Latest news with #MaraBrockAkil
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Netflix Showrunners Talk Shop and Compare Notes on the Art of Pitching
The rituals of pitching, the magic of casting and the joy of working with mature actors were among the subjects tackled in a panel session featuring five showrunners who steer high-wattage series for Netflix. Mara Brock Akil ('Forever'), Mindy Kaling ('Running Point'), Molly Smith Metzler ('Sirens'), Eric Newman ('American Primeval,' 'Zero Day') and Michael Schur ('A Man on the Inside') gathered May 20 at Netflix's Tudum Theater in Hollywood to talk shop and compare notes. The session was moderated by Peter Friedlander, Netflix's head of scripted series for the U.S. and Canada. More from Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 Anthony Boyle to Play Sam Bankman-Fried Opposite Julia Garner as Caroline Ellison in Netflix's FTX Series 'The Altruists' Netflix's 'Dept. Q' Is an Emotionally Fraught Crime Thriller That Never Lets Up: TV Review The event came on a momentous day for Akil, as it fell on her birthday, and at a heady time for Schur, who celebrated the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last week. 'I did not, in all honesty, know that writers were eligible. So when I got that call, I assumed it was a prank of some kind,' Schur confessed. 'I was incredibly honored by it. I am very glad that writers are eligible. I think more writers ought to be part of the landscape of the town. Also this the first event that I personally attended where I was like, Oh this is what your funeral is like. All your old friends are there, and they're saying nice things about you.' The 'FYSEE' session focused on shedding light on the pitching and development process. Friedlander pressed the group for details of any personal rituals that they engage in for good luck on the day of a pitch meeting. 'After I vomit?' Akil said, acknowledging that she does not enjoy the showmanship that comes with selling shows to buyers for networks or streamers. 'I just want to write. I just want to get to the script,' Akil said. 'One ritual I do is [listen to] music. The playlist actually helps me write. It also helps me get the tone, get the vibe, get the texture and then just really relax me before going in and having to talk about it.' For Kaling, it's the opposite. Pitching her wares as a writer and producer can be an outlet for her as an actor. The multihyphenate who became a star on NBC's 'The Office' and Fox's 'The Mindy Project' has taken a break from being on camera since she became a mother of three (her oldest is 7). 'I haven't acted since I've had children. For me, even when it's this grim pitch over a Zoom and there's just like tiny smiling boxes. I enjoy the performance of it,' Kaling said. 'You get to be funny and tell a rehearsed story to six on smiling faces, passing a show. As a performer, It just feels like it lets me act a little bit.' Smith Metzler goes minimalist when she's trying to make a sale. 'I don't know if I recommend this, but I have one little ritual, which is that I bring nothing with me, because if it's in front of me, then I end up reading it. So my way of preparing is to do a lot of prep and then bring nothing.' Schur has a full-time, in-house consultant who provides invaluable feedback before he saddles up and takes his ideas to top buyers. His wife, fellow writer-producer J.J. Philbin, is a tough audience. 'She has a terrible poker face,' he said. 'When she's bored, she just is immediately, visibly bored. She doesn't know she's doing it, but her writer brain is saying 'No, this is bad.' And it's wonderful. Because then I'm like, OK well, this part of the pitch stinks, and I should cut it or improve it or change it or whatever. And then I get to the end, and she's like, 'It's so good,' and I'm like, 'You physically hated it. You hated parts of it. I saw you.'' Newman has been a pillar of Netflix since its earliest days in original programming with series such as 'Hemlock Grove' and 'Narcos' and its iterations. Drawing on his experience as a film producer in addition fielding multiple TV series in recent years, he reflected on the circumstances that make a buyer say yea or nay. 'Every executive that you're going to pitch to wants to say 'No' because it's safe to say no,' Newman said. 'There are a variety of reasons for someone to say 'No,' and again, you don't get fired for saying no, unless you said no to 'Star Wars' or 'Twilight' or something like that. You get fired for saying yes to something insane. And so I feel it's my job always to go in and say, 'Here are the reasons why it's safe to say yes to this.' Because I do believe that as much as it's safer to say no, there's nothing that feels better than for someone like Peter to sit opposite any of us and get excited about an idea that we're excited about it and safely say 'I believe in this.' ' Friedlander shared a general practice that he feels is important for people in his position in the era of Zoom pitch meetings. 