Source: iOne / Getty
Name: Ben Cory Jones
Occupation: Producer and Director
Location: Los Angeles
How Do We Know Him: He’s the ring leader behind some of our favorite must-watch TV, including Insecure, Underground, CLAWS and Boomerang.
Why We Chose Him: Ben’s key strokes are all over the small screen most impactful depictions of Black folks.
What’s Next: He be casting! Plus, the screenwriter-director-producer is the show runner for upcoming season of BET’s popular series, Boomerang.
IG: @benthewriter
Boomerang co-creator and showrunner Ben Cory Jones plans to do more than provide entertainment; he also wants to “infuse the industry with more people who look like us,” as he told Variety in June.“We’re having somewhat of a Black renaissance,” he stated as he gave them a tour of his 1920s Harlem-inspired work space. “I feel like we’re in a heyday of content of people of color, and I’m really proud to be a part of that, but I like to think that what we’re doing is not dissimilar to what Black artists were doing in the ‘20s.” It’s this artistic awareness that sets Jones apart from your everyday creative. And his desire to cultivate space for folks who look like us speaks through all he’s been involved in, from Insecure to Underground.
When he’s not working on hit TV shows, he’s inspiring those looking to follow his foot steps to be students in all arenas of their lives.“Read everything. Read good screenplays, read bad screenplays, read novels — fiction and non-fiction,” he shared with Screencraft last year. “To be a good writer, you have to be a good reader. Also speaking to the vulnerability point, writers must spend the time getting to know themselves. If you can’t be vulnerable and honest with yourself, how can you be honest and vulnerable with your characters?”
