Tracy Oliver

Last updated
Tracy Oliver
Education Stanford University (BA)
University of Southern California (MFA)
Occupation(s)Writer, producer, director, actress

Tracy Yvonne Oliver is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actress. Oliver originally starred in the web series The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, before serving as a staff writer on ABC's The Neighbors and STARZ's Survivor's Remorse.

Contents

Oliver has co-written three movies: Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016), Girls Trip (2017), and Little (2019), with Girls Trip making her the first African-American woman to write a film that grossed over US$100 million. [1] Oliver also created and wrote the BET television series First Wives Club and wrote the screenplay to the 2019 film adaptation of The Sun Is Also a Star. [2] Oliver also runs a production company, Tracy Yvonne Productions. [3]

Career

Oliver is an alum of Stanford University, where she double majored in American Studies and Drama. After graduating from Stanford, Oliver attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts and graduated in 2010 with a Master's of Fine Arts in Producing for Film, Television and New Media (now known as the Peter Stark Producing Program). After earning her Masters, Oliver created the black theater company Black Stage. [4] [5] She portrayed Nina, the antagonist to Issa Rae's "J", in Rae's 2011-12 web series The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl. [5] In addition to acting in Awkward Black Girl, Oliver also served as a writer and producer. [5] Oliver wrote and circulated a spec script for a movie called Marriage Is for White People. [4] The script got the attention of Dan Fogelman, who then hired her as a staff writer on ABC's The Neighbors. [4] Oliver then became a staff writer and story editor on STARZ's Survivor's Remorse . [6] [4]

Oliver partnered with Black-ish creator Kenya Barris to write the comedies Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016), starring Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer. The movie received positive reviews and grossed $55 million on a budget of $20 million. Oliver and Barris then co-wrote Girls Trip (2017), starring Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Tiffany Haddish. [1] Girls Trip received positive reviews and grossed over $140 million worldwide, making Oliver the first African-American woman to write a film that grossed over $100 million. [1]

She re-teamed with Barris on the 2019 film Little , which he co-produced and she co-wrote; she also received a "story by" credit. [7] She also wrote the screenplay of the 2019 film The Sun Is Also a Star , based on Nicola Yoon's novel.

Oliver also created and wrote the BET television series First Wives Club. [2] She directed an episode of the show, making her directorial debut.

Oliver serves as creator, writer, and executive producer of the Amazon Studios half-hour television series Harlem , [8] a single camera comedy starring Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Jerrie Johnson and Shoniqua Shandai. [9] Malcolm D. Lee, who directed Girl's Trip, directed the first two episodes. [9]

A follow-up to Girl's Trip is reportedly in the works, with Oliver having written a treatment for it. [10] Oliver has also been reported to be writing a reboot to the 1995 film Clueless . [11]

Oliver was included on the 2020 Ebony Power 100 List. [12] More recently, she signed an overall deal with Apple. [13]

Filmography

Television

Year(s)SeriesFunctioned asRef.
WriterCreatorExecutive producerActressDirector
2011–2012 The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl YesNoNoYes [lower-alpha 1] No [4]
2012–2013 The Neighbors YesNoNoNoNo [14]
2014–2015 Survivor's Remorse Yes [lower-alpha 2] NoNoNoNo [15]
2019–2021 First Wives Club YesYesYesNoYes [16]
2021 Harlem YesYesYesNoNo [17]

Film

YearFilmFunctioned asNotesRef.
WriterExecutive producerDirector
2016 Barbershop: The Next Cut YesNoNo [15]
2017 Girls Trip YesNoNo [4]
Trip YesNoYesShort film [18]
2019 Little YesNoNo [19]
The Sun Is Also a Star YesYesNo [20]
2022 The Blackening YesNoNo [21]

Notes

  1. ↑ Lead role as Nina, 13 episodes.
  2. ↑ Credited as executive story editor.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Perry</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1969)

Tyler Perry is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her nephew Brian Simmons. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmaking techniques to filmed productions of live stage plays, many of which have been subsequently adapted into feature films. Madea's first appearance was in Perry's play I Can Do Bad All by Myself (1999) staged in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tika Sumpter</span> American actress (born 1980)

Euphemia LatiQue"Tika" Sumpter is an American actress and producer. Sumpter began her career as the host of Best Friend's Date. From 2005 to 2010, she appeared in the daytime soap opera One Life to Live. In 2010, she made her film debut in Stomp the Yard: Homecoming and later featured in supporting roles for What's Your Number? (2011), Sparkle (2012), and A Madea Christmas (2013).

