Heading into the fourth season premiere of the hit Starz Original series "Power," Starz and Lionsgate have signed POWER creator, showrunner and executive producer Courtney A. Kemp to an exclusive multi-year overall deal. The collaborative nature of Kemp's new deal expands her relationship with the company to include Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), which allows Kemp to develop and produce new projects for Starz and other content through her End of Episode production company, while also continuing to serve in her current role as showrunner and executive producer on "Power."
The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Television Group President Sandra Stern and for
Starz by Senior VP Business & Legal Affairs Russell Schwartz.
The third season of "Power" delivered a record 8 million multiplatform viewers (Live + SD) per episode* and was the most watched premium television original series in 2016, behind only "Game of Thrones."** The 10-episode fourth season returns on Sunday, June 25th airing all day with a "Power" Play marathon stunt.
"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."
"We are longtime fans of Courtney's thanks to her record-breaking series 'Power' and 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."
"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."
"Power" marked Courtney A. Kemp's debut as a creator and showrunner and follows the complex character James "Ghost" St. Patrick and his attempts to move from New York's biggest drug dealer to its biggest legit businessman. Under her leadership, the series doubled viewership from its premiere episode to its Season One finale and generated the largest concentration of African American viewership of any scripted premium series in almost a decade.*** "Power" was renewed for Seasons Four and Five following the record-shattering Season Three premiere on July 17, 2016.
For her work on the show, Marie Claire magazine named Kemp one of "The 50 Most Influential Women in America," she was included as one of the female powerhouses on Elle Magazine's "The Agenda," and was named one of Ebony Magazine's "Power 100" honorees.
Previously, Kemp was a writer and supervising producer on the celebrated television show "The Good Wife," which went on to garner nominations for a Primetime Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series and a Writers Guild Award for Dramatic Series. She also worked on ABC's "Eli Stone," Fox's "Justice," and "The Bernie Mac Show" among others. Prior to her work in television, Kemp wrote for many prestigious magazines, including GQ, Vibe and Marie Claire.
Kemp is represented by CAA and Michael Gendler of Gendler & Kelly.
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