Black Magic

A diversity hire in a writer's room contends with the expectations of her boss at the cost of her identity.

Black Magic is a traumedy that follows Alicia, a Black screenwriter, as she navigates her new staff writer position on a network drama. When she realizes that she’s nothing more than a fellowship diversity hire, Alicia tries to prove her worth to a room that must write in a "diverse" character to save their show. The character quickly devolves into little more than a trope, forcing Alicia to either compromise her hard-earned dream job or play nice with her colleagues and compromise herself. When she chooses the latter, she unwittingly embodies the character they’ve created.

Writer

Cristin Stephens

Director

Cristin Stephens

Original Music Composer

William Jae