Prentice Penny helped adapt and shape the show for television, and built a writers room that reflected the shows honest and real make up. Pennys credits include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Happy Endings and Girlfriends. But this is his first time actually leading a TV series as showrunner. We sat down with Prentice to hear how its going and how Insecure depicts code-switching, dating, South Los Angeles, and so much more.
Penny discusses some of the unique choices that the show made, some of which shouldnt be considered revolutionary but are. He also shares his experiences growing up in both predominantly African-American and predominantly white environments, and navigating the world of predominantly white writers rooms. It can be difficult, it can be uncomfortable at times, Penny said. Do you make a stand on this thing, and if you do, are you going to be considered The black guy whos doing this? But you dont want to let it slide
its like chess. And youre trying to be a good writer in the room. Theres all these levels of not just the work, but the perception of how youre perceived in the work. To navigate that can be tricky.
