Netflix has announced that writer Kenya Barris has officially signed on to produce new shows exclusively for the streaming service. Under his multi-year overall deal with Netflix, Barris has agreed to write and executive produce all future projects through his production company Khalabo Ink Society.
“Kenya Barris is one of our great modern storytellers,” Netflix’s Vice President of Original Content Cindy Holland said. “Kenya uses his voice to make audiences more aware of the world around them, while simultaneously making them laugh. His honesty, comedic brilliance and singular point of view, combined with the creative freedom he will enjoy at Netflix, promises to create powerful new stories for all our members around the world.”
Barris added that he made the deal because he believes that through Netflix he might be able to tell more stories that’s why he took the leap of faith. “When my agents reached out to me about this little garage start-up called Netflix, I wasn’t sure what to think. But after I talked to Ted and Cindy, I started to believe that maybe this mom-and-pop shop with only 130 million subscribers might just be something… so I decided to take a swing… a leap of faith if you will, and take a chance with the new kids on the block.”
“Barris has continually demonstrated his ability to tell stories about the Black experience that resonate with all audiences.” Said Netflix “With an innate sense for what is funny, truthful and timely, Barris will continue to create stories that reflect culture through an urban, youth and female focused lens.”
Barris is known as the creator of the hit comedy series black-ish which stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross. black-ish follows the story of an upper-middle class African-American family. The show has receive numerous awards including a Peabody award for Outstanding Comedy Series. Barris is also the creator of black-ish‘s spinoff series grown-ish, which is a contemporary take on the current issues facing both students and administrators in the world of higher education. The spinoff series stars Yara Shahidi, Dean Cole, Trevor Jackson, Francia Raisa and Luka Sabbat. His other credits include Barbershop: The Next Cut, Girl’s Trip, plus the upcoming reboot of Shaft, and the upcoming sequel to Coming to America.
