Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media Hires Kelli Buchanan As VP Nonfiction

Anthony D'Alessandro
·3 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Westbrook Media exec Kelli Buchanan is joining Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media as VP, Nonfiction.

At Westbrook Media, Buchanan built and developed a multi-platform slate of original programming as their VP of Development.

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In her new role, Buchanan will report to Proximity co-founder and Head of Nonfiction Peter Nicks.

Together, they’ll continue to craft a nonfiction slate off the heels of Proximity’s critically acclaimed Sundance titles Stephen Curry: Underrated and Homeroom. Buchanan, Nicks and Kalia King, EVP, Television, will also work together across Proximity’s television projects.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kelli to the nonfiction team here at Proximity,” said Nicks. “She is an exciting talent who has the kind of industry experience, curiosity and perspective that will energize us even more as we continue our mission of bringing audiences closer to stories that will not only entertain, but resonate with authenticity, cultural power, and artistic excellence.”

“I am a huge fan of what Ryan, Zinzi, Sev, and Pete have built with Proximity Media,” said Buchanan. “I am thrilled to continue serving as a catalyst for underrepresented people to see, feel, and claim their power by producing culturally responsive content underneath the Proximity banner.”

During her tenure at Westbrook Media, Buchanan partnered with talent like Megan Thee Stallion, Alicia Keys, Ryan Reynolds, and The D’Amelios to sell programming to Hulu, YouTube Originals, and Meta. The Spelman College alumna has developed and sold series to Netflix, Disney+, Facebook, and Quibi for Refinery29 as well as set up HBO’s The Legend of the Underground and HBO’s Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children adjacent Mike Jackson and John Legend‘s Get Lifted Film Co. Buchanan began her career in the Non-scripted Department at WME before transitioning into branded development at NBCU.

Upcoming Proximity projects include Onyx Collective’s drama series Sheba and documentary, Anthem, as well as Marvel’s Ironheart. Coogler and Proximity had a huge hit this past weekend with his production of Creed III starring and directed by Michael B. Jordan which opened to $100M+ worldwide for MGM/Amazon.

Proximity Media is a multi-media company founded by Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian, and co-founded by Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis, and Peter Nicks with a mission to create event-driven feature films, television, soundtracks, and podcasts that bring audiences closer together through stories involving often-overlooked subject matters. Proximity is committed to developing a wide variety of projects from limited budget projects to blockbuster.

Proximity’s upcoming podcast, In Proximity, launches on March 12 and will feature conversations between key Proximity executives and collaborators, providing listeners with a deep dive into the creative process of making movies, television, music, podcasts, and more, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the multimedia company’s highly acclaimed projects and future titles.

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