The Why: Advocating for DEI programming has been woven throughout Lewis’ career, from producing “The Fighting Temptations” and “Pariah” for MTV Films and Focus Features to developing “P-Valley” at Starz. In 2022, she developed “Reasonable Doubt,” an hour-long drama series comprising an entirely Black cast and writers’ room, for the Onyx Collective, Disney Television’s division for diverse stories. Internally, she is involved in Disney on the Yard, a mentorship program for HBCU graduates.
She Says… “FX’s ‘The Bear’ celebrates diversity by incorporating characters of color into the show without fanfare, without making it cringey or reactionary, and by being 100% authentic and surprising.”
Place I would love to retire to: New Zealand
First job in the industry: Unpaid production assistant on an independent movie called “Glory Daze” (starring an unknown Ben Affleck!).