'I'm very conscious of how people typing into their computers' during video calls, Friedlander told the panel. 'I have this thing where if I'm on the other side of a pitch, both of my hands will always be in the frame. … I try to show that you have my undivided attention. I'm not shopping.' Akil and others thanked Netflix for the support they've received to execute their creative visions (read: generous budgets). Akil's location-heavy adaptation of Blume's beloved coming-of-age novel 'Forever' transports the story to 2018 Los Angeles and revolves around the sexual awakening of two Black teenagers from different backgrounds. 'The challenges of falling in love, above the 10 and below the 10,' she said. 'It's anchored by the beauty of Los Angeles every day. We're telling an epic and intimate love story within a love letter to Los Angeles.' Among other highlights: Newman thanked Friedlander for buying 'every show I've pitched' and for having never 'made me feel bad when one hasn't worked.' Schur urged his fellow showrunners to seek out seasoned actors over the age of 75 for their shows. He's done so for 'A Man on the Inside,' starring Ted Danson and adapted from a Chilean documentary about an investigator who goes undercover in a retirement community. 'It was just very lovely and heartwarming to see how many legitimately great, funny people there are who are 82 years old and love to work,' Schur said. 'If you want to have a messy, semi-bad read-through of a pilot, hire a bunch of young people. If you want the most metronomically crisp, perfect read-through you've ever had in your life, hire a bunch of 80-year-olds. Those sons of bitches were all lines memorized, timing perfect and had clearly worked it all out beforehand. They were just on it. From beginning to end, it was a total joy to watch a large group of 75-plus actors kill it every day.' Akil emphasized how she sought to stay true to the spirit of Blume's novel even as she adjusted many aspects of the story. No corners were cut because 'Forever' is part of Netflix's YA content slate. 'One of the things I love about Judy Blume was that she didn't talk down to the reader. She treated the young person as a full human being,' Akil said. 'She took their issues, their concerns very seriously. And one of the things off the bat I knew is that this seriousness had to anchor this YA show.' (Pictured top: Eric Newman, Michael Schur, Molly Smith Metzler, Peter Friedlander, Mara Brock Akil and Mindy Kaling) Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sesame Street Is Relocating to Netflix
Elmo's brief unemployment era is over. Sesame Street has found a new home at Netflix following the expiration of its contract with Warner Bros. Discovery, which began in 2016 when new episodes went into production at HBO after the Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS, could no longer afford the expenses required to keep the series afloat. 'We are excited to announce that all new Sesame Street episodes are coming to @netflix worldwide along with library episodes, and new episodes will also release the same day on @PBS Stations and@PBSKIDS platforms in the US, preserving a 50+ year relationship,' Netflix shared in a statement published on social media. 'The support of Netflix, PBS, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting serve as a unique public-private partnership to enable Sesame Street to continue to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.' More from Rolling Stone 'Forever' Showrunner Mara Brock Akil Wants to 'Give Boys Their Full Humanity' Madonna Biopic Series With Shawn Levy in the Works at Netflix: Report Karol G Celebrates Netflix Documentary Release with 'Milagros' At HBO, new Sesame Street episodes would premiere nine months before they would air on PBS. Netflix plans to close the gap with its same-day release schedule beginning with Season 56. The uncertain fate of the beloved children's series reached a depressing turning point when a LinkedIn post claimed that Elmo, who is perpetually three years old, lost his job. 'Hi LinkedIn, unfortunately Elmo was recently laid off because of the federal budget cuts,' the post read. 'Elmo worked at Sesame Street for 45 years. Elmo is sad. Elmo loved his time at Sesame Street.' On May 1, Trump announced an executive order demanding the end of all federal funding for NPR and PBS, on the grounds that they allegedly 'receive millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news,'' according to a White House social media post. The Ready to Learn program, which provided $23 million in funding for educational kids' shows and games, was among the targeted grant cancellations, per the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden' Hits 12.6 Million Views in Five Days on Netflix
