Courtney A. Kemp
| Courtney Kemp Agboh | |
|---|---|
 Courtney Kemp Agboh interviewed in 2015 | |
| Born |
May 4, 1977 Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education |
Brown University Columbia University |
| Alma mater | Brown University (1998) |
| Occupation | television writer and producer |
| Years active | 2005-present |
Courtney Kemp Agboh (born May 4, 1977) is an American television writer and producer. She created the 2014 Starz series, Power and has written for such shows as The Good Wife (2009) and Beauty and the Beast.
Early life and education
Agboh (then Kemp) grew up in Westport, Connecticut, and began reading college textbooks at the age of eight. By the age of 10 she had begun reading plays by William Shakespeare, eventually coming up with her own stories. In 1994, she graduated from Staples High School and went on to receive her bachelor's degree from Brown University as well as her Master's in English Literature from Columbia University.[1]
Career
At the age of 26, Agboh left Westport and went to Los Angeles, California, to further pursue her dream as a television writer. There she garnered her big break by becoming a staff writer for the then-Fox hit series The Bernie Mac Show. She then began writing for other television shows such as Eli Stone, Justice and Beauty and the Beast (a 2012 remake of the 1987 series of the same name) before eventually becoming increasingly known for her writing of episodes for the CBS political drama series The Good Wife.[2]
Her idea for what would become the first series she ever sold and pitched, Power came about when she met rapper 50 Cent and executive producer Mark Canton at a coffeehouse in Los Angeles where she thought up the concept of a guy who becoming destined to leave his life as a drug dealer behind him to become a successful club owner and businessman. She soon penned the script to Power with Canton and 50 alongside her, both serving as executive producers and the show was green lit by Starz on June 17, 2013, with an ordered eight-episode first season set to air the following year.[3]
Personal life
Agboh lost her father, Herbert Kemp Jr. in 2011. The first episode of Power was dedicated in his memory.
References
- ↑ "Courtney Kemp Agboh Adds More Power". 06880. Westport. November 20, 2014.
- ↑ Robert Ito (July 25, 2014). "A Boss Who's Open to Suggestions: Courtney Kemp Agboh Runs Power With 50 Cents Input". The New York Times.
- ↑ "50 Cent to executive product TV show. She later enjoyed working along 50cent 'Power'". HipHopdxauthor=Stephen Horowitz. June 17, 2013.