‘Gentefied’ EP Aaliyah Williams Inks First Look Deal With MACRO

Producer Aaliyah Williams has signed a one-year first look deal with MACRO and has also launched Just A Rebel production company. Under the deal, MACRO will have first look rights to projects that Williams and Just A Rebel seek to develop and produce.

Williams is no stranger to MACRO, she was the former head of digital of Charles D. King’s media company that champions inclusion and representation.

“I am thrilled to continue to elevate fresh voices and fearless storytellers in the expanded realm of television and film,” said Williams in a statement. “I look forward to contributing to the current cultural renaissance in entertainment by providing everyone with more opportunities to aspire, laugh, dream and see themselves reflected in complex and compelling content. It is an incredible honor to do this work with the support of MACRO, which has been an incredible platform for my growth as a producer. Through our partnership we will no doubt engage global audiences with art worth watching.”

The news comes on the heels of Netflix ordering 10 episodes of the dramedy Gentefied, based on the digital series from Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez that premiered at Sundance in 2017. Williams will serve as an executive producer alongside King, America Ferrera, Teri Weinberg and Kim Roth. The half-hour bilingual dramedy follows three Mexican-American cousins and will navigate important themes such as identity, class and balancing insta-fame with translating memes for their parents. Lemus and Chávez will write and co-exec produce the 10-episode series, with Lemus also directing with. Monica Macer serving as showrunner.

Williams’ producing credits include the forthcoming feature Really Love starring Kofi Siriboe (Queen Sugar), Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing (Love Is__) and Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black). Williams also executive produced the 2018 Sundance selection, Leimert Park series. Williams regularly contributes to efforts such as Film Independent’s Project Involve and The Ron Brown Scholar Program. Her newly launched production company, Just A Rebel will focus on television and film projects that shift the culture forward. Through the company’s content pipeline, Williams seeks to create a world without filters, sans a code switch so that culture can be completely unbound.