<i>Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.</i> 1992 film by Leslie Harris

Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. is a 1992 American drama film written, produced, and directed by Leslie Harris. The film follows Chantel, a Black teenager living in the New York City projects. The film addresses a variety of contemporary social and political issues including teenage pregnancy, abortion, racism, poverty, and HIV/AIDS. Just Another Girl on the I.R.T is Harris' first and only feature film to date. The film premiered at the 1992 Toronto International Film Festival and later screened at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. Ariyan A. Johnson earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany Haddish</span> American comedian and actress (born 1979)

Tiffany Cornilia Haddish is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Her breakthrough came in with a leading role in the comedy film Girls Trip (2017), which earned her several accolades and was included on The New Yorker's list of the best film performances of the 21st century. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2018, and The Hollywood Reporter listed her among the 100 most powerful people in entertainment in both 2018 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sujata Day</span> American actress

Sujata Choudhury, credited professionally as Sujata Day, is an American actress, model and screenwriter. She is best known for her roles as CeeCee in the Issa Rae web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl (2011-2013) and Sarah in Insecure. Day made her directorial debut with the 2020 comedy-drama, Definition Please.

Black women filmmakers have made contributions throughout the history of film. According to Nsenga Burton, writer for The Root, "the film industry remains overwhelmingly white and male. In 2020, 74.6 percent of movie directors of theatrical films were white, showing a small decrease from the previous year. In terms of representation, 25.4 percent of film directors were of ethnic minority in 2020. Of the 25.4 percent of minority filmmakers, a small percentage was female.

<i>Awkward Black Girl</i> Web series by Issa Rae

The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl is an American comedy web series created by and starring Issa Rae. It premiered on a dedicated YouTube channel on February 3, 2011. The show follows the life of J as she interacts with co-workers and love interests who place her in uncomfortable situations. The story is told through first-person narrative as J usually reveals how she feels about her circumstances through voice-over or dream sequence.

<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.

<i>Barbershop: The Next Cut</i> 2016 film directed by Malcolm D. Lee

Barbershop: The Next Cut is a 2016 American comedy film directed by Malcolm D. Lee, written by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver and produced by Ice Cube, Robert Teitel and George Tillman Jr. It is the sequel to 2004's Barbershop 2: Back in Business and the third installment in the Barbershop film series. It stars an ensemble cast including actors Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Anthony Anderson, Eve, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Deon Cole who return, as well as new cast members Regina Hall, J. B. Smoove, Lamorne Morris, Tyga, Common, and Nicki Minaj. It is the first film in the series in which Michael Ealy and Leonard Earl Howze did not reprise their roles as Ricky and Dinka respectively.

<i>Girls Trip</i> 2017 American film by Malcolm D. Lee

Girls Trip is a 2017 American comedy film starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith. The film is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, from a story by the pair and Erica Rivinoja, who based the script off their own experiences with their female friends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stella Meghie</span> Canadian filmmaker

Stella Meghie is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She is known for her feature films Jean of the Joneses (2016), Everything, Everything (2017), The Weekend (2018), and The Photograph (2020). Meghie has also directed episodes for television series including Grown-ish, Insecure and First Wives Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenya Barris</span> American television writer and producer

Kenya Barris is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actor. He is best known as the creator of the ABC sitcom black-ish (2014–2022).

<i>Night School</i> (2018 film) 2018 comedy film directed by Malcolm D. Lee

Night School is a 2018 American buddy comedy film directed by Malcolm D. Lee, produced with Will Packer and Kevin Hart, written by Hart, Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells, Matt Kellard, Nicholas Stoller and John Hamburg, and starring Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Rob Riggle, and Romany Malco with supporting roles done by Taran Killam, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Al Madrigal, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Keith David, Anne Winters, Fat Joe, Ben Schwartz, Yvonne Orji, and Bresha Webb. The story follows a group of adults who set out to earn their GEDs. The film was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on September 28, 2018, grossed over $103 million worldwide and received negative reviews from critics.

<i>The Kitchen</i> (2019 film) Film by Andrea Berloff

The Kitchen is a 2019 American crime film written and directed by Andrea Berloff in her directorial debut. It is based on the DC/Vertigo Comics limited series of the same name by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss as the wives of Irish American mobsters who take over organized crime operations in New York's Hell's Kitchen in the late 1970s, after the FBI arrests their husbands. The film also features Domhnall Gleeson, James Badge Dale, Brian d'Arcy James, Jeremy Bobb, Margo Martindale, Common, and Bill Camp in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefani Robinson</span> American screenwriter

Stefani Robinson is an American screenwriter and producer. She is best known for her work on FX's Atlanta, for which she won two Writers Guild of America Awards, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Robinson was a writer and executive producer for the FX television series What We Do in The Shadows, for which she received Emmy nominations for writing, and for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2020 and 2022. She wrote the screenplay for the 2023 biopic Chevalier.

<i>Little</i> (film) 2019 film by Tina Gordon Chism

Little is a 2019 American fantasy comedy film directed and co-written by Tina Gordon. It stars Regina Hall, Issa Rae and Marsai Martin, and follows an overbearing boss who is transformed into the teenage version of herself. Martin serves as an executive producer for the film, and at 14 years old, is the youngest person to ever hold that title on a Hollywood production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashida Jones filmography</span>

Rashida Jones is an American actress, writer, and producer, best known for starring on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation (2009–2015) as Ann Perkins, and as Karen Filippelli in The Office.