'American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden' was the most-watched series on Netflix during the week of May 12-18, hitting 12.6 million views in five days after its May 14 premiere. It was followed by another dark docuseries, 'Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story,' which reached 8.3 million views in the same amount of time. Landing at No. 3 for the second week in a row was 'Forever,' Mara Brock Akil's adaptation of Judy Blume's 1975 novel of the same name. The romance series, recently renewed for a second season, rose from last week's 3.7 million views to 6.7 million. More from Variety Mexico's Latin Pop Star Belinda to Topline Sony Pictures Television's Epic Series 'Carlota' (EXCLUSIVE) Netflix's 'Avatar: the Last Airbender' Casts Seven Including Dichen Lachman, Dolly de Leon and Tantoo Cardinal 'Clash of Clans' Animated Series Ordered at Netflix 'The Four Seasons,' also renewed for a second season, took the No. 4 position with 5.3 million views in its third week on the chart. More to come… Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Vogue
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Beyond Blume: Mara Brock Akil Shares 9 More Books That Informed Her Netflix Hit ‘Forever'
With hits like Girlfriends, The Game, and Being Mary Jane under her belt, Mara Brock Akil is a bonafide legend—and her latest project, Netflix's swoonworthy Forever, is the newest TV show I can't stop thinking about. Forever is an adaptation of the 1975 novel of the same name by Judy Blume, one that has been banned time and time again for its depiction of a young woman coming into her sexuality. Growing up, Akil read all of Blume's books, but she was especially drawn to Forever for its honesty. 'It allowed so many of us to think about what could be ahead in relationships,' the producer and screenwriter tells me over Zoom, 'while also remembering to protect our futures.' When I nervously admit that I've never read Blume myself, she isn't surprised: It was a different time. When I'd reached high school, my coming-of-age novels took the form of Twilight, the Harry Potter books, and…hear me out…The Da Vinci Code. Yet Akil's Forever drops Blume's story squarely into the here and now, recasting its young lovers as Black teens in Los Angeles. Keisha Clarke (Lovie Simone) is a driven scholarship student who finds herself embroiled in an online scandal just after the series begins, while Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) is an unassuming Black boy from a wealthy family and a predominately white high school. He's kind, handsome, awkward, a little lost—and when the two of them get together, what unfolds is a moving story of the push-and-pull between childhood and a burgeoning independence. 'What I translated was the emotion of that book, and by changing the details, it created a different type of plot,' Akil tells me. But what her show does maintain from the book serves as a reminder that, in 1975 as now, we all still want many of the same things: to find love, to feel free—but also to feel safe. I came away from the first season of Forever feeling unbelievably hopeful, a fleeting feeling these days. And while a second season of Forever was just greenlit (hooray!), I wanted something to hold me over. So, I asked Akil which books beyond Blume's source material had helped to inspire her vision for Forever. Find her nine picks below. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson Red at the Bone $16 BOOKSHOP 'This novel was a revelation to me. Woodson captures the emotional weight of generational legacy in a way that mirrors how I think about storytelling—through love, inheritance, and identity. It reminded me of the questions I asked when building characters in Forever: What history are they carrying? And how does that shape their choices?' Coleman Hill by Kim Coleman Foote 'Foote's multigenerational debut felt deeply personal to me, as someone who values lineage and community. I was drawn to how this story tracks migration, memory, and survival. As a creator, I'm always interested in the ripple effects of history—and this novel puts those echoes front and center.' Sula by Toni Morrison 'Morrison was my earliest blueprint for complexity and contradiction. Sula helped me understand that female friendship could be as mythic and meaningful as romantic love—and that Black women's inner lives were worthy of epic storytelling. It's a compass I still use.' