‘Blackish’ Star Yara Shahidi Says “Black And Brown Characters Have Plenty Of Story” As She Launches First Audio Project With SiriusXM — Cannes Lions
deadline.comBlackish star Yara Shahidi and her mother Keri Shahidi have made the move into audio production, calling a collaboration between their production company and SiriusXM “something we were waiting for.” The mother-daughter duo – co-founders of 7th Sun Productions – told the Cannes Lions festival why they had teamed up with SiriusXM for their first audio offering, The Optimist Project. “I feel if people knew how little TV we watch and how many podcasts we listen to, the question would be, why TV?” said Yara Shahidi. “We watched TV for an hour on Saturdays growing up.
Blackish was the first time I watched TV during the week. “Audio has been a big part of our family. We needed to find the right entry point.
After so many years of tinkering with podcast ideas, there was a natural alignment and inspiration with The Optimist Project.
It’s why we took this foray, it’s one we were waiting for.” Keri Shahidi explained the project would involve “talking to people, hearing what gets them up in the morning, what drives them, what gives them hope.” Her daughter added: “We don’t shy away from the realities of real life, but we take so much excitement from sharing those moments of inspiration in everything we do.” The Optimist Project will be co-produced by 7th Sun and SiriusXM’s Stitcher Studios.
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