Dewayne Perkins is an American comedian, writer, actor, and producer. Born and raised in Chicago, he received improv training at The Second City and also worked for iO Theater. His stand-up comedy was recommended by Variety magazine and Just for Laughs comedy festival. He has appeared on Wild 'n Out and The Upshaws. Perkins was on the writing staff for The Break with Michelle Wolf, the Saved by the Bell reboot, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and he is a staff writer for The Amber Ruffin Show, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. He is the co-writer and star of horror-comedy film The Blackening.

<i>You People</i> 2023 film by Kenya Barris

You People is a 2023 American romantic comedy film directed by Kenya Barris, which he co-wrote with Jonah Hill. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Eddie Murphy. Its plot focuses on an interracial and interreligious couple, namely a Secular Jewish man and a Black nationalist NOI woman, and how their families reckon with modern love amid culture clashes, societal expectations and generational differences. Set in the Los Angeles area, the two Millennials meet by chance and go into uncharted waters in their dating lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany Haddish filmography</span>

Tiffany Haddish is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and author. Her breakthrough came in 2017, when she garnered critical acclaim for her performance in the comedy film Girls Trip. Haddish has won a Primetime Emmy Award for her work as a host on a Saturday Night Live episode, and she has published a memoir, The Last Black Unicorn. She starred in the TBS series The Last O.G., and executive produced and voiced Tuca in the Netflix/Adult Swim animated series Tuca & Bertie. In 2021, she won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for her comedy album Black Mitzvah, making her the second African-American woman to win this prize after Whoopi Goldberg in 1986.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "'Girls Trip' screenwriter Tracy Oliver talks making movie history". NBC News. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  2. 1 2 Lopez, Kristen. "Tracy Oliver Brings The Past Back With 'First Wives Club' And More". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  3. ↑ "BET Networks Partners With Tracy Oliver's Production Company, Tracy Yvonne Productions, on the Return of "PROJECT CRE8"". www.businesswire.com. 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Obenson, Tambay (2019-05-16). "'Girls Trip' Screenwriter Tracy Oliver Has a Winning Strategy: Show Nerve". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  5. 1 2 3 "Writer Tracy Oliver Opens Up About Issa Rae, 'First Wives Club' And Her Real 'Girls Trip'". Essence.com. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  6. ↑ "Tracy Oliver Rewrites the Script for Her Career" . Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  7. ↑ Harriot, Michael (January 9, 2019). "#BlackGirlMagic: Black-ish Star Marsai Martin Set to Become Youngest Executive Producer in Hollywood History". The Grapevine . Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  8. ↑ Jacobs, Meredith (14 January 2020). "Amazon Studios Announces Cast for Untitled Tracy Oliver Project". TV Insider. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  9. 1 2 "Tracy Oliver Sets Main Cast for Amazon Comedy Series, Reunites With 'Girls Trip' Director Malcolm D Lee". TheWrap. 2020-01-14. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  10. ↑ Lattanzio, Ryan (2020-03-29). "Tiffany Haddish Says She and Her 'Girls Trip' Co-Stars Are Blazing Ahead on a Sequel". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  11. ↑ Harris, Hunter (2019-06-19). "Little's Tracy Oliver Is Rewriting All Your Favorite Movies. Clueless Is Next". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  12. ↑ #teamEBONY (2020-02-26). "2020 EBONY POWER 100 LIST". EBONY. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  13. ↑ "Tracy Oliver Inks Eight-Figure Overall Deal at Apple". The Hollywood Reporter. 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  14. ↑ White, Peter (March 25, 2021). "Tracy Oliver Lands Eight-Figure Overall Deal With Apple". Deadline . Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Penrice, Ronda Racha (April 15, 2016). "Meet Tracy Oliver, Who Will Make You Laugh at Barbershop: The Next Cut". The Root . Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  16. ↑ Turchiano, Danielle (June 23, 2020). "Tracy Oliver on Finding the Humor, Heart and Heist of 'First Wives Club'". Variety . Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ Jones, Marcus (3 November 2021). "Harlem trailer touts guest stars Whoopi Goldberg, Jasmine Guy, and a Cousin Skeeter reunion". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  18. ↑ Williams, Aaron (September 20, 2017). "Jhene Aiko Searches For Love And Closure In Her Short Film 'Trip'". Uproxx . Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  19. ↑ Sharf, Zack (April 22, 2019). "'Little' Screenwriter Speaks Out Against Film's 'Insensitive' Transphobic Joke: 'I Did Not Write It'". IndieWire . Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  20. ↑ Galuppo, Mia; Sun, Rebecca (May 31, 2018). "'Riverdale' Star Charles Melton Joins Yara Shahidi in 'The Sun Is Also a Star' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  21. ↑ Radheyan Simonpillai, "TIFF 2022: The Blackening is horror comedy, not trauma porn" Archived 2022-09-25 at the Wayback Machine . Now , September 9, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.