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao $17 BOOKSHOP 'Díaz's bold voice and fearless structure taught me that genre, language, and cultural specificity could coexist beautifully. Oscar's longing and imagination resonated with how I wanted to portray teen desire and vulnerability in Forever—as something both deeply personal and historically entangled.' My Train Leaves at Three by Natalie Guerrero My Train Leaves at Three $27 BOOKSHOP 'This quiet, beautiful book came to me recently, at a time when I was experimenting with my voice in new mediums. Guerrero's story of transformation through solitude and movement reminded me that healing and change are not always loud. I see this reflected in characters who grow in silence, in the spaces in-between. It officially comes out in July and is my number-one recommendation for young readers to pick up this summer!' White Teeth by Zadie Smith 'Smith's debut reminded me that humor, intellect, and social commentary can live in the same sentence. Her fearless take on identity, hybridity, and family showed me that the personal is always political—and that sometimes, it's also very funny.' Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Their Eyes Were Watching God $17 BOOKSHOP 'This was one of the first books that made me feel seen. Janie's voice, her hunger for life, and her unwillingness to settle lit a fire in me as a young woman. Hurston's storytelling taught me that the journey to selfhood is sacred.' We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie We Should All Be Feminists $10 BOOKSHOP 'This manifesto distills so much of what I believe about equity and empowerment. I often recommend it to young women finding their voice because it gives language to things we've long felt but didn't always know how to name. It's brief but expansive—like the best conversations.' Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (and its documentary adaptation) Stamped from the Beginning $31 BOOKSHOP 'As a storyteller and producer, I believe in truth-telling. Kendi's work inspired a documentary adaptation I produced with director Roger Ross Williams—it offers a clear-eyed view of systemic racism in a way that empowers young people to think critically. It's history, but it's also a call to action. That duality is powerful.'
Vogue
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
In Netflix's ‘Forever,' a Love Letter to Black Girlhood
When I was growing up in the '90s, there were plenty of Black characters on TV, but Brandy's Moesha Mitchell—a writer from Los Angeles who wore braids and carried a whole lot on her mind—was the one who felt like me. I was always imaginative and ambitious but didn't know how to channel those things. I wanted to be a writer but didn't think it was possible. But then I watched Maya Angelou guest star on Moesha, and I read Still, I Rise. Suddenly, I saw myself reflected in a way I hadn't before. It was the first time I felt seen—not just as the Black girl, but as someone with depth, creativity, and something tangible to offer the world. Years later, watching Lovie Simone as Keisha in Netflix's Forever has conjured a similar feeling. When I clicked play on the first episode of the series—producer and screenwriter Mara Brock Akil's adaptation of Judy Blume's 1975 novel of the same name—I didn't expect to be in tears at 2 a.m. But now, it strikes me as one of the best portrayals of Black girlhood I've seen in a long time. (Happily, it's already been renewed for a second season.) There aren't many shows out there right now for young Black girls. Before and certainly after the Grown-ish era ended last year, a noticeable gap emerged in coming-of-age stories centering Black characters. (We've come a long way from the UPN days, when Countess Vaughn, Kyla Pratt, and Essence Atkins all led their own shows.) As networks have doubled down on reality TV or leaned into reboots, investment in fresh stories about Black youth has become rare. Yes, we have Euphoria, an acclaimed and wildly popular show with Zendaya as a Black teenage lead. But Rue's story is rooted in addiction, mental illness, and survival—more reflective of an adult world than the everyday experiences of Black teens. Forever shifts the narrative, making a young Black girl's experiences with love, guilt, hope, and heartbreak feel worthy, even urgent. A teen from Los Angeles living with her single mom, Keisha is a student-athlete with her mind set on Howard University, caught in that uncertain space between who she is and who she hopes to become. She's also trying to piece herself back together after a betrayal that would hurt anyone: an ex leaks their sex tape.
