The Black Beauty Effect (a series on the global influence of Black Beauty) is available to stream on Netflix on Oct 15

Andrea Lewis (Black Beauty Effect Series Creator & Executive Producer)

Before celebrating her 16th birthday, Lewis had already acted alongside Hollywood heavyweights such as Diahann Carroll and Loretta Devine and worked with Robert Townsend and Dr. Maya Angelou in her directorial debut. After wrapping up on the Disney movie Cadet Kelly alongside Hilary Duff, Lewis soon spent 6 seasons on the hit show Degrassi: The Next Generation and became known around the world as "Hazel" as millions of North Americans tuned in each week to watch Andrea in the Award-winning drama. After Degrassi, she went on to other leading roles on Showtime, Nickelodeon and BET. Then taking her career to another level, Lewis started Jungle Wild Productions, where she wrote, starred in and produced the award winning web series’ “Black Actress” . Through her production company, Lewis has gone on to create multiple Web Series, short films, and digital content. You can watch her latest project “The Black Beauty Effect” on Comcast Xfinity, “Three Ways” on Hulu, “A Nashville Legacy” on Hallmark Mahogany, “Christmas Revisited” on OWN and “How To Die Alone” on HULU.

Kwanza Gooden (Director)

Kwanza Nicole Gooden is a Caribbean American filmmaker based in LA. In 2022, she directed her first studio project - a three-part doc-series for ComcastNBCU called The Black Beauty Effect, which celebrates the many contributions black people have made to the beauty industry. In 2021, Kwanza was approached by Ventureland, Indeed, and Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad to direct the Rising Voices Story, a short documentary that journeys with 10 BIPOC filmmakers through the inaugural Rising Voices program, and highlights the necessity for diversity and inclusion within the film industry. In 2018, Kwanza co-wrote and directed Token, a short film about a young black girl struggling to fit in with her white surroundings. That same year, Token was screened in NY and won “Best Director” at the Oscar-qualifying Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival. Token was also an official selection at Brooklyn Women’s Film Festival and in 2019, it was awarded “Best Drama Short” at the Windy City Film Festival.

Where did the idea for the Black Beauty Effect come from? What was the process of developing the concept and bringing it to life?

AL: The concept came from my lived experience. I grew up as an actor on TV and in films and I had a lot of experience in the makeup chair. Learning about my beauty through the lens of others and also in my real life with the Black woman in my family and friendships gave me a lot to observe and take in and I always felt like there wasn’t a story that showed Black beauty the way I saw it! I always saw our beauty as expansive and diverse, innovative and inspiring. I didn’t know where the story was going to go but I just knew that I wanted it to feel like a gigantic thank you letter to Black women for their constant inspiration in an industry that didn’t appreciate us.

KG: In the process of developing, the idea took many iterations! Originally, our concept was a feature-length verite doc where we were exploring the democratization of beauty through a small group of black beauty influencers. But soon we recognized that mainstream beauty standards had evolved and become more inclusive not only because of these social media gurus, but from the influence of black women and men in all facets of the industry. We pivoted to a 3 part series, wanting to broaden our focus to be more inclusive of the many game changers and disruptors that have paved the way and challenged mainstream ideals from the beginning. We partnered with FaceForward Productions and they helped us secure a production and distribution deal with ComcastNBCU.

How did you meet each other, and what was it like working together? How do you think you compliment one another, creatively speaking?

KG: We met because I was a fangirl of Andrea! Lol growing up, I watched her as Hazel on Degrassi so I went to a panel where she was speaking circa 2016 and I think that was the first time we met. But shortly after we connected through a colleague and started working on videos together! Because we had worked together before, we felt pretty comfortable working together on BBE. I think we complement each other well in that Andrea has great ideas and is great with bringing people together while I'm great at leading and visualizing a story from start to finish.

Did you both always know you wanted to work as creators in entertainment? When did you realize you wanted to follow this path?

AL: I was fortunate to start in the entertainment industry as a toddler and I don’t know at what age I confirmed it but it always felt like the right path for me and the only industry I ever had any interest in pursuing.

KG: I always loved storytelling and performing and I started making internet videos around 16. But in high school I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, specifically entertainment law - so I guess technically yes? Lol but I think it wasn't until my junior or senior year that I realized I could actually study film in college. Once I learned it was an option, I never wanted to do anything else.

There are so many content creators, beauty editors and women you had the opportunity to interview for the series. Where did each of these conversations take you? Did they lead to anything unexpected?

AL: The conversations were my favorite part! I LOVE beauty and getting to talk with so many people that I admire and consider to be pivotal to my own journey in beauty was both therapeutic and inspiring. The most surprising part of the interviews was just how common all of our experiences are, no matter your age or what part of the world you are from, so many of us have the same stories and hopes for representation. It was really refreshing to know that my vision for this series was shared amongst everyone.

KG: There were definitely many unexpected things we learned during the interviews like how Rihanna locked herself in her dressing room with hairstylist Ursula Stephen, while she cut her famous "Good Girl Gone Bad" bob. They were hiding from her label execs who hadn't approved it to be that short ;) What I also didn't expect was how close knit so much of the black beauty community is even across different pockets of the industry. It's beautiful to see how black people show up for each other in spaces where they're outnumbered and often misunderstood.

The Netflix release will undoubtedly bring the series to a larger audience. What kind of impact do you hope the series will have?

AL: I hope that everyone who watches it learns about the creativity and beauty of Black women, and I hope that all Black people feel inspired to continue to be innovative and be game changers in their own lives, no matter the industry.

KG: I hope the series allows us all to celebrate the many contributions black people have made to the beauty industry and I hope it informs audiences of some of the challenges we still face today like being fully represented and adequately served in the marketplace. I hope it inspires young black women to continue showing up boldly and to always embrace and celebrate their outer and inner beauty.

What are you are working on next? What is something you haven't yet had a chance to explore creatively, that you'd like to try out?

AL: Right now I’m busy, I have a Christmas film called “Christmas Revisited” that I acted in coming out on OWN in December and a fun guest spot on a new series called “How to Die Alone” coming out on Hulu in 2024. And on the producing side I’m developing a follow up to Black Beauty Effect and a few scripted projects.

KG: Currently I'm developing several projects including a dark comedy short I'll be directing this fall and an hour long drama about an epic immigrant love story. I'd love to direct a musical!

Are there any other upcoming releases, shows, series or events from your peers or friends that you're excited to see this fall? Anything you would recommend that we check out?

AL: There’s a film recently added to Netflix called “Brother” from Director Clement Virgo and with a stand out cast that includes Lamar Johnson, both Lamar and Clement are from Toronto, where I’m from and they’re amazing, I’m really looking forward to watching and supporting their film.

KG: I recommend you check out my dear friend Sade Clacken Joseph's first feature documentary called Trap Jazz! Which is streaming now on Hulu. It's a beautiful depiction of black fatherhood and it introduces the world to three musicians who've created a brand new genre!