Prentice Penny

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Prentice Penny
Screenshot from "Want To Up Your Style Game%3F" Upscale.png
Prentice Penny in 2017
Born (1973-12-01) December 1, 1973 (age 50)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater University of Southern California
Occupations
  • Television producer
  • screenwriter
  • director
Years active2005 - Present
Parent Brenda J. Penny [1]

Prentice Penny (born December 1, 1973) is an American producer, writer and director. He is best known as the showrunner for the HBO series Insecure . He is the writer and director of the Netflix film Uncorked, and the creator and host of Upscale with Prentice Penny. He is also known as a writer and producer of the series Brooklyn Nine-Nine , The Hustle , and Scrubs .

Contents

Early life

Penny grew up in the Windsor Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles. [2] His father ran a furniture business started by his grandfather in Compton. [3] His mother, Brenda J. Penny, is a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court. [1] He graduated in 1995 from the University of Southern California's screenwriting program, where he was a member of the African American Cinema Association. [4] [5] He worked as a substitute teacher before getting his first writing job in television. [6]

Career

Penny began his professional career as a writer's trainee on the show Girlfriends where he eventually became a staff writer. [7] He moved on to work as a writer and co-producer on the series Do Not Disturb, where he was the only Black writer. [8] He co-produced the series Scrubs before gaining his first producer credit on the series Breaking In. In 2013 he joined The Hustle as executive producer, then joined Brooklyn Nine-Nine as a co-executive producer and writer. In 2017 he created, produced and starred in the series Upscale with Prentice Penny, a lifestyle series focusing on conscious consumption. [6] In 2016 he became the showrunner for HBO's Insecure, a role he has maintained for all of its seasons. In 2020 Insecure was nominated for eight Emmy Awards for its fourth season, including for Outstanding Comedy Series. [9]

In March 2020, his first feature film Uncorked , a father/son story of an African-American man attempting to become a sommelier, premiered on Netflix. [10]

As of July 2020, Penny had several new projects in the works. He will be partnering with Chernin Entertainment and Netflix to direct a holiday film, the idea for which came from Penny and his wife. He said, "When my wife Tasha and I came up with the idea, we felt that African-American movies centered around Christmas never got to play in the same ‘magical’ sandbox that traditionally white movies do, like The Santa Clause or Elf . We wanted to see images of ourselves portrayed in this genre and create a movie that black families could enjoy having themselves represented in for generations." He is also working with HBO to develop two new series: The Untamed, a culturally diverse epic fantasy based on a series of comic books set in the Asunda universe; and queens, a show set in New York City and focusing on the lives of immigrant women. [11]

In 2021, Penny partnered with comedian Sam Jay to create PAUSE with Sam Jay for HBO, where he serves as executive producer. It was renewed in 2021 for a second season. [12] It is confirmed that Penny will have an overall deal with Onyx Collective. [13]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2020 Uncorked Director/Writer

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2023See It Loud: The History Of Black Televisioncommentator
2021 PAUSE with Sam Jay Executive Producer
2016-2021 Insecure Executive Producer
2017Upscale with Prentice PennyExecutive Producer
2013-2015 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Consulting Producerco-executive producer - 21 episodes, 2013 - 2014
2013 The Hustle Executive Producerwriter - 1 episode
2011-2013 Happy Endings Producerwriter - 6 episodes
2009-2010 Scrubs Co-Producerwriter - 2 episodes
2008Do Not DisturbCo-Producerwriter - 1 episode
2005-2008 Girlfriends Writerwriter - 6 episodes

Personal life

Penny is married to attorney Tasha Penny, whom he met in college at the University of Southern California. They have three children. [14]

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References

  1. 1 2 Gardner, Chris (12 February 2021). "Twitter Users Go Wild as 'Insecure' Showrunner Prentice Penny Reveals Mother as Judge in Britney Spears Conservatorship". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  2. ↑ Kimble, Julian (March 27, 2020). "How to Stay Black and Still Win In Hollywood, According to Director Prentice Penny". Medium.
  3. ↑ Benardello, Karen (April 19, 2020). "Interview: Prentice Penny Talks Uncorked (Exclusive)".
  4. ↑ Krieger, Diane. "The USC Clique Makes Hollywood Feel Like Home". USC News.
  5. ↑ Bahrap, Lindsey (March 29, 2020). "Prentice Penny puts a fresh spin on wine films in 'Uncorked'".
  6. 1 2 Saraiya, Sonia (March 20, 2017). "'Insecure' Showrunner Prentice Penny on Being in Front of the Camera for His Unscripted Series 'Upscale'".
  7. ↑ "SECRET-KEEPING WITH PRENTICE PENNY". The Scribist.
  8. ↑ "Exclusive: Insecure Showrunner Prentice Penny On Directing His First Feature 'Uncorked'". March 31, 2020.
  9. ↑ "After Emmys nod, 'Insecure' showrunner calls for Hollywood to step up representation". KCRW.
  10. ↑ Nemiroff, Perri (March 27, 2020). "'Uncorked': Prentice Penny Explains Why He Almost Wrote a Story About Opera Instead of Wine". Collider .
  11. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (2020-07-16). "Prentice Penny Sets Next Directorial Feature With Netflix & Chernin Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
  12. ↑ "'Pause with Sam Jay' Renewed for Season 2". July 29, 2021.
  13. ↑ Jackson, Angelique (2021-08-02). "Prentice Penny Inks Multi-Year Overall Deal With Disney's Onyx Collective". Variety. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
  14. ↑ Porter, Lauren (2017-03-30). "3 Reasons 'Insecure' Showrunner Prentice Penny And His Wife's Love Story Wins". Essence. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
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