Amazon MGM Studios Inks First-Look Deal With Nneka Onuorah

Amazon MGM Studios has signed an exclusive first-look TV and film deal with “Lizzo’s Watch Out For the Big Grrrls” Director Nneka Onuorah, the studio announced on Tuesday.

“Nneka has a track record of crafting stories that excite, intrigue, and inspire,” said Vernon Sanders, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of television. “This is a process we’ve been fortunate to experience firsthand, and we cannot wait to reignite our professional relationship under this formal deal.”

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Onuorah won the Primetime Emmy award for outstanding directing for a reality program for Prime Video’s “Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls” in September 2022. The series also won the Emmy for outstanding competition program. The 2022 Emmys marked Onuorah’s first nomination and win in her directing career.

Her other credits include “The Same Difference” and “The Legend of the Underground,” both of which were nominated for outstanding documentary at the GLAAD Media Awards in 2017 and 2022, respectively. “The Same Difference” tells the story of internalized homophobia within the black lesbian community. “The Legend of the Underground” is produced by John Legend and follows a group of Nigerian youth challenging their country’s discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws. She’s also credited on Netflix’s “First and Last,” Viceland’s “My House,” “Burn Down the House,” and ”The G Word,” produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the creative fabric of what Jen and her team are building at Amazon,” said Onuorah in a statement. “I’m proud of the groundbreaking stories that we’re already telling together, and excited to continue my artistic journey into scripted series and films with Amazon as well.”

She is represented by UTA, Mosaic, and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.

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