A career of scripts, show tapings, and working with stars was the last thing Saladin K. Patterson thought of pursuing when he graduated from MIT.
“I was strong in math and science and was encouraged to go into engineering,” says Patterson, who earned his degree in ’94 then headed to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, to get his Ph.D.
While at Vanderbilt, Patterson grew introspective and pondered a career far removed from the sciences. “I thought, ‘If I could do whatever I wanted, what would it be?'” In a moment of truth, he realized television writing was his calling.
After his epiphany, Patterson immersed himself, like a man possessed, in the business of television. He poured over books on script writing and producing and dissected successful sitcoms of the early ’90s, specifically Seinfeld and Mad About You, to determine how a winning show is put together.
“I literally sat down and took notes,” says Patterson. He then wrote spec scripts — samples writers use to pursue jobs — and sent them out to contests and literary agents. Although he didn’t get an agent right away, Patterson was named a finalist in a contest and was accepted into the prestigious Walt Disney/ABC fellowship program in 1996, a select program for aspiring television directors and screenwriters. Heading out west to pursue his dream, Patterson landed a job on ABC’s Teen Angel.
These days, Patterson is co-executive producer for The Bernie Mac Show, FOX’s Emmy award-winning sitcom. Although there remain relatively few African Americans behind the scenes producing and directing programming, Patterson and a handful of others are positioning themselves to make a significant impact in the $40 billion network television industry.
Among them are Eunetta Boone, a 13-year television veteran and executive producer, or show-runner, for UPN’s One on One; Larry Wilmore, creator and one-time executive producer of The Bernie Mac Show, who now has a deal with NBC to develop new shows — the first African American to land such a deal with a major network; veteran TV producer Yvette Lee Bowser, executive producer of the UPN sitcom Half & Half; Kriss Turner, executive producer of Whoopi; and Mara Brock Akil, creator and co-executive producer of UPN’s Girlfriends.
There’s no doubt African Americans are represented in front of the camera. And more shows starring black actors are likely to spring up as advocacy groups pressure networks into diversifying their executive ranks and as the number of successful shows created or produced by African Americans continues to rise. According to Prime Time in Black and White, a report published by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, black people account for 12% of the population, yet nearly 16% of the characters portrayed on TV are African American.
From new sitcoms like NBC’s Whoopi, starring veteran actress and comedienne Whoopi Goldberg, to returning shows such as ABC’s My Wife and Kids with Damon Wayans, there’s no lack of Afrocentric programming.
Behind the camera, however, it’s another story. A 2003 Directors Guild of America Report noted that for the 2002—2003 season, 13 of the top 40 prime time shows didn’t hire minority directors. Out of the 860 total episodes studied, white males directed 82%. African American directors did make some progress, earning 5% of the total jobs, up from 3% in the 2001—2002 season. The Bernie Mac Show contributed to this increase, with 62% of its directing jobs going to minorities and women.
Ironically, African American-oriented networks are unlikely to impact these numbers. With few original programs, media outlets such as BET and TV One — a joint cable venture with Radio One (no. 8 on the BE Industrial/Service list with $335.7 million in revenues) and Comcast set to launch in January 2004 — will acquire most of their programming from outside sources. Johnathan Rodgers, TV One president and CEO, says his business model aims for 20% original programming. “We look to do nonfiction programs such as reality shows, game shows, documentaries, and biographies.”
With relatively few African Americans behind the scenes, when a program created, directed, or produced by an African American manages to get picked up by a network, there’s even more pressure for it to become a hit. “If Whoopi succeeds, it will open doors for more shows driven by African American lead actors. It will also open doors for black producers and female producers,” says Wilmore. “It’s hard to get jobs on mainstream shows. Whenever someone with star power like Whoopi or Damon Wayans succeeds, it gives other black writers a chance to make their names known to the networks.”
Whoopi Executive Producer Turner agrees: “It has been a long time since NBC has had a show with a black lead, and NBC real estate is very hard to get. Once you get a piece, you want to make sure that you keep it, so it’s very important that this show makes it. Like Cosby, if it’s funny, people will come. If this show is a success, other networks are going to want to emulate it and take a chance on similar shows. If it doesn’t work, they’ll say, ‘Well we tried.'”
But for black shows, says actor and comedian Bernie Mac, the networks aren’t quite as patient with letting them develop and build an audience. “Black shows don’t get a chance to mature like white shows, and that’s just a true fact,” says Mac, who also produces his show. “And what I mean by that is a white show can come on the air, and they give it three years to develop and let their stories get stronger. But black shows, if they don’t come out the gate [strong] they don’t last.”
