Kerry Washington & Viola Davis Launch Production Companies

On today’s episode of #BlackExcellence, Viola Davis and Kerry Washington are making an advancement on the inclusion movement. Both accomplished actresses have started their own production companies. 

Washington signed an overall deal with the studio behind the “Scandal,” ABC Studios, and its cable/digital division ABC Signature Studios, for her recently launched production company Simpson Street. Under the two-year agreement, Simpson Street, named after the street where Washington’s mom grew up in the Bronx, will develop broadcast, cable and digital projects exclusively for ABC Studios and ABC Signature.

Washington became the first black woman in nearly four decades to headline a network TV drama when Scandal premiered on ABC in 2012. It was followed by “How to Get Away With Murder,” toplined by Viola Davis, and other ABC series praised for their diverse casts and authentic storytelling including drama “American Crime” and comedies “Black-ish” and “Fresh Off the Boat.”

Washington told Deadline, “I believe strongly in the importance of having a seat at the table, which makes starting this production company thrilling for me. It’s an honor to be at a point in my career when I can help generate projects that that are exciting, necessary and truly reflect the world around us.”

Davis recently ushered her production company, JuVee Productions, into a deal with ABC Studios as well to create projects for digital, streaming, broadcast and cable content.

Davis launched JuVee Productions with her husband Julius Tennon, which is headed by Andrew Wang, the former vice president of scripted television development and production at Bravo Television. He is responsible for the network’s first scripted series, comedy “Odd Mom Out,” and the drama “Girlfriends Guide to Divorce.”

“Our goal has always been to champion bold, authentic, and courageous voices and Andrew Wang is just that. Andrew has an outside-the-box mindset and the experience to propel our vision forward, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to our team,” Tennon said of JuVee’s new hire.

Davis shared with Variety, “We started JuVee because we wanted to see narratives that reflected our multi-ethnic and multi-faceted culture. We wanted to be a part of classic storytelling, and we didn’t want to wait.”

Currently on JuVee Production’s development slate is TNT’s “Conviction,” a legal drama hailing from scribe Ayanna Floyd (“Empire”) and Debra Martin Chase’s Martin Chase Prods.