Top Tv Shows
The hit makers: meet the women behind some top television shows we love - TV Last season four stellar storytellers at UPN made TV history: It was the first time Black women were executive producers of back-to-back prime-time shows. Those women--Eunetta T. Boone (One on One), Yvette Lee Bowser (Half & Half), Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends) and Sara Finney-Johnson (The Parkers)--are still heading up the network's biggest comedy hits. This season newcomer Meg DeLoatch, who coproduces Eve, joins the crew. All agree that staying on top of their game takes more than punch lines and networking. What matters most is sisterhood.
Boone: It's interesting how we all interconnect; I worked for Yvette on Living Single, where I met Meg as a writer's assistant and then hired her for my show last season. I never worked with Mara, but someone on my show did, and Mara worked with Sara on Moesha.
Bowser: Mara and I met briefly before she created Girlfriends. I didn't really know her then, but I believed that she had talent. It's important to bring up those we see with potential.
Akil: Sara's nurturing atmosphere on Moesha was helpful when it came time for me to run my own show. But not only professionally, Sara's advice early on taught me how to balance being married, with a baby on the way, and being a TV producer.
Finney-Johnson: Family comes first. I love my shows, but they don't last forever and sure enough ... this is the last season for The Parkers. You need life experience, you need family and you need friends.
DeLoatch: The support I've gotten has been amazing. Just the phone calls, the E-mails, the "Howyadoin'?s" It's nice to know that we're here for one another. We understand the difficulties of this position as women and then as Black women.
Boone: Meg can tell you that when she started on Eve, my advice to her was: Know your worth. For Black females in this business we have to approach it like men...
Bowser: ... which means we have to approach this business with a sense of community--relying on one another and looking to one another for information.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Essence Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
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