Several networks are actively working toward diversifying their ranks. ABC’s Talent Development Program is designed to aid aspiring writers, actors and directors, as well as those looking to enter the executive ranks, says Carmen L. Smith,
vice president of talent development at ABC Entertainment Television Group. Smith says last year, five of the network’s seven TV fellows found jobs at Animal Planet and on shows such as E.R. and Cold Case. NBC and FOX also have programs to identify qualified minority talent.Another reason for the dearth of African Americans behind the scenes is natural generational shifts, says Lee Gaither, vice president of programming and development at NBC.
“Before we start focusing on race, let’s look at generational differences because that helps explain what we see and don’t see on TV. In the past, networks were run by people who grew up in the 1960s, people who understood struggle and witnessed the Civil Rights Movement. It would bother them to turn on the television and not see a brown face on a show. Gen-Xers tend to be more cynical and jaded; there’s very little social consciousness there. The Gen-X executive was more likely to have exposure to African Americans from childhood to professional adulthood, so they don’t carry the same sensitivity about race as boomers.”
Shows about single Gen-xers set in urban settings, adds Gaither, would not pass the muster with baby boomer executives. But neither would much of today’s TV lineup, he says. “Gen-Xers took all of the family shows off the air. Part of that included shows that had ethnic leads. Gen-xers aren’t malicious, just unaware.”
Several celebrities, however, have managed to circumvent this by using their name recognition to convince network executives that their involvement will equal solid ratings. Goldberg, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith all used their star power to influence network brass at UPN into giving their sitcoms (see sidebar) a shot. And Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, actress LaTanya Richardson, recently cut a premium script deal with UPN for an untitled drama about a black family and its struggle to maintain control of a network of mega-churches.
Mac is case in point. Prior to his hit sh
ow, the comedian had a wide following from his stand-up act as well as appearances on Def Comedy Jam and the Spike Lee-directed The Original Kings of Comedy.
“Producing is kind of easy for me because that’s something I’ve been doing my whole career — telling stories that have to do with [my life],” says Mac, who was able to keep creative control of his show by producing it. “When you deal with someone else’s storyline, you have to constantly fight about what direction the characters want to go,” he says, “because as an artist, you see the character one way, the network sees it another way, the executive producers sees it another way, and the writers another.”
And although there are no African Americans in network television who can single-handedly green-light a show, there are only about five people in the whole of network television who can. Gaither, however, recognizes his power and influence in other ways. Although he cannot give
the final say on whether a project goes on the air, he says he can put projects in the development pipeline. “But we should also look at the fact that the president and CEO of CNBC is Pamela Thomas-Graham, an African American, and that she can green-light shows on that network, and that’s a form of entertainment,” Gaither asserts.Turner cites an additional challenge for African Americans looking to work behind the scenes. Many parents, she says, believe creative fields are less respectable career paths. Working in a mailroom at a talent agency or movie studio after college or law school is not something most parents, particularly African Americans, see as a noble pursuit. But that’s what many aspiring writers, executives, and agents must do to get in the business, says Turner. “You have to have access to people who are matriculating through the system and you must be willing to pour coffee or whatever. I was only making $250 [per week] after college and had to live with my grandparents, but I was in the mix.”
Turner and other industry insiders suggest that many African Americans cannot afford or are not willing to do the entry level jobs required of people looking to break into Hollywood. “Coming out of college, you will not be hired as a staff writer on a show. You must start at the bottom in this business,” she says. That goes for every area of the business. Turner cites William Morris agent Charles King who started in the mailroom after graduating from Howard University Law School as his classmates headed to law firms. “You have to be willing to sacrifice,” she says.
In the meantime, others are making a name for themselves within the realm of network television’s biggest rival: cable TV. Showtime is responsible for Soul Food, the only African American drama on TV, and network executives are teaming up with Spike Lee to produce Sucker Free City, a drama about San Francisco street gangs. HBO has produced award-winning projects about African Americans like The Corner, and USA Networks finalized a deal with actor Ving Rhames, who plans to star in a remake of the popular ’70s detective show Kojak.
Kelly Goode, senior vice president of programming for Lifetime, was part of a team responsible for getting a number of series green-lighted, including Strong Medicine, a show executive produced by Goldberg. And Goode plans to continue to increase racial diversity on Lifetime. “It’s always a priority for me personally and for Lifetime,” says Goode, who mentions 1-800-Missing, a show executive produced by Debra Martin Chase, as an example of shows with strong black involvement. “This is a great time in cable. It’s the next wave, with the most opportunities in front of and behind the camera.”
