CMU School of Drama


Monday, October 26, 2020

Cheo Hodari Coker Talks Luke Cage's Inclusive Writers' Room

io9.gizmodo.com: The power brokers behind film and TV are only now just barely beginning to maybe understand the value of diverse writers’ rooms, and the importance of having people behind the screen who reflect the identities being explored on screen. Which makes Cheo Hodari Coker’s accomplishments as the showrunner of Luke Cage significant. Not only did he make a great show, but he created it with the help of an inclusive, majority non-white writers’ room.

1 comment:

Ella R said...

I feel like writers rooms are the most exclusive space in hollywood. The people that write shows and movies are essential but only the successful voices are kept around and praised. It’s a hard space to enter. I’m sadly not surprised about the fact that people are just realizing the importance of having diversity in the writers room. I love that the writers room for Luke Cage was an inclusive, majority non-white writers room space. That’s great. But how do we make writers rooms like that for all shows, no matter the content. It’s the same thing as having POC on a stage for an audience to see but an all white production team. I think all showrunners, producers, and all influential people need to start dedicating themselves to actively pushing for diversity. I agree with the showrunner of Luke Cage, when you choose who you work with, you influence the culture and the tone. That’s relevant to all industries.