All Jokes Aside: Black Women in Comedy

A Webby Award-Winning VH1 Digital Original Documentary

I scouted and booked talent, scripted prompts and questions for on-site producers, and provided creative narrative direction in the post-production phase.

I’m a fan of standup comedy and an advocate of diverse stories, so this concept was close to my heart. I sought new comedians like Tiffany Haddish (it was 2017) and Insecure’s Amanda Seales. Luenell and Martin’s Tichina Arnold were vital to the project as established entertainers. Additionally, I knew commentary from experts was important so I enlisted the help of Debra Wilson, Michelle Buteau, Yvonne Orji, and more.

This was an original piece of content for the VH1 audience, separate from the brand’s linear content.

'All Jokes Aside' is a VH1.com documentary that celebrates black female comedians and takes a closer look at how varied and representative their styles are. ...

To launch, we had a roundtable discussion at the YouTube space in NYC.

Michelle Buteau (MTV, VH1, Comedy Central), Ellen Cleghorne, Ph.D. (Saturday Night Live), Azie Dungey (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Naomi Ekpergin (Broad City) joined us to discuss diversity in comedy and Black women in the larger entertainment industry. The live panel was hosted by Franchesca Ramsey (MTV, Comedy Central) after the premiere of All Jokes Aside: Black Women in Comedy.

Michelle Buteau (MTV, VH1, Comedy Central), Ellen Cleghorne, Ph.D. ('Saturday Night Live'), Azie Dungey ('Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt') and Naomi Ekpergin ('Br...

For VH1’s YouTube audience, we created bite-sized videos for more circulation.

The 'Insecure' star takes us on a ride through Santa Monica as she shares insight on being a black female entertainer in Hollywood. Watch "All Jokes Aside," ...

Debra Wilson, formerly of MADtv, addresses the importance of Black female comedians in entertainment. Watch "All Jokes Aside," VH1.com's full length document...