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Nkechi Okoro Carroll

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Nkechi Okoro Carroll
Born
Nkechi Okoro

New York, United States
Occupation(s)Television producer, writer, actor
Years active2002–present

Nkechi Okoro Carroll is a writer, producer, and actor. She is the executive producer for The CW drama All American[1][2][3] and the creator of its spinoff All American: Homecoming.[4]

Early life

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Carroll was born in New York, but lived in many places while growing up, including Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, the United States, and the United Kingdom.[1][5][6] Her parents are Nigerian and came to the United States for college but decided to stay.[5][7] Her dad was a lawyer, and when Carroll was four years old, her family moved to Nigeria for her father's job.[7] When she was eight, Carroll's parents split, and she moved with her mom to Côte d'Ivoire near her cousins.[7] When she was living in Nigeria, she watched a lot of television, which shaped her view of the US.[5] From the time she was young, she wanted to be a writer.[5] Carroll was later sent to boarding school in Oxford, England and began performing at the Oxford Youth Theater.[7]

Carroll attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a BA in economics and French in 1998.[6][7] During her time at Penn, she was the president of the Pan African Student Association and acted in shows with the African American Arts Alliance.[7] After completing college, she worked as a research assistant at the Federal Reserve and acted in small theaters in the evening.[7] She speaks multiple languages.[1]

Carroll received a master's degree in international economics from New York University.[6]

Career

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In 2004, Carroll and her husband left New York and moved to Los Angeles to pursue Carroll's dream of writing in Hollywood.[7] Her first writing job was on The Finder.[7] When the show ended after one season, Carroll joined the writers on Bones.[7] Carroll worked as a co-executive producer on Rosewood and The Resident.[1][6][8]

In March 2014, Carroll launched the group Black Women Who Brunch alongside Lena Waithe and Erika L. Johnson.[7][9] The group is designed to connect black female writers working in the film industry.[7] The group often meets at Carroll's house for potlucks.[9] They provide job recommendations and resources for their members.[9] The Hollywood Reporter did a story on the group's members in 2018.[10] There were sixty-two members at the time and it was The Hollywood Reporter's largest photo shoot at the time.[11]

In 2018, Carroll joined the crew of All American after the pilot episode, co-producing alongside April Blair, Greg Berlanti, and Sarah Schechter.[1][12][13] In October 2018, Carroll took over as executive producer of the show, replacing Blair after Blair had to step down for personal reasons.[1][2][5] Carroll was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series" for the All American episode "Hussle & Motivate", but ultimately did not win the award.[14][15] More recently, she signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television Studios to start Rock My Soul Productions, with Lindsay Dunn serving as head of TV production.[16]

In January 2024 she was nominated for the 55th NAACP Awards for Screenwriter and producer, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, stands tall with a nomination in the Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series category for creating NBC’s Found [17]

Personal life

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Carroll is married to a high school teacher, Jonathan A. Carroll.[5][7] The couple met briefly during their time at the University of Pennsylvania, but were not close.[7] In April 2000, they both went to see a mutual friend perform at the Soul Cafe in New York City, where fellow University of Pennsylvania alumnus John Legend was the opener.[7] Nkechi was there on a date with someone else, but soon after she and Jonathan began dating.[7] They have two sons and currently live in Los Angeles.[5][7]

Carroll is a Christian.[18] She speaks multiple languages,[1] and favorite television show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.[7] She was in the World Trade Center Annex when the planes hit the towers on September 11, 2001, and had to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.[18]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Writer Producer Notes
2010–2011 A Breath of Fresh Air with Jon and Nkechi Yes Yes Executive Producer
2012 The Finder Yes No
2013–2015 Bones Yes Yes
2015–2017 Rosewood Yes Yes Co-Executive Producer
2018 The Resident Yes Yes Co-Executive Producer
2018–present All American Yes Yes Executive Producer
2022–2024 All American: Homecoming Yes Yes Creator, executive producer
2023–present Found Yes Yes Creator, executive producer

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Andreeva, Nellie (3 October 2018). "'All American': Nkechi Okoro Carroll Tapped as New Showrunner as Creator April Blair Exits CW Series". Deadline. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b Barton, Chris (8 October 2019). "The CW's 'All American' pens a 'love letter' to Nipsey Hussle and South L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  3. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (22 April 2019). "'All American' EPs On Season 2 Hopes After Netflix Bump For Bubble Series & Honoring Nipsey Hussle". Deadline. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  4. ^ White, Peter (May 24, 2021). "'All American' Spinoff & Ava DuVernay's 'Naomi' Picked Up To Series By The CW". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Turchiano, Danielle (9 October 2018). "'All American's' New Boss: 'We Want to Make Sure We're Truthful'". Variety. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d "Nkechi O. Carroll". Infinity Film Festival Beverly Hills. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Petrilla, Molly (26 June 2019). "Running the Show". The Pennsylvania Gazette. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (23 August 2019). "ABC Nabs Missing Person Drama 'Found' From Nkechi Okoro Carroll & Berlanti Productions As Put Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Sun, Rebecca (December 5, 2018). "For The Hollywood Reporter's largest shoot ever, members of Black Women Who Brunch, a networking group co-founded by Lena Waithe, gather to discuss how the industry can better understand black women in Hollywood: 'We have to be exceptional.'". Good Black News. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  10. ^ Sun, Rebecca (December 4, 2018). "No More 'We Can't Find Any Black Female Writers': Here Are 62 Scribes in One Photo". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  11. ^ Weinberg, Lindsay (December 4, 2018). "How The Hollywood Reporter's Largest-Ever Group Photo Came to Be". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  12. ^ Petski, Denise (6 February 2020). "'All American' Casts Erica Peeples; Miguel Angel Garcia Joins 'Deputy'". Deadline. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  13. ^ Spencer, Samuel (10 March 2020). "'All American' Season 3 Release Date: When Is the Next Season Coming to the CW and Netflix?". Newsweek. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  14. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (23 February 2020). "NAACP Image Awards: Lizzo Named Entertainer Of The Year; 'Just Mercy', 'Black-Ish', 'When They See Us' Among Top Honorees – Full Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  15. ^ "NAACP Winners 2020: The Complete List". Yahoo! Entertainment. 23 February 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  16. ^ Otterson, Joe (2021-09-02). "Nkechi Okoro Carroll Renews Warner Bros. TV Overall Deal, Hires Lindsay Dunn as Head of TV for New Production Company". Variety. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  17. ^ "Davido, Tems, Burna Boy, Asake, Pick Up NAACP Image Awards Nominations - Afrocritik". 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  18. ^ a b Rhee, Sonya (November 16, 2001). "Interview with Nkechi Okoro, New York, New York, November 16, 2001". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
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