Courtney A. Kemp

{{Infobox person

| name = Courtney A. Kemp

| birth_name = Courtney Kemp Agboh

| image = Courtney Kemp Agboh on the “Flesh and Bone” Red Carpet.jpg

| caption = Kemp in 2015

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1977|5|4}}

| birth_place = Norwalk, Connecticut, United States

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Television writer and producer

| known_for = Creating Power Universe

| education = {{hlist|Brown University|Columbia University}}

| alma mater = Brown University (1998)

| years active = 2005–present

}}

Courtney A. Kemp (born May 4, 1977) is an American television writer and producer. She created the 2014 television series franchise Power Universe for the network Starz. She has written for such shows as The Good Wife and Beauty & the Beast.

Early life and education

Kemp was raised in Westport, Connecticut, and began reading college textbooks at the age of eight. Her father Herbert Kemp Jr was the first African American graduate of Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/news/articles/herbert-kemp-jr-t66|title = Herbert Kemp, Jr. T'66}} The Kemp family was one of the few African American families in Westport and faced discrimination. By the age of 10 she had begun reading plays by William Shakespeare, eventually coming up with her own stories. In 1994, she graduated from Staples High School and went on to receive her bachelor's degree from Brown University as well as her Master's in English Literature from Columbia University.{{cite web|title=Courtney Kemp Agboh Adds More Power|url=https://06880danwoog.com/tag/courtney-kemp-agboh/|date=November 20, 2014|work=06880|location=Westport}}

Career

Kemp initially hoped to become a journalist after graduating from Columbia University.{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Arianna |title=Meet Courtney Kemp, The TV Showrunner Who's Changing The Game |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/03/145026/power-tv-show-courtney-kemp-bio |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=www.refinery29.com |language=}} She was an editorial assistant at Mademoiselle before the magazine shut down. Afterwards, she worked at GQ for three years.{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Libby |date=2015-06-10 |title=Courtney Kemp Agboh on How She Became a Showrunner, and Why She Doesn't Feel Responsible to Make 'Better Female Characters' |url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/06/courtney-kemp-agboh-on-great-female-characters.html |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Vulture |language=}} She then left the industry and started writing for the J.Crew catalogue. Kemp's job at GQ landed her many good opportunities, especially getting offers from several TV producers asking her to adapt one of her pieces, on interracial dating, into a show. Although this never materialized, it made her want to start producing for the small screen.

At the age of 26, Kemp left Westport and went to Los Angeles, California to further pursue her dream as a television writer. There she garnered her big break by becoming a staff writer for the then-Fox hit series The Bernie Mac Show. She then began writing for other television shows such as Eli Stone, Justice and Beauty & the Beast (a 2012 remake of the 1987 series of the same name) before eventually becoming increasingly known for her writing of episodes for the CBS political drama series The Good Wife.{{cite web|title=A Boss Who's Open to Suggestions: Courtney Kemp Agboh Runs Power With 50 Cents Input|work=The New York Times|author=Robert Ito|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/arts/television/courtney-kemp-agboh-runs-power-with-50-cents-input.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1|date=July 25, 2014}}

Her idea for what would become the first series she ever sold and pitched, Power, came about when she met rapper 50 Cent and executive producer Mark Canton at a coffeehouse in Los Angeles. She thought up the concept of a guy destined to leave his life as a drug dealer behind him to become a successful club owner and businessman, and soon penned the script with 50 Cent and Canton alongside her, both serving as executive producers. The show aired on the Starz network from June 7, 2014{{Cite web |last=Nicholson |first=Max |date=2014-06-06 |title=Power: "Not Exactly How We Planned" Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/06/power-not-exactly-how-we-planned-review |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=IGN}} to February 9, 2020{{Cite web |title='Power' series finale: Ghost's killer speaks |url=https://ew.com/tv/2020/02/09/power-series-finale-michael-rainey-jr/ |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=EW.com}} and received critical acclaim.

The success of the show spawned several spin-offs including Power Book II: Ghost which premiered on September 6, 2020. Kemp served as the showrunner for the show. In August 2021, she signed a deal with Netflix.{{Cite web|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley|date=2021-08-11|title='Power' Creator Courtney Kemp Moves Overall Deal to Netflix|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/power-creator-courtney-kemp-netflix-1234996386/|access-date=2021-08-12|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}}

In January 2024, it was announced that Kemp is working on a new show titled, Dirty 30, a drama based on rogue NYPD police officers. The show will stream on HBO.{{Cite web |date=2020-12-06 |title='Power' Creator Courtney Kemp Has A New Dirty Cop Series We're Sure To Be Obsessed With |url=http://www.essence.com/entertainment/power-creator-courtney-kemp-working-on-dirty-cop-series-for-hbo/ |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=Essence |language=en-US}}

Personal life

Kemp lost her father, Herbert Kemp Jr., in 2011.{{Cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/heartbreak-inspired-courtney-kemps-power-154237217.html|title=The Heartbreak That Inspired Courtney A. Kemp's "Power"|website=www.yahoo.com|date=July 15, 2016 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-16}} The first episode of Power was dedicated to his memory and he was the inspiration behind the main character James "Ghost" St. Patrick.

Courtney and her family lived in Westport, Connecticut where they were one of few black families residing in the town at the time and suffered racial harassment.

Kemp describes herself as having been a voracious reader in her youth with an interest in politics.

She has a child named Arden. Her ex-husband,{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/courtneykemp/status/769921299502108673|title=My ex-husband is {{sic|Ghan|ian|hide=y}}. I am not using the name any more but you are right. It is technically Nigerian but fam is from Ghana.|last=Kemp|first=Courtney A.|date=2016-08-28|website=@courtneykemp|language=en|access-date=2019-09-16}} a former Senior Vice President of Business Affairs at Paramount Pictures named Brian Mawuli Agboh,{{Cite web|url=http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Licensee/Detail/243267|title=Brian Mawuli Agboh #243267 - Attorney Licensee Search|website=members.calbar.ca.gov|access-date=2019-09-16}} filed for a divorce in 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://unicourt.com/case/ca-la2-brian-mawuli-agboh-vs-courtney-kemp-agboh-658796|title=Brian Mawuli Agboh Vs Courtney Kemp Agboh|last=|first=|date=|website=Unicourt|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-09-16}}