Ava DuVernay and Peter Roth have a plan to diversify crews. And Hollywood is on board

o hear Peter Roth tell it, friends, including J.J. Abrams, had been insisting he needed to know Ava DuVernay long before their first meeting.

So when the longtime Warner Bros. TV executive found himself across from the filmmaker at the Los Angeles offices of Oprah Winfrey’s cable network, OWN, to discuss collaborating on DuVernay’s Louisiana-set television drama “Queen Sugar,” the creative connection, as they say, was instant.

“I’ve never had the experience of being so closely connected with someone who’s probably, just on paper, the polar opposite of me — not a woman, not Black, not my age and certainly not anyone with as much power as Peter has,” says DuVernay. “It serves as a model for the kinds of relationship[s] that we can be in, in our industry.”

Related Articles

Joy Ride Composer Nathan Matthew David is Grateful For The Moment

Joy Ride Composer Nathan Matthew David is Grateful For The Moment

Composer Nathan Matthew David helps the filmmakers, including writers and producers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, navigate the wild ride of a tone with delicacy. David is the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated composer behind Deadly Class, Angie Tribeca, and Surviving R, Kelly. Most recently, he scored Chang Can Dunk and Stephen Curry: Underrated.

Atlanta Costume Designer Tiffany Hasbourne Wants The Wow Factor

Atlanta Costume Designer Tiffany Hasbourne Wants The Wow Factor

Costume designer Tiffany Hasbourne is one of the many artists that contributed to the singular voice of Atlanta. Hasbourne is a prominent stylist as well. She’s worked for brands like Nike and collaborated with artists Missy Elliot, Megan Thee Stallion, and one of the stars of Atlanta, Brian Tyree Henry. She’s a costume designer and stylist with a golden eye, always seeking to enhance what’s on the page. Recently, Hasbourne took the time to talk to us about her work in Atlanta, P-Valley, and beyond.

Joy Ride Composer Nathan Matthew David is Grateful For The Moment

Joy Ride Composer Nathan Matthew David is Grateful For The Moment

Composer Nathan Matthew David helps the filmmakers, including writers and producers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, navigate the wild ride of a tone with delicacy. David is the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated composer behind Deadly Class, Angie Tribeca, and Surviving R, Kelly. Most recently, he scored Chang Can Dunk and Stephen Curry: Underrated.

Atlanta Costume Designer Tiffany Hasbourne Wants The Wow Factor

Atlanta Costume Designer Tiffany Hasbourne Wants The Wow Factor

Costume designer Tiffany Hasbourne is one of the many artists that contributed to the singular voice of Atlanta. Hasbourne is a prominent stylist as well. She’s worked for brands like Nike and collaborated with artists Missy Elliot, Megan Thee Stallion, and one of the stars of Atlanta, Brian Tyree Henry. She’s a costume designer and stylist with a golden eye, always seeking to enhance what’s on the page. Recently, Hasbourne took the time to talk to us about her work in Atlanta, P-Valley, and beyond.