SHOWRUNNER

Throughout her career, Janine Sherman Barrois has been infusing her identity as a Black woman into the television shows that have entertained diverse audiences. After graduating from Howard University, she moved West to get into film and television. Barrois worked in the writers' rooms and as an executive producer on popular shows like The Jamie Foxx Show, ER and Criminal Minds. She now serves as the showrunner for TNT's Niecy Nash-led hit drama Claws, a fitting role for a woman who is determined to make sure the lives of women and people of color continue to have a space in entertainment. For this change, Barrois gives credit to today's Black women showrun-ners like Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay and Issa Rae, and also to rising talent like Yara Shahidi.