AMAZON STUDIOS ANNOUNCES NEW OVERALL DEAL WITH EMMY AWARD-WINNING WRITER, CREATOR AND ACTOR LENA WAITHE

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 27, 2019 - Amazon Studios announced today that it has closed an overall deal with Emmy Award-winning writer, creator, producer and actor Lena Waithe. Waithe, who will produce the upcoming Amazon Original horror anthology series THEM, will work with Amazon Studios to create and produce original series which will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

"Lena is a powerhouse writer and producer who also has a gift for identifying exciting and authentic voices," said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. "Our upcoming series THEM is the result of her rare ability to cultivate brilliant voices like Little Marvin and bring his wholly original and compelling vision to Amazon. We look forward to collaborating with Lena and her team for years to come."

"I couldn't be more excited about this new partnership with Amazon Studios and am looking forward to this next chapter," said Waithe. "Both of our goals are aligned in that we want to continue elevating storytellers who are underrepresented and have a unique vision of the world."

Waithe founded her production company, Hillman Grad, alongside her creative partner, Rishi Rajani. The company's slate includes Waithe's feature film writing debut Queen & Slim, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith, directed by Melina Matsoukas, which will be released by Universal Pictures this November; Twenties, which she created and wrote for BET; HBO's Untitled Kid Fury Project; and Showtime's How to Make Love to a Black Woman. Waithe currently serves as creator and executive producer of the Showtime drama series The Chi, which was recently greenlight for a third season, and also BET's Boomerang, which will return to the network for a second season. For film, Waithe's previous producer credits include Step Sisters and Dear White People.

Waithe first made headlines in front of the camera as Denise in the critically acclaimed Netflix series Master of None. She co-wrote the "Thanksgiving" episode, for which she received an Emmy Award in the category of "Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series" and a NAACP Image Award nomination.