—-Avier Wanjou-Bras—

Cousins!

The new venture will be led by Aisha Summers-Burke, with partners Kenya Barris, Rashida Jones, and Aaron Rashan Thomas. 

On Wednesday, ViacomCBS announced the launch of BET Studios. This venture will offer Black Creators equity ownership in their development of premium television series and films.

According to The Grio, the appointed VP and General Manager of BET Studios Aisha Summers-Buke will partner with Rashida Jones, Kenya Barris, and Aaron Rashan Thomas to bring perception to life. 

In a statement, BET President Scott Mills states, “The demand for premium content from Black creators has accelerated dramatically as a result of both the rapidly changing media and social landscapes. Mill adds, “BET, with our 40-year legacy of celebrating Black culture and the full power of the ViacomCBS ecosystem—is uniquely positioned to service this demand.” 

Also, the General Manager adds that they look forward to opening a new studio model which “opens the aperture to a broad array of platforms and supports the full range of content from Black creators.”

Barris, the nominated writer, producer, and director of “Black-ish,” is joined by his co-star Jones of “#BlackAF” with Thomas, co-creator of CBS’s “S.W.A.T.”

“The investment being made by Scott, David Nevins, Bob Bakish and the ViacomCBS team into BET Studios is not only an investment in Black storytelling, it is also an investment in the culture,” Barris said. “And while individual success is great, being able to amplify and champion underrepresented storytellers has been equally exciting and this venture allows that to continue to be a key focus in this next chapter of my career.”

ViacomCBS is investing more than $300 million in BET Studios, a new venture taking an unusual approach to landing bankable producers and screenwriters https://t.co/uPoXja2Ub3

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) September 15, 2021

“There is such power in the creative talent that the principal partners bring to the table and BET Studios’ unique ability to tell Black stories ata scale,” Jones said. “This joining of forces is super exciting for me in the multitude of ways that people of color see themselves represented on screen.”

“As a new venture, BET Studios offers an opportunity to expand the brand’s legacy of delivering Black stories,” Thomas added. “This is a chance to bring nuanced, layered narratives to life, partnering with a forward-thinking team, interested in surprising and engaging the audience.”