Yara Shahide known for her role as Zoey Johnson on the critically acclaimed ABC comedy series black-ish and its college spin-off grown-ish has signed an overall deal with ABC studios. Yara also launched a production company with her business partner and mother, Keri Shaide as part of the deal called 7th Sun.
By highlighting diverse and underrepresented creators in the industry, 7th Sun will develop and produce scripted and alternative television projects for cable, streaming and broadcasting according to DEADLINE.
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with my home family, ABC Studios, in this exciting next chapter, alongside my family,” Yara said. “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. 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,” said Jonnie Davis, president of ABC Studios.
At 20, Yara has gained international recognition for her roles on “black-ish” and “grown-ish,” other credits to her name include teen romance film The Sun Is Also a Star, and the television series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia.
With the guidance of Barris, who also created mixed-ish, Shahidi became the youngest producer on the network. Yara Shahidi also has a credit co-executive producing the Oscar winning short-film Hair Love
“Yara is a force,” said Kenya Barris. “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.”
