Black women in media are scoring big this week.

Prolific creator and showrunner Mara Brock Akil has much more in the works with Netflix this week besides the premiere of her show “Girlfriends.” The streaming giant has just announced Akil as a new creative partner for an overall deal with the media platform and its Strong Black Lead division, according to Shadow and Act.

🚨🚨🚨🚨REALLY BIG NEWS!!!!🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

Netflix has partnered with Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends, The Game, Being Mary Jane, Black Lightning) for a multi-year deal to write and produce all-new, original scripted content, as well as other creative projects. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/To4S5gNwoI

— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) September 9, 2020

In her multi-year deal with Netflix, Akil will reportedly write and produce scripted content in addition to other creative projects with the streaming medium.

“It is a dream to partner with the force of Netflix, for we have the same goals—telling human stories for a global audience,” Akil shared in a statement. “I’m excited to have a home that allows me the creative freedom and support to do what I do best– paint portraits and murals of women, Black people and anyone else whose story is missing from this golden age of television.”

She added: “Representation matters and so does who you build with– I can’t wait to work closely with Channing Dungey and her team to launch some great stories.”

Dungey — VP of Original Series at Netflix — shared her excitement behind this new partnership as well stating:

“We are thrilled to welcome Mara Brock Akil to Netflix. Her signature storytelling, authentic perspective and captivating characters have long entertained audiences and proven to be relevant, timely and endlessly engaging. We look forward to bringing her distinct voice, vision and passion to our global members.”

Fans were thrilled to hear that her famed series “Girlfriends” would make its Netflix streaming-debut as part of their extensive rollout of well-known Black content announced back in July.

Time to pop bottles🍾🍾
The following classic shows are coming to @Netflix (US)

Moesha – Aug 1
The Game S1-3 – Aug 15
Sister Sister – Sept 1
Girlfriends – Sept 11
The Parkers – Oct 1
Half & Half – Oct 15
One on One – Oct 15

To celebrate, here's a message from your faves: pic.twitter.com/zohNPEo0rz

— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) July 29, 2020

Akil’s storied career in the entertainment industry includes over 400 episodes of TV and a long line of cult classic television shows including “Love Is __” — a series she created — “Black Lightning” — a show she executive produces, “Moesha,” “The Game,” “Being Mary Jane,” “The Jamie Foxx Show,” and more, according to Shadow and Act.

Her decorated resume and dedication to Black storytelling are sure to produce more popular series in the future and open more doors for Black women creators as well.

Mara Brock Akil

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