PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA HONORS KENYA BARRIS WITH THE 2019 VISIONARY AWARD
LOS ANGELES (November 29, 2018) – The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today that celebrated producer and writer Kenya Barris will be honored with the 2019 Visionary Award. Barris will accept the award at the 30th Annual Producers Guild Awards presented by General Motors on Saturday, January 19, 2018 at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles.
The Producers Guild Visionary Award recognizes television, film, or new media producers for inspiring storytelling of unique and uplifting vision or quality to our culture. The Producers Guild 2019 Visionary Award is sponsored by Delta Air Lines.
Kenya Barris is being recognized with the Visionary Award as a trailblazing storyteller whose work has advanced and expanded the representation of diverse perspectives within mainstream media. As the creator of the hit, Peabody award-winning and Emmy-nominated® series “Black-ish,” along with its successful spin-off series “Grown-ish,” and the writer of last summer’s comedy blockbuster “Girls Trip,” Barris has earned praise for honest portrayals of the Black experience that have not only resonated with a broad spectrum of audiences but have continually served as a catalyst for conversations around an array of timely topics. Through his work, Barris has fearlessly tackled difficult social issues, poignantly reflected our culture, and unified audiences through powerful stories that highlight our shared humanity.
“Kenya Barris is simply a fearless producer,” said PGA Presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher. “Time and again, Kenya has stepped up to tackle the difficult conversations, from the ones we have as families at the kitchen table to the ones we have as colleagues in company boardrooms and network offices. These are challenging days for many of us, but Kenya’s unique voice—honest, passionate and so very funny—has been one of our industry’s strongest antidotes to ignorance and intolerance. We are gratified to recognize his inspiring work with the Visionary Award.”
Previous honorees include: producer and director Ava DuVernay; Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner’s Plan B Entertainment; producer and founder of Illumination Entertainment Chis Meledandri; producer Laura Ziskin; and Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll.
ABOUT KENYA BARRIS
Kenya Barris is the creator of ABC’s Emmy-nominated series “Black-ish,” which is based on his own life. In its second season, the show won a Peabody Award and an AFI Award and has held NAACP’s title of Best Comedy Series for four consecutive years. Barris was awarded the Humanitas Prize in 2017 as well as the Outstanding Writing NAACP Image Award in 2016 and 2017. Barris premiered the hit spinoff series, “Grown-ish” earlier this year and has since announced his upcoming series “Besties” and “Bewitched.” Due to his unparalleled innovative creative philosophy, he most recently a three-year exclusive overall producing deal with streaming giant Netflix. As a writer, Barris has worked on several television shows including “Listen Up,” “The Game” and “Girlfriends.” He has also sold a number of pilots including “America’s Next Top Model,” which he co-created and is currently shown in 49 countries with 21 internationally formatted offshoots. On the feature side, he most recently co-wrote “Barbershop 3: The Next Cut” and the hit comedy, “Girls Trip,” which made history by becoming the first film with an all-black creative team in front of and behind the camera to cross $100 million dollars at the box office. Among his other film projects in the works are the high-profile sequels “Son of Shaft” and “Coming 2 America,” as well as an animated feature based on the songs of Bob Marley.
ABOUT THE PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA (PGA)
The Producers Guild of America is a non-profit trade organization which protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. Representing more than 8,000 producers, the PGA works to safeguard the careers of its members and improve the producing community at large by encouraging the enforcement of workplace labor laws and sustainable production practices, creating fair and impartial standards for the awarding of producing credits, facilitating health benefits for its membership, and hosting educational opportunities for new and experienced producers alike. For more information and the latest updates, please visit the Producers Guild of America website and follow on social media:
Twitter / Instagram: @ProducersGuild
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