THE COOKOUT TV SERIES
The Cookout is a Black-led series, inviting artists and community leaders across disciplines — music, film, dance, theater, poetry, culinary arts and more — to share their recipes for liberation.
The Cookout is modeled after Soul, one of the first Black television series in the US, which blended uncensored music, dance, poetry, theater, and conversation on public television from 1968 to 1973. The Cookout brings this show to the 21st century, adding social video (e.g. TikTok), gaming, AR/XR/VR and AI-based art.
We believe our culture needs another series that breaks the boundaries of form and invites non-Black people to “the cookout” to model what solidarity looks like. The show will be released online and in cities where we can host in-person cookouts with local artists and organizers.
The Cookout is an experiment in decentralizing intellectual property ownership: it is collectively owned by the producers; every invited artist will own their segment; and the audience may have the chance to own a piece of the show through blockchain.
The TEAM
MAKIAH GREEN
MAKIAH GREEN
MAKIAH GREEN
MAKIAH GREEN (executive producer) is an Emmy Award winning producer, writer and entrepreneur on a mission to tell nuanced stories that reflect the beauty and nuance of Black life. She is the Founder of Get Free Media, a disruptive production company and collective studio that provides creators of color with culturally specific development
MAKIAH GREEN (executive producer) is an Emmy Award winning producer, writer and entrepreneur on a mission to tell nuanced stories that reflect the beauty and nuance of Black life. She is the Founder of Get Free Media, a disruptive production company and collective studio that provides creators of color with culturally specific development support. As the former Senior Vice President of LizzoBangers, Makiah developed and executive produced Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls for Amazon Studios, which won 3 Emmys and took home a Producers Guild Award and Critics Choice Award for Best Competition Series. Previously, Makiah worked as a Manager of Original Series at Netflix, where she oversaw a number of critically acclaimed shows including MO, Dead to Me, Gente-fied and Dear White People. Before joining the Netflix team, she rose through the ranks at MACRO, where she developed films including Judas and the Black Messiah, Sorry to Bother You and Really Love.
SAM BAILEY
MAKIAH GREEN
MAKIAH GREEN
SAM BAILEY (director) is an Emmy-nominated writer and director from Chicago, currently residing in Los Angeles. Bailey is the director of Marvel's upcoming series for Disney + Ironheart, the co-creator of the acclaimed Emmy-nominated webseries Brown Girls, and the creator of the Gotham-nominated webseries You’re So Talented, which premier
SAM BAILEY (director) is an Emmy-nominated writer and director from Chicago, currently residing in Los Angeles. Bailey is the director of Marvel's upcoming series for Disney + Ironheart, the co-creator of the acclaimed Emmy-nominated webseries Brown Girls, and the creator of the Gotham-nominated webseries You’re So Talented, which premiered at Tribeca. Bailey served as a producer and as a director on the final season of Netflix’s Dear White People as well as a director on the previous season of the show. Bailey directed the Powderkeg digital series East of La Brea (SXSW Selectee, Urban World Film Festival Winner), and episodes of television including Grown-ish, Loosely Exactly Nicole, and The Chi. Bailey received praise for her examination of gender and patriarchy in her short film Masculine / Masculine which premiered on Vice. Bailey's work has been featured in many publications and she was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2018, The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans of 2018, and received Shadow and Act’s Rising Award in 2019.
SARAH MINNIE
MAKIAH GREEN
SARAH MINNIE
SARAH MINNIE (producer) is the founder of Minnie Productions. She is an Emmy nominated producer and award-winning director of documentaries, commercials, fashion films, music videos, web series, pilots, short films, features and more. Her work has been published in VOGUE, The Chicago Tribune, Hyperlink Magazine, Women & Hollywood, and in
SARAH MINNIE (producer) is the founder of Minnie Productions. She is an Emmy nominated producer and award-winning director of documentaries, commercials, fashion films, music videos, web series, pilots, short films, features and more. Her work has been published in VOGUE, The Chicago Tribune, Hyperlink Magazine, Women & Hollywood, and in film festivals such as DC Black Film Festival, NYC Web Fest, Austin Film Festival - just to name a few. The devotion to continuously serve the marginalized community she represents and loves, has led her to partnering with organizations that align with her missions to support the Chicago intersectional filmmaking community. Most recently Sarah partnered with Open Television (OTV), as the first ever Development Officer in 2020. And, in 2021, OTV’s Head of Artist Development and Production.