Starz and Lionsgate have signed Power creator, showrunner and executive producer Courtney A. Kemp to an exclusive multi-year overall deal. The deal allows Kemp to develop and produce new projects for Starz and other content through her End of Episode production company, while continuing to serve in her role on Power.
The show’s fourth season starts June 25.
The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Television Group president Sandra Stern and for Starz by Senior VP and Head, Original Programming, Business & Legal Affairs Russell Schwartz.
“Courtney A. Kemp is the complete showrunner package, and we’re thrilled to continue collaborating with such a creative talent and outstanding producer,” said Chris Albrecht, president and CEO of Starz. “We are proud to see Courtney receive the recognition she deserves in our industry and are pleased the combined ‘power’ of Starz and Lionsgate offers even greater opportunities for her–and us–in the creative community.”
The third season of Power delivered a record 8 million multiplatform viewers (Live + SD) per episode.
“We are longtime fans of Courtney’s thanks to her record-breaking series Power and are delighted to be working with her at the studio going forward,” said Lionsgate Television Group chairman Kevin Beggs. “Her new deal shows the ability of our combined company to attract and nurture the top talent in the business.”
Power follows James “Ghost” St. Patrick and his attempts to move from New York’s biggest drug dealer to its biggest legit businessman.
Previously, Kemp was a writer and supervising producer on The Good Wife. She also worked on ABC’s Eli Stone, Fox’s Justice and The Bernie Mac Show, among other series.
"This new deal presents a wonderful opportunity to extend my creative efforts on Power while developing new shows for Lionsgate,” said Kemp. “I am grateful to Jon [Feltheimer], Kevin and Chris for this warm welcome to the Lionsgate family, and I'm looking forward to a continued relationship with Chris, Carmi and the entire team at Starz."
Kemp is represented by CAA and Michael Gendler of Gendler & Kelly.
