Half of the year might be down the drain, but Yara Shahidi is securing the bag. The actress inked an overall deal with ABC Studios “to develop and produce scripted and alternative television projects for cable, streaming and broadcast.”
Yara has an ongoing relationship with the network starring on Black-ish and the spinoff series, Grown-ish, which she serves as a producer of.
The deal with ABC is in partnership with Yara and her mother/business partner’s production company, 7th Sun. As per Deadline, 7th Sun’s purpose is to “continue elevating underrepresented voices, 7th Sun’s mission is “to pursue projects that touch upon themes of history, heritage, culture, and joy.”
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with my home family, ABC Studios, in this exciting next chapter, alongside my family,” Yara said in a statement. “It’s exciting to add our production company to the roster of my peers and mentors who are also actively committed to sharing meaningful stories.”
“We can’t wait to extend and expand our relationship with the incredibly talented Yara Shahidi, who has been a member of the family since Black-ish,” ABC Studios President Jonnie Davis said in a statement. “When she’s not studying at Harvard and starring in our series ‘grown-ish,’ she’s mentoring and inspiring other young people, which makes us all feel like underachievers but also very proud that she’s part of our Studio.”
“Yara is a force,” Black-ish and Grown-ish creator Kenya Barris said. “She is insanely talented, unreasonably smart and hardworking beyond compare. I’ve called her ‘McMogul’ for years and seeing all that she has accomplished should come as no surprise to anyone that knows her. This deal is just the beginning for Yara, and I’m excited to see where she takes this next chapter and the storyteller she becomes.”
