BET Plus is bringing something new to screens as the black focused network will produce a new original series, Birth of Cool, in its first-ever partnership with “Gentefied” producers Macro Television Studios and Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and actor Lena Waithe’s production house Hillman Grad Productions.
This marks Waithe’s third original production with the brand— her other two series with BET are “Twenties” and “Boomerang.”
The 10 episode dramedy series follows the adventures and misadventures of both students and teachers at Crispus Attucks High, a predominantly black high school in Compton, as they try to make it through the weird, hilarious, stressful, often sobering, and sometimes surreal academic year while hopefully growing a bit in the process on and off-campus.
“BET Plus continues to be the home for best-in-class creatives to tell their original stories about the Black experience,” said Devin Griffin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, BET Plus, in a statement. “We appreciate Lena’s creative vision and continued trust and are thrilled to partner with a skilled group of creators from MACRO Television Studios and Hillman Grad to bring this series to life.”
Along with Waithe, Marta Fernandez, president of Macro Television Studios, CEO and founder of Macro Television Studios Charles D. King, Hillman Grad Production co-founder Rishi Rajani, Aaliyah Williams and David Morris will serve as executive producers. Fernandez and Mark R. Wright will oversee for Macro Television Studios,
“We are excited to continue Macro’s commitment to excellence in content creation and to be partnered with Juel and Tony and help bring their unique vision to the screen,” said Marta Fernandez, president of Macro Television Studios. “Along with our partners at BET Plus, Hillman Grad and Endeavor Content, we passionately support their voices and dedication to telling authentically Black stories.”
“Our goal at Hillman Grad is to find the next generation of visionary filmmakers who challenge the ways in which we typically represent characters of color on screen. Juel and Tony are exactly that. We’re so excited to have been on this journey with them and can’t wait to introduce the world to the brilliance, humor, and depth of Birth of Cool,” said Rishi Rajani, president of film/TV at Hillman Grad.
BET Plus is a joint venture between BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios.
