Rikki Hughes

Last updated

Hughes in 2018. Rikki Hughes.jpg
Hughes in 2018.

Rikki Hughes (born August 3, 1971) is an American television producer and showrunner. [1] She is best known for producing a number of comedy specials, award shows, television series, and independent features such as the BET 25th Anniversary Special (2005), It's Pimpin' Pimpin' (2008), Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes? (2006-2009), The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas [2] (2017), Equanimity (2017), The Bird Revelation (2017), Sticks and Stones (2019), 8:46 (2020), and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion (2020).

Contents

Hughes currently serves as the showrunner for HBO Max's streetwear design competition series The Hype (2021–present) [3] with Migos' Offset and also executive produced HBO Max's 2022 game show About Last Night, [4] hosted by Ayesha Curry and NBA star Stephen Curry.

Career

Early career

Upon graduating from the University of Washington [5] in 1992, Hughes had planned to attend medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles, but changed trajectories after getting a job as assistant tour manager for Warren G. [6] She stayed in the music industry for several years, eventually running the international department for Priority Records until she decided in 2001 to start a career in television production. [6] [7]

Television

After leaving the music business, Hughes started off as a segment producer for Dance 360 and Baggin. [8] By the end of 2005, she had been credited as a producer for FOX's The Big Black Comedy Show, Volumes 2–4, the BET Comedy Awards, and 25 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary Special. [9] In 2007, Hughes produced Bobby Jones Comedy All Stars: Volume 1 and Baisden After Dark , which she followed up with Katt Williams' It's Pimpin' Pimpin' and Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes? .

Hughes' earlier work with BET in 2005 and 2006 led to her role as BET's go-to-producer throughout the 2010s for their television specials including Rip the Runway , BET Hip-Hop Awards , and BET Honors .

Following the conclusion of her work with BET in 2016, Hughes produced the ABFF Awards: A Celebration of Hollywood, Grown & Sexy , Fusion TV's All Def Digital's Roast of America, and Fusion's Snoop Dogg Roast Snoop Dogg Smokeout. In 2017, she produced six episodes of All Def Comedy , Comedy Central's series Hood Adjacent with James Davis , and Blind Basketball. Hughes produced the miniseries Snitchin in 2018 and BET's music competition series The Next Big Thing in 2019. In 2020, she produced the ABFF Awards , Def Comedy Jam Healing Through Laugher, Tribute to Andre Harrell: Mr. Champagne & Bubbles, VOMO: Vote or Miss Out , which was organized by former first lady Michelle Obama, Our OWN Christmas, and IHeartRadio's Living Black!

Hughes is a frequent producer for comedian Dave Chappelle. In 2017, she produced The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium , The Bird Revelation , and Equanimity . In 2019, Hughes produced Chappelle's Netflix specials Sticks and Stones , followed by 8:46 in 2020.

Most recently, Hughes served as the showrunner for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion on HBO Max and currently is the showrunner for HBO Max's streetwear design competition series The Hype, [3] which premiered on August 12, 2021.

She is the executive producer and owner of Magic Lemonade Productions, a production company that specializes in television, film and new media. [10] In 2021, Hughes and her Magic Lemonade team took over production for Bounce TV's The Trumpet Awards and the reimagining of The Essence Awards.

Film

Hughes executive produced the 2016 comedy film #DigitalLivesMatter, which starred D.C. Young Fly.

Personal life

Hughes is based in Los Angeles and Atlanta. [10]

Filmography [11]

