Attendees piled into NeueHouse Hollywood on June 6th, eager to not only celebrate the hit shows that BET & BET+ produced over the past year, but excited to engage with the creatives behind them. With more eligible content this year than any other in BET’s 44 years history, BET Media Group’s FYC House was anchored to something more profound and joyous than shameless awards bait. BET CEO Scott Mills personally welcomed the audience to the event. He was quick to acknowledge that currently in Los Angeles, there are Emmy “For Your Consideration”, or FYC, events nightly. His genuine appreciation for all those gathered set the tone for the artists and power players that followed across two insightful panels.
“The Women of BET Panel” Spotlights The Creators and Craft to Bring Its Shows To Life
Moderated by Aisha Summers-Burke, the EVP and General Manager of BET Studios, the evening’s first panel put women in the spotlight. “The Women of BET” Panel featured women in front of and behind the camera of hit shows such as “Diarra from Detroit”, “The Ms. Pat Show” and “Average Joe”. The panel included Robi Reed, SVP of Talent and Castign at BET Networks, Patricia Willams, the creator and star of “The Ms. Pat Show”, Mary Lou Bellli, a director on the “The Ms. Pat Show” along with Cynthia McWilliams, who plays “Cathy Montgomery” on “Average Joe” and Diarra Kilpatrick, the creator and creative force behind “Diarra from Detroit”.
Summer-Bruke deftly rotated questions between all five women, coaxing wisdom and insight out of everyone on stage. The conversation spanned everything from creative process, technical approach, and personal connections. Each panelist contributed something brilliant to the discussion. Kilpatrick pulled back the curtain on her real-life inspiration for “Diarra from Detroit“, and highlighted the shrewdness and savvy of Black women. When creating the show about a Black female private investigator, Kilpatrick said she asked herself “What did Columbo know that my granny didn’t?” The question may seem humorous, but it underscored the yet-to-be-fully-recognized capability of Black women by white American society.
Meanwhile, McWilliams shared the unforgettable tale of how she learned she’d gotten the role of Cathy on “Average Joe” thanks to Reed’s support and belief in her. Belli contrasted how she directs the single-cam drama “Kingdom Business” with the multi-camera, subversive sitcom style of “The Ms. Pat Show”. Whereas Williams, Ms. Pat herself, spoke to the importance of tackling tough, real subjects through the lens of comedy.
The “How We Made It” Creatives Panel Underscores the Necessity of BET’s Existence
After the women left the stage, the five men participating in BET’s had a tough act to follow. Fortunately, under the careful and considerate moderation of Variety’s Senior Awards Editor Clayton Davis, the panelists rose to the occasion. Similar to the discussion prior, the “How We Made It” panelists spanned several facets of filmmaking and entertainment across BET’s networks. Talent included Deon Cole, star of “Average Joe”, Jordan E. Cooper, co-creator and director of “The Ms. Pat Show,” legendary director of “Kingdom Business” Oz Scott, Kirk Franklin, the prolific musician, executive producer of “Kingdom Business”, and host of “Celebrity Squares” D.C. Young Fly.
Each panelist had a wealth of experience and expertise to draw from as they participated in the panel. However, it soon became apparent through talking about their individual experiences on BET productions and others, the panelists were speaking to something larger. They spoke to the necessity and the importance of BET and BET+’s existence, and the type and quality of shows they produce. It ranged from the specific, where Cole spoke to how white productions often don’t have hair and makeup artists that know how to work with Black hair and skin, to the existential. Cooper detailed his and Pat Williams’s fight to get studio executives to hire him to co-create the show.
Deon Cole and Jordan E. Cooper Praise BET & BET+
Additionally, he shared the subsequent conflict with white executives at studios that didn’t understand the audience Willams and Cooper were writing for. Cooper likened “The Ms. Pat Show” finding its home on BET+ to “coming home.” It is worth celebrating that “The Ms. Pat Show”, which is co-created by a former drug dealer and at the time, a college senior, exists. However, Cooper and Cole’s stories point to the uncomfortable reality that entertainment is nowhere near as integrated and inclusive as it ought to be in 2024.
Even so, Cole left the audience with hope. Best known as a comedian, he pointed to his dramatic turn in “Average Joe”. He explained that the show was merely a crimes series with Black people in it, as opposed to a “Black show”. Clearly, a need and an audience exist for more shows in the vein of the ones celebrated at the FYC event. Also, that BET and BET+ are not the only homes available for such shows.
BET Media Group Celebrates Its Most Emmy-Eligible Year Yet
Ultimately, though no one shied from the challenges creators of color face, the mood at BET’s FYC House was nothing short of festive. Following the panels, attendees and the panelists headed to NeueHouse’s rooftop for a reception. Dotted with activations from the networks’ Emmy-eligible shows, the rooftop became a visual representation of BET’s groundbreaking and entertaining slate. While reveling in BET’s achievement is well-deserved, hope springs The Television Academy honors the success as they should. The Emmy Award nominations will be announced on June 17th.