And with the TV One and Radio One, the cable world is perhaps better positioned to offer opportunities for African Americans than network TV, provided they offer original programming. That’s
exactly what MBC Network, a black-owned cable channel, is planning to do. According to Executive Vice President of Operations Travis Mitchell, MBC will offer original movies, sitcoms, and dramas by 2006.Another argument for African American advancement in cable TV is one of the few African Americans with the power to get a show produced and aired comes courtesy of VH1 (which is owned by Viacom, the corporate giant that also owns MTV, BET, and Showtime). Christina Norman, general manager of VH1, has the authority to green-light projects, and industry insiders say she is diversifying VH1’s programming. VH1’s ratings are up 100% this year.
Still, African Americans have come a long way on network television. In the late ’50s, advertising agencies were unable to convince national clients to buy time on NBC’s The Nat “King” Cole Show for fear that white Southern audiences would boycott their products. This eventually lead to the show’s downfall.
It would take almost 40 years after The Nat “King” Cole Show was cancelled before African American representation behind the scenes increased. Girlfriends’ Akil says she is encouraged by the success of shows produced by African Americans. “I feel like I’m making an important contribution and I’m proud of that. I also think that with more of our shows on the air like Eve with show-runner Meg DeLoatch, more African Americans will be able to rise through ranks to the executive producer level.” Among the more prominent people to do so is Half & Half producer Bowser, who started as an apprentice writer on the Cosby spin-off, A Different World, and later became the first African American woman to have two network programs airing at the same time — Living Single and Lush Life. In total, Bowser has brought six series to network TV and has a deal with CBS to develop a comedy series. “I always look at the landscape for the unexplored territory,” Bowser says.
Going forward, black executives and creative talent are optimistic about opportunities for African Americans in TV. Says Salim Akil, husband to Mara Brock Akil and a writer for Showtime’s Soul Food, “We will be able to green-light projects one day, but it will be a struggle. I don’t look at it in terms of people letting us do something — it’s inevitable. Things move and progress.”
For now, it appears cable is leading the way. But between continued pressure from advocacy groups and successful black writers, producers, and television shows, a change could be in the script. Stay tuned.
— Additional reporting by Marcia A. Wade
A Decade of Growth
While African Americans have had a long history on television, the last decade has shown the greatest growth in the number of black-created or produced programs. Though by no means complete, the following are highlights of some of the more popular shows with strong African American involvement behind the camera.
| PRODUCER/CREATOR | PROGRAM TITLE | SEASONS |
|
ABC |
||
| Damon Wayans | My Wife and Kids | 2001— |
|
CBS |
||
| Bill Cosby | Cosby | 1999—2000 |
|
NBC |
||
| Yvette Lee Bowser | A Different World | 1987—1993 |
| Bill Cosby | The Cosby Show | 1984—1992 |
| Whoopi Goldberg | Whoopi | 2003— |
| Winifred Hervey | In the House | 1995—1999 |
| Quincy Jones |
Fresh Prince of Bel Air | 1990—1996 |
| Â | In the House | 1995—1999 |
| Will Smith | The Fresh Prince of Bel Air | 1990—1996 |
| Kriss Turner | Whoopi | 2003— |
| Larry Wilmore | Whoopi | 2003— |
|
FOX |
||
| Yvette Lee Bowser | Living Single | 1993—1998 |
| Quincy Jones | MADtv | valign=”middle”>1995— |
| Bernie Mac | The Bernie Mac Show | 2001— |
| Saladin K. Patterson | The Bernie Mac Show | 2001— |
| Damon Wayans | 413 Hope St. | 1997—1998 |
| Larry Wilmore | The Bernie Mac Show | 2001— |
|
UPN |
||
| Mara Brock Akil | Girlfriends | 2002— |
| Flex (Mark Knox) Alexandar | One on One | 2001— |
| Tyra Banks | America’s Next Top Model | 2003— |
| Yvette Lee Bowser | Half & Half | 1993—1998 |
| Â | For Your Love | 1998—2002 |
| Ralph Farquhar | Moesha | 1996—2001 |
| Â | The Parkers | 1999— |
| D.L. Hughley | The Hughleys | 1998—2002 |
| Sarah Finney-Johnson | Moesha | 1996—2001 |
| Â | The Parkers | 1999— |
| Will Smith & Jada Pinkett-Smith | All of Us | 2003— |
|
WB |
||
| Anthony Anderson | All About the Andersons | 2003— |
| Steve Harvey | Steve Harvey’s Big Time | 2003— |
| Rick Hawkins | Sister, Sister | 2002— |
| Ernest Johnson | Like Family | 2003— |
| Rushion McDonald | Steve Harvey’s Big Time | 2003— |
| Eddie Murphy | The PJs | 1999—2001 |
| Holly Robinson Peete | For Your Love | 1994—1999 |
| Robert Townsend | The Parent ‘Hood | 1995—1999 |
SOURCE: B.E. Research