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" I've kinda been an off-Broadway sensation. There aren't a lot of lights or big marquees around my name or my work, yet my core audience knows exactly where I am. "

Mara Brock Akil

Audience

Big

Work

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" To choose love and jump in not knowing, with a lot of unknowns, is a brave act. "

" Where I thrive is with my hands on the keyboard or my pen on the paper. One of the things I get to do is I get to rewrite. I rewrite, and I work hard on my scripts. You can rewrite until you're 'perfect,' and that's something that's safe for me. "

Mara Brock Akil

Hands

Perfect

" Being black, Latino, or Asian is not a genre. Romantic comedies, thrillers, action - those are genres. I think there's a lot of people who want to have the conversation. I don't think people are afraid of it, I just think it's the time to have that conversation. Race is not a genre. "

" I love writing about black women, but if you go beyond that, we're human beings - and because we're human beings, it's universal for everybody. "

" I went to journalism school, so sometimes writing the script of 'Being Mary Jane' is me putting my journalism hat on. "

" I've been having a 20-plus year conversation with black women, starting with 'Girlfriends,' moving through 'The Game,' 'Being Mary Jane,' even 'Sparkle.' "

" When I was in '97, I didn't know I was in a very major moment. But with the privilege of reflection, I do. And that's what artists should do - they should help illuminate and reflect the human condition. "

" In 'Girlfriends,' I was exploring the idea of having it all. In 'Being Mary Jane,' I was exploring the idea that you have to be the center of everything. "

" I'm trying to talk about challenging subjects people might not like and trying to find relief as we discuss it. "

Mara Brock Akil

Trying

People

" If you want something, work hard for it, go after it. I can't worry about all the 'no's, because I believe there's a yes, and I've been very fortunate to find those in my career and made the most of those opportunities. "

" I'm very connected and passionate about what I put out in the world, and I want to get things safely to shore. "

" Technology has changed our industry, and I think that's opened up different revenue streams and ways to make money and distribute television. It's made the global conversation easier, quicker. "

" Any form of media is an opportunity to be a mirror and reflection of what we are experiencing more in the details of our life. What makes it fun and unique in a lot of ways is how that journey is changing just by the mere fact of the current time. "

" I wanted always to be a storyteller of the fullest expression. "

" I was nurtured by Ralph Farquhar and then, later, by Sara Finney-Johnson and Vida Spears, two black women. So, I actually was nurtured by my culture, in a safe environment that allowed me to build my confidence. And Debbie Allen was one of my mentors, along with Stan Lathan. "

Mara Brock Akil

Culture

Black

" That's what this industry is all about - supporting artists and supporting storytellers and hearing the audience for what they want and need. There still is a lack of value for what black women want, yet we have proven to be one of the strongest consumers in the marketplace. "

" A staple of my personality is that I want what I want - and I'm willing to do without until I get it. "

" I'm not afraid of stereotypes. There are some truths to it - but the problem is that people keep sort of owning that one thing to be the truth. "

" We still have a lot of work to do in American culture. More open-mindedness is happening - in some cases rapidly, in some, slowly. "

Mara Brock Akil

American

Work

" When you realize you don't own someone, you show up every day to try to make sure they stay in your life. "

" It's funny that black men, at first, were worried about a show called 'Girlfriends' because they thought that black men were gonna get bashed. They realized, 'Wait a minute - we're respected in this story.' "

" When I walk into a room, I know my storytelling has value and I have to sell my idea. I have to help people see the financial value and gain in my work. "

" I often attribute my screenwriting to journalism because they drill in the who, what, when, where and why - but we really need to land on that why. That's what I've been exploring in my writing for many years and trying to get better at. "

" With 'Girlfriends,' even with 'The Game,' or even with 'Being Mary Jane,' I didn't get a chance to wrap up the story and, more specifically, show love. "