YearTitleCredited asNotes
2004 Dance 360 Segment Producer
2004Baggin'Segment Producer
2005 The Big Black Comedy Show, Vol. 2 Associate Producer
2005 The Big Black Comedy Show, Vol. 3 Associate Producer
20052005 BET Comedy AwardsProducer
200525 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary SpecialExecutive ProducerPost Show
2005 The Big Black Comedy Show, Vol. 4: Live from Los Angeles Producer
2006 The Big Black Comedy Show, Vol. 5 Producer
20062006 BET Awards Nominations LiveProducer
2006BET Awards 2006Executive ProducerResults Show
2007Bobby Jones Comedy All Stars: Volume 1Executive Producer
2007-2008 Baisden After Dark Co-Executive Producer13 episodes
2008 Katt Williams: It's Pimpin' Pimpin' Consulting Producer
2008Are U Serious?: Best of Shawn MorganCo-Executive Producer
2006-2009 Who's Got Jokes? Co-Executive Producer32 episodes
2010 Rip the Runway Supervising Producer
2011 Rip the Runway '11 Supervising Producer
2011Young Jeezy: A Hustlerz AmbitionExecutive Producer
2012 The BET Honors Producer
2012 Rip the Runway Supervising Producer
2013 The BET Honors Supervising Producer
2013 Rip the Runway Supervising Producer
2014The American Dream: Hillary Clinton Writing a New ChapterExecutive Producer
2015 The BET Honors Supervising Producer
2016ABFF Awards: A Celebration of HollywoodCo-Executive Producer
2016 The BET Honors Supervising Producer
2016 Dear Mama Executive Producer
2016 #DigitalLivesMatter Executive Producer
2016 Grown & Sexy Executive Producer
2016All Def Digital's Roast of AmericaSupervising Producer
2016 All Def Comedy Executive Producer
2016Fusion's Snoop Dogg Roast Snoop Dogg SmokeoutExecutive Producer
2017 The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium Supervising Producer
2017 Hood Adjacent with James Davis Executive Producer8 episodes
2017Blind Basketball: It's Game Day!!!Executive Producer3 episodes
2017 All Def Comedy Supervising Producer6 episodes
2017 Dave Chappelle: Equanimity Supervising Producer
2017 Dave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation Supervising Producer
2018SnitchinExecutive Producer
2018 The Next Big Thing Executive Producer
2019 Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones Co-Executive Producer/Producer
2019Mind of EPExecutive Producer4 episodes
2019 Epilogue: The Punchline Co-Executive Producer
202028th Annual Trumpet AwardsExecutive Producer
2020ABFF HonorsExecutive Producer
2020Def Comedy Jam Healing Through LaughterProducer
2020A Tribute to Andre Harrell: Mr. Champagne & BubblesExecutive Producer
2020 VOMO: Vote or Miss Out Executive Producer
2020 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion Executive Producer
2020Our OWN ChristmasExecutive Producer
202029th Annual Trumpet AwardsExecutive Producer
2021Living Black!Executive Producer
2021–PresentThe HypeExecutive Producer8 episodes
2022 Dave Chappelle: What's In a Name? Executive Producer, Director

Awards and nominations

Since 2018, [10] Hughes has won two Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and is the first African-American woman in Emmy history to win the category of Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). [1] In 2018, she won her first Emmy Award for Equanimity and won her second Emmy Award in 2020 for Sticks & Stones. [12] Hughes won each of her three Grammy Awards back-to-back in the category of Best Comedy Album for Equanimity and The Bird Revelation at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2018 and for Sticks & Stones at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2019. [13]

She has been nominated for three NAACP Image Awards as well as a Producers Guild of America Award. In 2021, she has been nominated for another Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for her work with Dave Chappelle for 8:46. [14]

In 2021, Hughes was honored by Culture Creators at their fifth annual "Innovators & Leaders" Awards Brunch, where she was a recipient of their Icon Award for her accomplishments throughout the entertainment industry. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Kudrow</span> American actress (born 1963)

Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the American television sitcom Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004. The series earned her Primetime Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite, American Comedy and TV Guide awards. Phoebe has since been named one of the greatest television characters of all time and is considered to be Kudrow's breakout role, spawning her successful film career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Chappelle</span> American comedian and actor (born 1973)

David Khari Webber Chappelle is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series Chappelle's Show (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle of production during the third season. After a hiatus, Chappelle returned to performing stand-up comedy across the U.S. By 2006, Chappelle was called the "comic genius of America" by Esquire and, in 2013, "the best" by a Billboard writer. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him No. 9 in their "50 Best Stand Up Comics of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mo'Nique</span> American comedian and actress (born 1967)

Monique Angela Hicks, known mononymously as Mo'Nique, is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Grammy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Lathan</span> American film director

Stan Lathan is an American television and film director and television producer. He is executive producer and director of BET's Real Husbands of Hollywood. He has produced and directed numerous stand-up comedy specials starring comedian Dave Chappelle, including Killin' Them Softly, Equanimity, The Bird Revelation, Sticks & Stones, and The Closer

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Weiner</span> American screenwriter, director, producer and author

Matthew Hoffman Weiner is an American television writer, producer, and director best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series Mad Men, and as a writer and executive producer on The Sopranos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenji Kohan</span> American television writer, producer, and director

Jenji Leslie Kohan is an American television writer and producer. She is best known as the creator and showrunner of the Showtime comedy-drama series Weeds and the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black. She has received nine Emmy Award nominations, winning one as supervising producer of the comedy series Tracey Takes On....

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tatiana Issa</span> Brazilian actress and director

Tatiana Issa is a three-time Emmy Award winning Brazilian director and executive producer known for her 2009 documentary film Dzi Croquettes, the series "Brutal Pact: The Murder of Daniella Perez" for HBO MAX, and "Queens on the Run" for Amazon Prime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Issa Rae</span> American actress and writer (born 1985)

Jo-Issa Rae Diop, credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer. Founder of Hoorae Media, she achieved wider recognition as the co-creator, co-writer, and star of the HBO television series Insecure (2016–2021), for which she was nominated for multiple Golden Globes Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards.

