BET+ Orders ‘Birth Of Cool’ Dramedy Series From Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad & Macro

Denise Petski
·2 min read
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BET+ has given a 10-episode series order to Birth of Cool, a high school dramedy series from creators Juel Taylor (Creed II, They Cloned Tyrone) and Tony Rettenmaier (They Cloned Tyrone), Macro Television Studios (Raising Dion, Gentefied) and Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions (Queen and Slim, The Chi, Twenties).

Written by Taylor, who also will direct the pilot, and Rettenmaier, Birth of Cool revolves around Crispus Attucks High, a predominantly Black high school in Compton. The half-hour dramedy follows the adventures and misadventures of both students and teachers, on campus and off, as they try to make it through the weird, hilarious, stressful, often sobering, sometimes surreal school year, while (hopefully) growing a bit in the process.

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Birth of Cool is Macro’s first series with BET+.

“BET+ continues to be the home for best-in-class creatives to tell their original stories about the Black experience,” said Devin Griffin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, BET+. “We appreciate Lena’s creative vision and continued trust and are thrilled to partner with a skilled group of creators from Macro Television Studios and Hillman Grad to bring this series to life.”

“We are excited to continue Macro’s commitment to excellence in content creation and to be partnered with Juel and Tony and help bring their unique vision to the screen,” said Marta Fernandez, President, Macro Television Studios. “Along with our partners at BET+, Hillman Grad and Endeavor Content, we passionately support their voices and dedication to telling authentically Black stories.”

“Our goal at Hillman Grad is to find the next generation of visionary filmmakers who challenge the ways in which we typically represent characters of color on screen. Juel and Tony are exactly that. We’re so excited to have been on this journey with them and can’t wait to introduce the world to the brilliance, humor, and depth of Birth of Cool,” said Rishi Rajani, President of Film/TV, Hillman Grad.

Fernandez and Mark R. Wright will oversee for Macro Television Studios. Macro’s partners on the TV series are Endeavor Content (Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, Killing Eve) and Hillman Grad Productions, with Charles D. King, Fernandez, Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, Taylor, Rettenmaier, Aaliyah Williams and David Morris serving as Executive Producers.

Taylor and Rettenmaier are repped by WME, The Gotham Group and Redefine Entertainment.

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