Erika Kennair is considering her next project.
Erika Kennair is currently President of Extracurricular’s Production Division, working with Malala Yousafzai to deliver scripted and unscripted film and TV content in an exclusive overall deal with Apple TV+.
Most recently, Erika was Senior Vice President of Development at Berlanti Productions, overseeing the procurement and development of new scripted and non-scripted series for both network and cable/streaming. Emmy, Golden Globe, Critic’s Choice, PGA, DGA and SAG nominations, HBO Max’s “Flight Attendant” (for which she was nominated for PGA and Emmy), Netflix’s Produced “You”, a documentary series “”. She’s Epix’s She’s Helter Skelter, HBO Max’s ‘The Girls on the Bus’, HBO Max’s ‘More’. As Vice President of Comedy Development for ABC Entertainment Group, Erica was responsible for identifying and developing the ABC Network’s Comedy Her series. She has overseen creatives for ‘American Housewife’, ‘Splitting Up Together’, ‘Roseanne’ and ‘The Connors’. Erica has also been very active in the international comedy space, keeping an eye on formats, attending festivals and building relationships with leading comedy talent around the world.
Prior to joining ABC, he was Vice President of Original Programming and Development at Syfy since July 2010. He is responsible for the programming and talent development of Syfy’s new originals, the series ‘The Magicians’, ’12 Monkeys’ and ‘Killjoys’. Kennair joined Syfy in 2008 as Director of Development. She also served as the creative point for “WWE Friday Night SmackDown!” She is called an honorary “diva”.
A Cuban-American, Kenea has been named one of the most influential and powerful Latinos in the media four times by the Imagen Foundation. In 2013, he was named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s Top Young Latino Decision Makers. In 2012, she was named her 40 under Forty for Multichannel News, Variety’s new leader, CableFAX’s Most Influential Minority in Cable, and was honored as a NAMIC celebrity. She is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Humanitas Awards and a member of the Board of Education of her Lab for Muslim-Centered Writing for the Islamic Scholarship Fund. Erica Kenea spoke with her Forbes about her diverse career and her journey in the entertainment industry.
Goldie Chan: Erica, thank you for speaking with us today. What was your entertainment career path like?
Erica Kenea: I was born and raised in working-class New Orleans, so I had no idea what the “normal” path to entertainment was. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University New Orleans, he passed his MFA Screenwriting Program at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. I took evening classes so that I could work during the day. My first job in the industry was at Paramount Television Research, looking at ratings at 6 a.m. and faxing them to interested producers.
He was then hired as a post-production coordinator at Fox Searchlight. I worked on movies like napoleon dynamite, Sideways, Origin of name, water When little miss sunshineEveryone said ‘I’ll fix it later’ and I was able to learn a lot about storytelling by seeing how the words on the page came to life cut by cut.
In 2005, he was awarded the David and Lynn Angel Comedy Writing Fellowship through the Humanitas Awards. David and Lynn were killed on 9/11. Their fellowship provides financial and professional support to aspiring comedy writers. This led me to freelance and do unpaid work on anime series, where I could get notes like “Would a flea say that?” I wanted to be on the other side of the desk asking more constructive questions and getting creative.
Ted Frank hired me at NBC to scout various writers and directors for the network. So I created Writers on the Verge, an NBC writing fellowship. I’ve been lucky enough to find talented writers who are successful showrunners like Meredith Averill (lock and key), Ralph Judkins (wheel of time), Lee Sung Jin (beef), Rashad Raisani (911 lone star), Rick Muragi (national treasure), Lauren Lefranc (penguin) etc.
Three years later, I joined Syfy Channel as a development executive, gaining experience with the Stargate franchise.i developed 12 monkeys When magiciansand also became an honorary WWE Diva for my work WWE Smackdown!
After working for Syfy for seven years, he moved to ABC’s comedy development division, focusing on the international market. I have attended the Edinburgh Fringe Festival many times and worked with consultants around the world to discover new talent.At the domestic forefront, I developed american housewife, split together, Roseanne When connorsand pilots who have never been in the series.
Diablo Cody and I shot two pilots together that ABC didn’t love as much as we did. Both were executive produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, who convinced me that I was a producer at heart. Greg and Sarah hired me at Berlanti Productions. Reunited with Sera Gamble, who developed it there. magicians at Syfy.This time we collaborated with You are for netflix.We also develop and produce Flight attendant,documentary havoc Like some projects currently filming girl in the bus and More, both by the immensely talented journalist-turned-screenwriter Amy Chozic.
When I got the call to run Malala’s new company for Apple TV+, I had no intention of leaving Berlanti. As a Cuban-American woman, I long for more positive programming about women of color. Malala was not only funny, brave, and incredibly knowledgeable, but our vision was truly aligned.I took her leap of faith and every day to be her partner. We appreciate.
Chan: You’ve worked on many projects over the years. What is your favorite project? Why?
Kenea: Every project I’ve worked on is dear to me in some way, but I have to thank Flight attendantSteve Yockey created a fresh, mold-breaking tone and style, and Kaley Cuoco brought Cassie to life with gorgeous dimensions. Not only is the concept high and fun, but it is also full of depth. It tackles alcoholism and trauma in ways never seen before. And I ended up working with Rosie Perez!
Chan: It sounds like you have a lot of inspiring people to work with. What is the inspirational story that touched your heart?
Kenea: i was inspired by reserved dogsand We Are Lady partsBoth series are very idiosyncratic, authentic and fun to watch. They are impeccably true to themselves, capturing certain experiences and the world from an incredibly sharp and empathetic perspective. An absolute treasure worthy of all awards.
Chan: So what are you working on now?
Kenea: We are working on a feature length documentary for A24’s Apple TV+ and Su Kim (speed cube) directs about Korean Haenyeo. This incredibly bad community of freedivers, all female and mostly elderly. A fun and powerful celebration.
It also comes with a beautiful video of an extracurricular class. Joyland, directed by Saim Sadiq. It focuses on revealing the secrets of a family living in Lahore, Pakistan. It’s really worth watching with a gorgeous cast. The film won the Jury Prize (Un Certain Regard) at Cannes and is now a formal entry in Pakistan’s Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Chan: What characteristics would you look for in the projects you help or support?
Kenea: Our goal in extracurricular activities is to connect the world through fun and amazing stories about women of color. Women of color are characterized by symbolic personalities rather than trauma. We seek the next generation of creators and talent from around the world.
Chan: Having such a global perspective is great, but what characteristics do you look for in the people you support?
Kenea: I love authentic fresh perspectives. We work in an industry that is so fear-driven, people want to see what or who has already achieved success before jumping in. It’s a solid strategy, but not particularly exciting. That’s the great thing about working with Malala. She is fearless and she is completely true to herself and her own values.
Chan: Any final branding or career advice for the year?
Kenea: By the time I was 25, on my 30th birthday, I was an executive, a vice president, and ticking off my life to-do list on schedule. In 2011, I had a health crisis, was in and out of the hospital, and was finally diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. My perfect plans were ruined when I learned to move on with my chronic illness. Some of the people who had defended me began to treat me very differently and feared that I would never achieve my goals. , I needed a lot of therapy), my priorities and values changed. I realized that life is short and I wanted to make the most of it. It wasn’t about job titles or the goals you set for yourself when you were younger. It was about being honest with yourself and your loved ones. So, for those of you reading this who have set some kind of ticking clock or image of your ideal success, know that there are multiple paths to achieving your dreams. Be brave and be yourself.
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