Docuseries The Hair Tales, from Oprah Winfrey, Tracee Ellis Ross and Michaela Angela Davis, premieres on Hulu and OWN October 22. The first two episodes are on both networks that day, and Hulu then premieres two a week, while OWN debuts one per week.
The series “leads the audience through a revelatory journey of connecting the personal tales of phenomenal Black women to broader societal and historic themes,” said producer Onyx Collective. “The stories shared in the series offer an honest and layered look into the complex culture of Black hair and, ultimately, Black women’s identity, beauty, cultural and social contributions and humanity.”
Winfrey, Issa Rae, Chloe Bailey and Chika, Marsai Martin and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley are among the women featured.
Along with Onyx, The Hair Tales is produced by Culture House, Joy Mill Entertainment, Tetravision and Harpo Films. Raeshem Nijhon, Carri Twigg and Kisha Imani Cameron executive produce with Winfrey, Ross and Davis.
Onyx is a Disney content brand featuring creators of color and underrepresented voices. Onyx also shared, as part of its TCA press tour presentation, that ABC Signature has extended its deal with Yara Shahidi and her 7th Sun Production company to include a partnership with Onyx. Shahidi played Zoey in Black-ish, and stars in spinoff Grown-ish. With her partner, and mother, Keri Shahidi, she will continue to develop and produce scripted and alternative television projects for cable, streaming and broadcast.
“It is every creative’s dream to be seen and heard and to do so with colleagues who align with your vision and your soul,” said Yara and Keri. “We are so grateful to have the opportunity to continue to create with our Disney family and be grounded in the work that Onyx Collective is doing to meet the moment.”
Tara Duncan is president of Onyx and Freeform.
Onyx revealed three unscripted projects in the works. True-crime docuseries Ring of Fire: The Life of Annie Mae Aquash (working title) is directed by Yvonne Russo. The project unravels the decades-old mystery behind the murder of Annie Mae Aquash, a Mi’kmaq woman from Nova Scotia.
The Untitled Swizz Beatz Project features hip-hop figure (and car collector) Swizz Beatz visiting car-loving destinations.
Searching for Soul Food showcases celeb chef Alisa Reynolds examining soul food around the world.
“It is an exciting time to be leading Onyx Collective,” Duncan said. “When we opened our doors just over a year ago, we set out to nurture imaginative storytelling, creating disruptive, inclusive and wildly entertaining narratives that would spark conversation and forward the culture. That vision is materializing in ways we could have only dreamed of, and we remain grateful to have a clear lane at Disney General Entertainment, a company that has empowered our work from day one.” ■
