‘Diary Of A Future President’ Creator Ilana Peña Inks Overall Deal With CBS TV Studios

Denise Petski
·2 min read

Diary of a Future President creator Ilana Peña is expanding her relationship with CBS TV Studios, signing an overall deal with the studio behind the series.

Peña also serves as co-showrunner and executive producer of the series, which has been renewed for a second season on Disney+. The series was inspired by Peña’s own childhood, and follows a young Cuban-American girl as she navigates the ups and downs of middle school and her journey to becoming the future president of the United States.

Prior to Diary, Peña served as a writer on the CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend , also produced by CBS TV Studios, and co-writer of Her Shorts with Rachel Bloom, produced by Refinery29 and Planned Parenthood.

“We first got to know Ilana when she was working on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” said Kate Adler, EVP of Comedy Development, CBS TV Studios. “She is exactly the kind of writer executives dream of: smart, funny, hard-working and inspired. We knew she had a lot to say and couldn’t wait to develop with her. Our suspicions were confirmed when we read her first draft of Diary of a Future President. Now we just need to figure out how to clone her.”

“Since day one on Diary, CBS Studios has been so supportive of my vision and voice,” said Peña. “I am incredibly grateful to the team for giving me a creative home to tell meaningful, inclusive stories.”

Peña’s plays have been produced professionally in Chicago (Goodman Theatre Latino Theater Festival) and New York (INTAR Theatre), among others. She is also the co-founder of See What Sticks, a monthly workshop with an audience in Los Angeles.

Peña is repped by Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

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