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Kenya Barris to create new series for Netflix

By Karen Butler
Producer Kenya Barris (L) and his wife Rainbow Edwards-Barris attend the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills on January 7. The filmmaker is working with Netflix on new projects. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
1 of 2 | Producer Kenya Barris (L) and his wife Rainbow Edwards-Barris attend the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills on January 7. The filmmaker is working with Netflix on new projects. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Netflix announced it has signed a multi-year deal by which black-ish and grown-ish creator Kenya Barris will produce new series exclusively for the streaming service.

Barris also wrote the 2017 summer comedy blockbuster Girls Trip.

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"Kenya Barris is one of our great modern storytellers," Cindy Holland, vice president of original content at Netflix, said in a statement Thursday. "Kenya uses his voice to make audiences more aware of the world around them, while simultaneously making them laugh. His honesty, comedic brilliance and singular point of view, combined with the creative freedom he will enjoy at Netflix, promises to create powerful new stories for all our members around the world."

"When my agents reached out to me about this little garage start-up called Netflix, I wasn't sure what to think," added Barris. "But after I talked to Ted (Sarandos) and Cindy, I started to believe that maybe this mom-and-pop shop with only 130 million subscribers might just be something... So, I decided to take a swing... a leap of faith if you will, and take a chance with the new kids on the block."

black-ish airs on ABC and grown-ish on its sister station Freeform.

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Barris is the latest of several prominent writer-producers Netflix has booked.

Shonda Rhimes recently set up shop at the streaming service after years of ABC hits such as Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, while American Horror Story and Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy inked his own Netflix deal in February.

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