Hiro Murai is a Japanese-born American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He is best-known for music videos for Childish Gambino, Earl Sweatshirt, Chet Faker and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Joy</span> American screenwriter and executive producer

Lisa Joy is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and attorney. She is best known as the co-creator, writer, director, and executive producer of the HBO science-fiction drama series Westworld (2016–2022). For her work on the series, she received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Joy's other work includes the ABC comedy series Pushing Daisies (2007–2009) and the USA Network crime drama series Burn Notice (2009–2011). In 2021, she made her feature film directorial debut with Reminiscence.

Ashley Nicole Black is an American comedian, actress, writer and producer. She was a writer and correspondent for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (2016–2019), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diallo Riddle</span> American writer, producer, actor

Diallo Riddle is an American writer, producer, actor, showrunner, and DJ. Riddle is best known for his co-starring role as Stevie in the NBC sitcom Marlon, and has been the co-creator of several different television series. He won an NAACP Image Award for his directing on South Side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Rothwell</span> American actress, writer and comedian (born 1980)

Natasha Rothwell is an American writer, actress, and comedian. She is known for working on the HBO television series Insecure as a writer, series regular, and supervising producer. She is also known for her work in HBO's The White Lotus, which earned her a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

<i>Sticks & Stones</i> (2019 film) Stand-up comedy show starring Dave Chappelle

Sticks & Stones is a 2019 American stand-up comedy television special starring comedian Dave Chappelle and directed by Stan Lathan. It was produced by Chappelle and Lathan and distributed by Netflix, the special is detailed as "a provocative perspective on the tidal wave of celebrity scandals, the opioid crisis, and more".

<i>8:46</i> (special) 2020 performance by Dave Chappelle

8:46 is a 2020 performance special by American comedian Dave Chappelle about violence against African Americans. The special was released via YouTube on June 12, 2020. The performance is not a traditional stand-up comedy special, as it was recorded at a private outdoor venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio and features long stretches without humor. Critical consensus has been positive for the comedy and the social commentary.

Steve Yockey is an American playwright, producer and screenwriter. He is known as the developer of the HBO Max comedy-drama television series The Flight Attendant, which was an adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name.

<i>The Closer</i> (2021 film) Stand-up comedy special by Dave Chappelle

The Closer is a 2021 American stand-up comedy special written and performed by Dave Chappelle for Netflix. It was directed by Stan Lathan and recorded over the course of seven sold-out performances at The Fillmore Detroit, which ran from August 10 to 15, 2021. The Closer is Chappelle's sixth and final special under his 2016 deal with Netflix, with the other five being Deep in the Heart of Texas, The Age of Spin, Equanimity, The Bird Revelation and Sticks & Stones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">74th Primetime Emmy Awards</span> 2022 American television programming awards

The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2021, until May 31, 2022, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The awards ceremony was held live on September 12, 2022, and was preceded by the 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 3 and 4, at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was broadcast in the United States on NBC and Peacock. During the ceremony, Emmy Awards were handed out in 25 categories. The event was produced through Done and Dusted and Hudlin Entertainment and was directed by Hamish Hamilton. Kenan Thompson was the ceremony's host.

<i>Hacks</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the HBO Max streaming comedy-drama television series Hacks debuted on May 12, 2022, and concluded on June 2, 2022. It consists of eight episodes, each with approximate runtime of 30–35 minutes. The season centers Deborah Vance perfecting material for her new stand-up show, in which she shares previously unrevealed information about her personal life. In an effort to become a better person, Ava gets a "dumb phone" and swears off alcohol. The season received critical acclaim. Jean Smart won her second successive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

References

  1. 1 2 Ramos, Dino-Ray (7 July 2020). "WME Signs Emmy And Grammy-Winning Producer Rikki Hughes". Deadline. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  2. "Winners & Nominees". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 White, Peter (16 March 2021). "Rapper Offset To Produce & Judge Streetwear Competition Series 'The Hype' For HBO Max". Deadline. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  4. "About Last Night (TV Series 2022) - IMDb". IMDB.
  5. "Q&A with Comedy Central's 'Hood Adjacent' Executive Producer, Rikki Hughes". The Urban Twist. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 Talbott, Chris (September 2022). "Rising TV Director Rikki Hughes opens doors in Hollywood". University of Washington Magazine. University of Washington. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  7. Carter, Kelley L. (28 July 2017). "Comedy Central's Rikki Hughes is the woman behind the big names". Andscape . Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  8. Baggin' (TV Special 2005) - IMDb , retrieved 14 August 2021
  9. "Stars Celebrate BET's 25th In Los Angeles". Billboard. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 "Magic Lemonade" . Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  11. "Rikki Hughes". IMDb. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  12. "Rikki Hughes". Television Academy. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  13. "Rikki Hughes". GRAMMY.com. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  14. "Nominees / Winners 2021". Television Academy. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  15. Shanfeld, Ethan (22 June 2021). "Swizz Beatz and D-Nice to Be Honored at Culture Creators Awards Brunch". Variety. Retrieved 14 August 2021.