Kwame Kwei-Armah Joins Fifth Season-Backed Production Company the Story Collective (EXCLUSIVE)

Actor, director and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah has joined the board of Fifth Season-backed production company The Story Collective.

In the role, Kwei-Armah will bring expertise and mentorship to various projects in development as well as nurturing new ideas to bring to screen.

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Kwei-Armah is currently the artistic director for the Young Vic theater in London. Previously he served as artistic director of Baltimore Center Stage in Maryland, where he directed Toni Morrison’s “Jazz” and “One Night in Miami,” which was later adapted into a film starring Kingsley Ben-Adir.

He is set to make his directorial feature debut with upcoming film “The Collaboration,” starring Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol and Jeremy Pope as Jean-Michel Basquiat. He directed both the London and Broadway versions of the play. He also co-wrote John Boyega starrer “Breaking” and an episode of “Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle,” on which he was also an exec producer. He is currently working on Spike Lee’s upcoming Viagra musical “Boner.”

The Story Collective was launched in 2021 by Lookout Point and BBC Studio alums Helen Jackson, Damian Keogh and Simon Vaughan. Keogh serves as the CEO while Jackson and Vaughan are co-chairs.

“We are incredibly excited and honoured that Kwame has decided to join us,” said Keogh. “He is a brilliant and inspiring creative leader. His wealth of experience, unique talent and cultural status within the industry speaks for itself. The real thrill, though, is that Kwame is one of the most generous, kind and infectiously joyous people you are ever going to meet. On a personal level, I have really enjoyed our long walks getting to know each other (my step count is off the charts!), and I am hugely excited about the journey ahead together.”

Kwei-Armah said: “I am so excited to join this dynamic, brilliant and exciting company. The talent already part of its portfolio is beyond inspiring and I hope to learn so so much by being in close proximity to Damian, Simon and the team.”

Among The Story Collective’s current projects is Steven Knight’s Disney+ drama “A Thousand Blows” starring “The Crown’s” Erin Doherty and “Boiling Point’s” Stephen Graham.

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