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" Every writer should be able to write anything if you do the research and you're sensitive enough to ask the questions. "

Courtney A. Kemp

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" When I watch television, I want to be surprised. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" What I'm about to say won't be popular, but it's true: If being a television showrunner is the job you want, and you are a woman, I would not suggest you have children. The reality is that you just cannot do both well. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" I think it's really cool that someone could have ovaries and the presidency. Growing up, I thought I could never be president because I was black and female. Now I know that's wrong. Within my own lifetime - that's different. Within my lifetime, interracial couples are more common. Within my own lifetime, biracial folks are able to claim that. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" When I was pitching 'Power,' I had an executive say, 'Well, I already have a black show.' He said that right to my face. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" I want to tell more stories about lying, dual lives, self-deception - those are my favorites. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" My dad and his sister, who is no longer with us, used to dance on the streets for money. They had nothing. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" When I'm at work, I want to be with my daughter, and when I'm with my daughter, I probably should be working, and it just is what it is. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" As a writer of fiction, you don't ever want to limit the characters you create to the life you've lived. That's insanity to me. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" I'd say it's far more challenging to be female and be a showrunner. People are not surprised to see a black person running this show, but the female aspect is the thing that I get asked about. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" I really try to plot in a fearless fashion. I try not to care about not knowing the answer before I get there; I just jump in first and see what happens. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" When we started on 'Power,' I was committed to respecting the differences among Spanish dialects: Dominican, Nuyorican, Mexican, etc. I wanted the language our characters spoke to be as specific as possible, to reflect New York as it is. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" As a woman, I don't feel like I have a responsibility to create better female characters. I feel like I have a responsibility to create good characters. Because the truth is, those kinds of things ghettoize us even more as writers. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" It was not something that ever occurred to me, to be able to be in TV. I was very lucky. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" When human beings say they have power, it always makes me laugh a little bit. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" The only black folks in town when I was growing up were me and my cousins and one other family. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" When you write a show, every character is you to some extent. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" If everyone knows the role they play, and they do their job - executing it well and with enthusiasm - it comes together successfully every time. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" Ultimately, at the end of the day, taking a chance on 'Power' is taking a chance on me. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" There are some aspects of the story of 'Power' that clearly are about race in the sense that any one of us now who's black and was raised in this country was raised with a lie, which is, 'You can never be president.' That's not true. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" When you pretend to be an authority on everything, it forces your subordinates to defer to your opinion - which may not be the most informed in the room. If you have humility concerning the gaps in your experience or ability, it allows others to shine. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" I am a black woman, and I'm proud of that, but as a showrunner, I want to think about what makes me unique beyond my race. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" Obviously I'm not from 50's background - I'm from Westport, Connecticut, which is as far away from his background as you can get, right? Growing up in Westport, for a long time I was the only black person living there for miles. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" There's a difference between talent and skill. You might have writing talent, but skill is learned. You have to practice. I remain teachable. I was sure that I didn't know everything. People who work with me will tell you I don't think I know everything. I watch people sink around me thinking that they knew everything. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" I really do love male characters, in some ways, for the fact that they get surprised when they're vulnerable. Women are more surprised by their strength. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" Show-running is a very difficult job that includes so many responsibilities; I'm working with the actors, working with directors, writing, making decisions like, 'What fabric is that sofa gonna be?' "

Courtney A. Kemp

" New York is the center of the world. I grew up in Connecticut, outside of the city, and my father commuted to the city for work. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" I called my show 'Power' because, for me, the whole series is about the way my main character, Ghost, is power-less over his circumstances, even though he has almost endless access to money and guns. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" I don't want to be seen in a way where all I can do is what people expect of me. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" 50 and I are extremely close, so all that social media drama? It's just for the show. "

Courtney A. Kemp

" I'm seeing more and more people of color do what I do as showrunners, and that's so great. I would love to get to the point where we don't have to talk about it anymore. "

Courtney A. Kemp