Kenya Barris

Kenya Barris is an award-winning writer, producer and director whose innovative approach to comedy has firmly cemented his place as one Hollywood’s great modern storytellers. With a focus on socially conscious storytelling that reflects our culture and tackles contemporary issues and themes, Barris’ work has earned him praise for telling poignant, powerful stories that make audiences more aware of the world around them while simultaneously making them laugh. Barris is perhaps best known as the television creator behind the hit ABC series “black-ish,” an autobiographical sitcom inspired by his own life and experience as a husband and father. The series, currently in its fifth season, follows the fictional Johnson family as they strive to find balance between financial comfort and their collective discomfort with compromising their cultural identity. A critical darling that has resonated with a broad range of audiences since its debut, “black-ish” has earned praise for offering insight into issues of race and class through its funny, truthful and timely portrayal of the Black experience. Barris has earned several awards and accolades for his work on the series, including a Peabody Award, a Humanitas Prize and a pair of NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. Along with Barris’ individual honors, the series as a whole has received nominations from the Producers Guild Awards, Golden Globes, People’s Choice Awards and a total of 13 Primetime Emmy nominations, as well as being recognized with a Television Academy Honor in 2015. Additionally on the television side, Barris also created “grown-ish,” a spin-off of “black-ish,” currently airing on Freeform. The series, which just returned for its second season, was the network’s biggest comedy series launch in six years when it debuted in 2018. Along with his current series, Barris has several television projects in various stages of development, including a remake of the popular 1960s sitcom “Bewitched” for ABC that will shift its focus to now center on an interracial blended family; a second “black-ish” spin-off, titled “mixed-ish,” which recently earned a series order at ABC. After signing an impressive overall deal with Netflix last year, Barris has wasted little time getting to work and has three exciting new projects in the pipeline. First announced was “Black Excellence,” a new family sitcom, which Barris will executive produce, as well as star in, opposite Rashida Jones. He will also executive produce “Astronomy Club,” an upcoming variety sketch series featuring the first all- black house team at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Additionally, he will executive produce “Entergalatic,” a first of its kind adult animated music series based on Grammy-award winning artist Kid Cudi’s upcoming album of the same name. Along with a booming television slate, Barris also continues to expand his work on the features side and released two films in 2019. The first of those projects was LITTLE, a body-swap comedy starring Regina Hall, Marsai Martin and Issa Rae that hit theatres in April with Barris serving as producer. Following shortly after this summer was SHAFT, the high-profile next installment in the Shaft legacy from director Tim Story with Barris writing and serving as executive producer on the project. Additionally, among his other features in development are COMING TO AMERICA 2, the highly anticipated sequel to John Landis’ 1980s classic starring Eddie Murphy; an adaptation of Roald Dahl's THE WITCHES with Robert Zemeckis directing and Octavia Spencer and Anne Hathaway set to star; a reboot of the family comedy CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN; and an animated feature based on the songs of Bob Marley. Barris is not just limiting himself to television and film as he is currently expanding his work to the stage. Teaming with Grammy-winning producer Pharrell Williams, Barris is developing a stage musical inspired by Juneteenth, the African American holiday tradition celebrating the final day of United States slavery that was the focus his 2017 “black-ish” episode “Juneteenth: The Musical.” For the planned stage musical, Barris will write the libretto alongside Peter Saji, with Williams writing, composing and producing the music. Among his past creator credits is “America’s Next Top Model,” the reality competition series he co- created with Tyra Banks, which has been syndicated in 49 countries with 21 internationally formatted offshoots. While on the features side, he most recently co-wrote the successful comedies GIRLS TRIP and BARBERSHOP 3: THE NEXT CUT. Barris got his start as a writer working on several television series, most notably “Listen Up,” “Soul Food,” “The Game” and “Girlfriends.” In addition to his own creative voice and vision, Barris has a deep commitment towards mentorship that has become a staple of how he approaches both his career and production company, Khalabo Ink Society, which he serves as founder and CEO. With this as a pillar of the company’s creative process, Barris has grown the production company with the goal of establishing it as a creative collective, where collaboration is fostered and new talent can thrive. In 2018, he was honored with the ACLU’s Bill of Rights Award in recognition of this commitment to providing opportunities to young and emerging talent, particularly women and people of color, as well as for the contributions he has made in supporting civil liberties and social justice as a member of the organization’s Board of Trustees. Additionally, this year the Producers Guild of America and Humanitas Prize recognized Barris for the greater impact of his work. The Producers Guild presented Barris with its 2019 Visionary Award recognizing him as a trailblazing storyteller whose work has advanced and expanded the representation of diverse perspectives within mainstream media. As for Humanitas Prize, Barris was selected to receive the organization’s Voice for Change Award, which honors an individual in the film and television industry that makes high-level, sometimes challenging, choices to create positive systemic change and stand up for ideals that may not be the norm, but benefit society. Beyond the impact he is making through his professional work, Barris has aimed to make an impact through his personal philanthropic endeavors, as well. Most notably, in 2018, he and his wife, Dr. Rainbow Barris, donated $1 million to establish the Kenya and Rainbow Barris Annual Scholarship Award at his Alma Matter, Clark Atlanta University, where he also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Half of the donation will support mass media arts majors, with the remaining half serving as an annual scholarship for biology students. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Rainbow and his six children.