Twenties and Insecure are popular Black women's TV shows. The stories of Black women in their forties are rarely explored, despite the popularity of series depicting Millennial relationships and dynamics.
Black women in their 40s and older shape cultural trends and challenge boundaries. Beyoncé's 40th birthday ode was heartfelt. Mary J. Blige rocked the Super Bowl. Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts made Essence history. Halle Berry first directed in her 40s. We've kept innovating and inspiring. Have a lot of money and culture. Felicia Pride says, "As an audience, we're a force.”
Pride created Honey Chile to tell and disseminate stories by, for, or about older Black women, or Honeys. The writer for Grey's Anatomy and Queen Sugar talks about creating her own production company.
Writing Primetime TV
Pride became a journalist 20 years ago. When she couldn't get book deals, she resorted to her marketing degree. She was 35, living in Washington, DC, and running her own consulting business as an impact maker. She relocated to Los Angeles, bringing with her "a cornucopia of life experiences and wisdom" After being fired as a distribution executive, she returned to writing, which had prompted her to move to Los Angeles.
Pride said she had to “to discover why I stopped writing.” She worked on her worry, mistrust, and low self-esteem. After undergoing trauma treatment, she expanded her usage of self-care activities like meditation, yoga, hiking, sister time, and journaling. This helped her begin to focus again on becoming a screenwriter. She jumped back in by taking many writing lessons, getting an entertainment industry career coach, joining writing clubs and delving into the craft.
After she thought her portfolio was ready, Pride applied to fellowships and programs and was accepted to NBC's Writers on the Verge. The encounter helped her land Ava DuVernay's Queen Sugar. Her great network of supporters helped her join Grey's Anatomy.
Pride credits being prepared, on time, honing my craft, using my network, and having trust. She's also writing film scripts for Universal and exploring TV ideas with Netflix and FX. In the next months, she'll debut the first TV and movie projects at Honey Chile.
Independent Producer/Director
"My first feature picture taught me that, unlike television, film is a director's medium. I knew I wanted to tell lively stories from beginning to conclusion. I thought I couldn't direct.”
Honey Chile’s founder felt she didn't look like a director, but she came to realize that was false. Pride chose a simple situation for her first time directing: one day, one setting, and two actors. She recognized this after a deep dialogue with herself. This program garnered festival praise and debuted on STARZ.
Producing has allowed Pride to engage in the creative process from conception to finish and bring in voices for films she doesn't write. Pride says Honey Chile's goal is to produce TV shows and movies by other Honeys. Her production company will help her promote other Black women in their 40s.
