced to go on the run, but the incident is captured on video, and they soon discover that they have become outlaw heroes, giving voice to the anger and grief of people across the country.

As they drive, these two unlikely fugitives will discover themselves, and each other, and forge a deep and powerful love that will shape the rest of their lives.

In the spirt of films Bonnie and Clyde and Thelma & Louise, Queen & Slim confronts the most insidious and searing issue of our time: The staggering cost of institutionalized racism.

Queen & Slim is an unflinching story of love, rage and the never-ending fight for justice and freedom.

We produced in partnership with Michelle Knudsen + financed by Brad Weston + Pam Abdy’s Make Ready. Universal Pictures released Queen & Slim on Thanksgiving 2019.

TWENTIES (2020) ON BET

Created and written by Lena Waithe, this show 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 ‘ish’ and chasing their dreams. It’s a show about friendship, finding love, and messing everything up along the way. Hattie (Jonica T. Gibbs) is a naturally beautiful, funny, charming young woman. She’s an aspiring television writer who dreams of glory, but meanwhile seems incapable of holding down a regular job. Not one to sweat the small stuff — like being evicted — Hattie doesn’t let much faze her, and when in doubt or trouble, she turns to her best friends, Nia (Gabrielle Graham) and Marie (Christina Elmore), for help. She’s a lesbian who always falls for straight women. Out of cash and desperate for a break, Hattie interviews with Ida B. (Sophina Brown), a successful African American television writer/producer who calls her out on some shady tweets she made some years prior. But when Ida B. offers Hattie a job as a writer’s PA, Hattie may finally have her foot planted firmly on the ladder of Hollywood success.

We produced in partnership with Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions.

Save our moms (psa)

Launched on MTV in collaboration with Lena Waithe, the “Save our Moms” PSA sounded the alarm on maternal mortality. The US is the most dangerous place in the developed world to give birth, and black women are most at risk. Directed by Minhal Baig (Hala), the PSA targeted a multicultural audience and drove to actionable resources for mothers and their support network. Premiering before Mother’s Day in 2019, the spot quickly garnered nearly 7M views and 180K engagements across digital, and was spotlighted in top media outlets including MSNBC, The New York Times and Complex. Leading maternal health organizations and powerful influencers, such as Kamala Harris and Chance the Rapper, also shared their support. Most importantly, the PSA ignited a rich audience conversation, with countless mothers sharing personal stories and offering support.

happy birthday project (docu-series)

An unscripted series featuring short, intimate portraits of the mothers, family, and close friends of victims of recent police killings in the US. Stepping beyond the news headlines and political debates, we witness loved ones as they remember, celebrate, and try to come to terms with the tragedies that have captured the attention of the nation and world. Directed by Mohammad Gorjestani.