Black-ish star Tracee Ells Ross has graduated into the next tier of television success, with the securement of an overall deal with ABC Signature, her “home studio” that produces the show she toplines. Under her own banner of Joy Mill Entertainment, Ross will develop and produce content with ABC Signature under a multi-year deal with the Disney Television Studios company.
“Mixed-ish,” a prequel to “Black-ish,” is set in the 1980s and explores the childhood of Tracee Ellis Ross’ biracial character, Rainbow and was also recently granted a second season, seeing her presence growing within Kenya Barris’ “-ish” franchise universe. With the creation of her own company however, Ross gets to be at the helm of stories she wants told, not just ones that she “stars” in.
“I love sharing stories and using storytelling as a way to connect and celebrate humanity,” Ross said. “As an actor, I’ve had the joy of inhabiting nuanced and dynamic roles. As an executive producer, I am able to build stories, gather creatives and shape worlds as a way to illuminate different realities.”
“This deal continues my journey as a storyteller and content creator,” Ross continued. “I am thrilled to finally be sharing the news and expanding this part of my artistry at my home studio, ABC Signature.”
Though Barris has moved to Netflix, he’s still a presence with ABC, as he’s returning to write spinoff Old-ish with stars Laurence Fishburne and Jenifer Lewis – and Black-ish returns to ABC soon with two election-themed specials for its seventh season.
