Writer and show creator Jenji Kohan creates unforgettable, complex and diverse characters and stories. The stunning success of Orange Is The New Black...

Game-Changers: Jenji Kohan (USA)

Location:

Sydney Town Hall
2000 NSW
Australia

Game-Changers: Jenji Kohan

Featuring

Jenji Kohan - CAA Speakers - Photo

Jenji Kohan (USA)

Creator & Executive Producer

Jenji Kohan is the creator and executive producer of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. To date, the critically acclaimed series has earned four Golden Globe nominations, 10 Emmy Award nominations, including three wins, and the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The third season was released Summer 2015.

Kohan began her writing career on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air after graduating from Columbia University. Her series writing credits include Mad About You, Tracy Takes On, Sex and the City and Gilmore Girls. In 1999, she was honored with an Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Comedy Series’ for her work on Tracy Takes On. She has developed and produced multiple pilots and series, including Showtime’s Weeds, which ran for eight seasons and garnered her the Writers Guild Award for ‘Best Episodic Comedy’ for the pilot entitled ‘You Can’t Miss The Bear.’

Kohan is the daughter of 13-time Emmy Award-winning television writer Buz Kohan and accomplished novelist, Rhea Kohan. In 2014, Jenji was named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, journalist/author Christopher Noxon and three children Charlie, Eliza and Oscar.

Josh Thomas

Josh Thomas

Stand Up Comedian, Actor, Writer & Producer

After making his mark as an award-winning and hugely successful stand-up comedian and television panellist, Josh Thomas turned his hand to writing, acting and co-executive producing his own television show for ABC TV, inspired by his life and his comedy, called Please Like Me.  When Participant Media in the US chose to launch its brand new Pivot television network with Please Like Me and to co-commission a second season with ABC TV, Josh was on his way to being an international success story.

He has been awarded by the Australian Academy (AACTA) and the Australian Writers Guild for his writing for Please Like Me, and has been nominated for AACTA and Logie Awards for his performances in the show. In addition, the show itself has won Best Comedy at the AACTA Awards and been nominated as Best Comedy at the International Emmy Awards, Rose d’Or Awards, GLAAD Media Awards and Logie Awards. The show has gained critical acclaim across the globe, and has been named as one of the best TV shows of year by Entertainment Weekly, The New Yorker, TIME, The A.V. Club and the Los Angeles Times.

Following on from the show’s success in both Australia and the US, Please Like Me has also been licensed to air in Germany, France, Sweden, Canada, Finland and Israel.

 

Photo credit: Natalie Portainer

Event Details

Writer and show creator Jenji Kohan creates unforgettable, complex and diverse characters and stories. The stunning success of Orange Is The New Black, now entering its fourth season, is proof that Kohan is one of the most original writers and creators working in television today.

Orange Is The New Black is said to be the most-watched show on Netflix, a show that “breaks the internet” on every series release, as fans binge watch and discuss. OINTB is unlike anything we’ve seen on small screens before, a testament to Kohan’s singular vision; it offers viewers a unique mix of comedy and drama, social commentary and personal stories, violence and vulnerability.

Kohan’s distinctive creative voice was honed as creator, executive producer, showrunner, and head writer of Showtime’s Weeds, which ran for eight seasons and garnered widespread critical acclaim (the legend goes that Kohan secured the pilot with a five-word pitch).

Kohan began her writing career on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and went on to work in the writers room of iconic shows such as Mad About You, Tracy Takes On, Sex and the City and Gilmore Girls. She has developed and produced multiple pilots and series.

Kohan comes to Sydney to share with us her creative approach to storytelling, crafting characters, and making content for new ways of watching. This session is a must for passionate fans of OINTB, who want to gain an insight into the mind behind the show, and for writers, performers, producers and aspiring content-creators: discover strategies to get new stories out in the world.  

Joining Kohan on stage as host is comedian, writer and actor Josh Thomas, the creative mind behind the hugely successful and critically acclaimed TV show, Please Like Me, which was inspired by Thomas' comedy and life. 

Jenji Kohan will appear as part of the Vivid Ideas Game-Changers Talk Series: conversations with global creative industries leaders.

An Australian-first and Vivid Sydney exclusive.

 

Information on Access & Inclusion

Game-Changers: Jenji Kohan will be an Auslan Interpreted Event and provides reserved seating areas to cater for hearing, vision, wheelchair and carer requirements. Sydney Town Hall also provides a Hearing Loop throughout the venue.  PWD tickets are available at concession prices and one complimentary ticket will provided for a companion or carer. To book, please contact moshtix on 1300 438 849  or email help@tixsupport.com and notify the Agent of your requirements, quoting your Concession or Companion Card number when booking. If you require any other information on these accessible services or have additional requirements, please let us know how we can assist you.

 

*Booking and transaction fees may apply

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